Tim Hecker is a Canadian

electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...

ian, producer, composer, and

sound art Sound art is an artistic activity in which sound is utilized as a primary Time-based media, time-based Artistic medium, medium or material. Like many genres of contemporary art, sound art may be interdisciplinary in nature, or be used in Cross-genr ...

ist. His work, spanning albums such as '' Harmony in Ultraviolet'' (2006), '' Ravedeath, 1972'' (2011) and '' Virgins'' (2013), has been widely critically acclaimed. He has released eleven albums and a number of EPs in addition to a number of

film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...

s and collaborations with artists such as Arca, Ben Frost,

Jóhann Jóhannsson Jóhann Gunnar Jóhannsson (; 19 September 1969 – 9 February 2018) was an Icelandic composer who wrote music for a wide array of media including theatre, dance, television, and film. His work is stylised by its blending of traditional orchest ...

Daniel Lopatin Daniel Lopatin (born July 25, 1982), best known as Oneohtrix Point Never or OPN, is an American experimental electronic music producer, composer, singer, and songwriter. His music has utilized tropes from various musical genres and eras, samp ...

, and Aidan Baker.

Biography

Born in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, Hecker is the son of two art teachers. During his

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

years, he played in rock bands with friends, before acquiring a sampler and working on solo material. He moved to

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

in 1998 to study at

Concordia University Concordia University () is a Public university, public English-language research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College (Montreal), Loyola College and Sir George Williams Universit ...

and explore his artistic interests further."Spin Interview 2013"
Christopher R. Weingarten, 'Tim Hecker: Attack of the Drones', ''Spin Magazine''; October 10, 2013 He initially performed internationally as a DJ and

techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempos being in the range from 120 to 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time ( ) and often ...

producer under the name Jetone, releasing three albums under the moniker. By 2001 he became disenchanted with the musical direction of the Jetone project. In 2001, Hecker released the album '' Haunt Me, Haunt Me Do It Again'', under his own name through the label Alien8. He followed with '' Radio Amor'' and '' Mirages'' . In 2006, he moved to Kranky where he released his fourth album '' Harmony in Ultraviolet.'' He subsequently incorporated the use of

pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurised air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a Musical keyboard, keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single tone and pitch, the pipes are provide ...

sounds which were digitally processed and distorted. The album was called the 9th best ambient album of all time by ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

''. For the album '' Ravedeath, 1972'', Hecker traveled to

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

where together with Ben Frost, he recorded parts in a church. The album was awarded the

Juno Award The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's mu ...

for Electronic Album of the Year. In November 2010, Alien8 re-released Hecker's debut album on vinyl. His live performances contain improvisations by processing organ sounds that are manipulated, with great fluctuations in volume. In 2012, Hecker collaborated with Daniel Lopatin (who also records as

Oneohtrix Point Never Daniel Lopatin (born July 25, 1982), best known as Oneohtrix Point Never or OPN, is an American Experimental music, experimental electronic music producer, composer, singer, and songwriter. His music has utilized wikt:trope, tropes from various ...

) on an improvisatory project which became '' Instrumental Tourist''."Instrumental Tourist review"
Mark Richardson, 'Tim Hecker/Daniel Lopatin Instrumental Tourist review', ''Pitchfork'', November 30, 2012 Following 2013's '' Virgins'', Hecker returned to

Reykjavík Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...

, Iceland for sessions in 2014 and 2015, to create what would become '' Love Streams''. Collaborators include Ben Frost, Johann Johannsson, Kara-Lis Coverdale and Grimur Helgason, whilst the 15th century choral works by

Josquin des Prez Josquin Lebloitte dit des Prez ( – 27 August 1521) was a composer of High Renaissance music, who is variously described as French or Franco-Flemish. Considered one of the greatest composers of the Renaissance, he was a central figure of the ...

birthed the foundations of the album. In February 2016, it was announced that Hecker had joined

4AD 4AD is a British record label owned by Beggars Group. It was founded in London under the name Axis Records by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent in 1980 as an imprint of Beggars Banquet Records. The name was changed to 4AD after the release of th ...

while ''Love Streams'' was released in April of that year. In addition to touring with

Godspeed You! Black Emperor Godspeed You! Black Emperor (sometimes abbreviated to GY!BE or Godspeed) is a Canadian post-rock collective that originated in Montreal, Quebec in 1994. The group releases recordings through Constellation Records (Canada), Constellation, an in ...

Sigur Rós Sigur Rós () is an Icelandic post-rock band that formed in 1994 in Reykjavík. It comprises lead vocalist and guitarist Jónsi, Jón Þór "Jónsi" Birgisson, bassist Georg Hólm, and keyboardist Kjartan Sveinsson. Known for their ethereal soun ...

, and recording with the likes of Fly Pan Am, Hecker has also collaborated with the likes of Arca and Aidan Baker. He has also contributed remixes to other artists, including

Ellen Allien Ellen Fraatz, known professionally as Ellen Allien, is a Berlin-based German electronic musician, music producer, and the founder of BPitch Control music label. Her album '' Stadtkind'' was dedicated to the city of Berlin, and she cites the cu ...

John Cale John Davies Cale (born 9 March 1942) is a Welsh musician, composer, and record producer who was a founding member of the American rock band the Velvet Underground. Over his six-decade career, Cale has worked in various styles across rock, dr ...

Isis Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...

, and

Interpol The International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL (abbreviated as ICPO–INTERPOL), commonly known as Interpol ( , ; stylized in allcaps), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and crime cont ...

Art

Hecker occasionally makes sound installations and has collaborated with visual artists such as Stan Douglas and Charles Stankievech. Hecker, along with other musicians Ben Frost, Steve Goodman ( Kode9), Piotr Jakubowicz, Marcel Weber (MFO), and Manuel Sepulveda (Optigram), provided music for

Unsound Festival Unsound Festival, also known as Unsound, is an annual music festival that takes place in Kraków, Poland, dealing with evolving and mutating forms of music, as well as related visual arts. Apart from the main festival, Unsound regularly takes plac ...

's sensory installation, Ephemera. Hecker composed the score for Damien Jalet's performance piece, ''Planet anderer'.

Film

Hecker composed the score for 2016's '' The Free World'', selected to be shown in the U.S. Dramatic Competition section at the

2016 Sundance Film Festival The 2016 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 21 to January 31, 2016. The first lineup of competition films was announced on December 2, 2015. The opening night film was ''Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You'', directed by Heidi E ...

. He composed the score for

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...

drama series '' The North Water'' directed by Andrew Haigh and based on Ian McGuire's novel of the same name. Hecker also composed the score for the Austrian drama and horror film '' Luzifer'', which won the Best Actor Award for Franz Rogowski at

Fantastic Fest Fantastic Fest is an annual film festival in Austin, Texas, focused on fantasy, horror, sci-fi, action and cult films, the largest genre festival in the United States. It was founded in 2005 by Tim League of Alamo Drafthouse. Lisa Dreyer ...

in 2021 and Best Actress Award for Susanne Jensen and Best Actor Award for Franz Rogowski at the 2021

Sitges Film Festival SITGES - International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia () is an annual film festival held in Sitges, Catalonia, Spain. It specializes in fantasy film, fantasy, Horror film, horror and Cult film, cult films. Established in 1968, the festiva ...

. Hecker composed the score for '' Infinity Pool'', the 2023 film by Canadian director Brandon Cronenberg, starring

Alexander Skarsgård Alexander Johan Hjalmar Skarsgård (; born 25 August 1976) is a Swedish actor. A son of actor Stellan Skarsgård, he began acting at age seven but quit at age thirteen. After serving in the Swedish Navy, Skarsgård returned to acting and gained ...

and Mia Goth, which premiered at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

Personal life

Hecker pursued a professional career outside music and worked as a policy analyst for the

Canadian Government The Government of Canada (), formally His Majesty's Government (), is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. The term ''Government of Canada'' refers specifically to the executive, which includes ministers of the Crown ( ...

in the early 2000s."Guestlist on Pitchfork"
'Guest Lists: Tim Hecker', ''Pitchfork Media'', October 27, 2006 After leaving his employment in 2006 he enrolled at McGill University to study for a PhD,"McGill Daily"
John Watson 'Bring the noise', ''The McGill Daily'', April 5, 2011 with a thesis on urban noise that was published in 2014. He has also worked there as a lecturer in sound culture in the Art History and Communications department."Quietus Interview"
Ryan Alexander Diduck 'Darkness More Than Anything: Tim Hecker Interviewed', ''The Quietus'', March 21, 2012 Hecker is a

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

and a former

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. He started studying Buddhism and practiced

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique to train attention and awareness and detach from reflexive, "discursive thinking", achieving a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state, while not judging the meditat ...

in his studio during the start of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

Discography

Tim Hecker

Albums

*'' Haunt Me, Haunt Me Do It Again'' (2001) *'' Radio Amor'' (2003) *'' Mirages'' (2004) *'' Harmony in Ultraviolet'' (2006) *'' An Imaginary Country'' (2009) *'' Ravedeath, 1972'' (2011) * '' Virgins'' (2013) * '' Love Streams'' (2016) * '' Konoyo'' (2018) * '' Anoyo'' (2019) * '' The North Water (Original Score)'' (2021) * '' Infinity Pool (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)'' (2023) * '' No Highs'' (2023)

EPs and other

*'' Trade Winds, White Noise'' (2002) *'' My Love Is Rotten to the Core'' (2002) *''Radio Marti / Radio Havana'' (2004) *'' Mort Aux Vaches'' (2005) *''Pareidolia'' (2006) *''Norberg'' (2007) *''Atlas'' (2007) *''Apondalifa'' (2010) *'' Dropped Pianos'' (2011) *''Shards'' (2025)

Collaborations

*''Random_Inc Meets Tim Hecker in Musrara'' with Random_Inc (2002) *''Fantasma Parastasie'' with Aidan Baker ( Nadja) (2008) *'' Archer on the Beach'' with Dan Bejar (

Destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...

) (2010) *'' Instrumental Tourist'' with Daniel Lopatin (

) (2012) *''Qalaq'' with Jerusalem In My Heart (2021)

As Jetone

*''Autumnumonia'' (2000) *''Ultramarin'' (2001) *''Sundown'' (2006)

Credits

*Mitchell Akiyama – "Temporary Music" (2002) *Désormais – "Climate Variations" (2002) *Ghislain Poirier – "Sous Le Manguier" (2002) *Tennis – "Self-Heal Mishap" (Undertaker Mix) (2003) *

– "Carry" (2004) *

– "Carry" (Tim Hecker Remix Second Version) (2004) * Ris Paul Ric – "Purple Blaze" (2005) *TV Pow – "Whiteout" (2005) *Ensemble – "Disown, Delete" (2006) * Lesbians on Ecstasy – "We Know You Know" (2007) * Colin Stetson – "Time Is Advancing With Fitful Irregularity White Pulse Mix" (2009) * Bell Orchestre – "Water / Light / Shifts" (Remix) (2009) * Genghis Tron – "Board Up the House" (Tim Hecker Remix) (2009) *

– "Sun the Rain" (Tim Hecker Remix) (2011) *

– "Suffocation Raga for John Cale" (Tim Hecker Transition) (2012) *

Mogwai Mogwai () are a Scottish post-rock band, formed in 1995 in Glasgow. The band consists of Stuart Braithwaite (guitar, vocals), Barry Burns (guitar, piano, synthesizer, vocals), Dominic Aitchison (bass guitar), and Martin Bulloch (drums). Mogwa ...

– "Rano Pano" (Tim Hecker Remix) (2012) *

– "Sun the Rain" (Tim Hecker Rmx) (2013) *The Field – "No. No..." (Tim Hecker Mix) (2014) * Hundred Waters – "Down From the Rafters" (Tim Hecker Remix) (2014) * Ben Frost – "Aurora" (2014) *

Dorian Concept Oliver Thomas Johnson (born 16 September 1984), known by the alias Dorian Concept, is an Austrian composer, music producer and keyboardist whose work draws on an eclectic variety of sources including Modal jazz, modal and free jazz, funk, Hip ho ...

– "The Sky Opposite" (Tim Hecker Remix) (2015) *

– "Twice As Hard" (Remixed By Tim Hecker) (2016) * Sarah Neufeld – "The Ridge" (2016) * Michael Gordon, Mantra Percussion – "Timber" (Tim Hecker Remix) (2016) * Ben Lukas Boysen – "Nocturne 4" (Tim Hecker Remix) (2017) * Chitose Hajime – "豊年節" (Tim Hecker Remix) (2019) * Arca – "Cayó" (2022)

References

External links

* *
Discography at Discogs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hecker, Tim 1974 births Living people Musicians from Montreal Musicians from Vancouver Canadian ambient musicians Noise musicians Alien8 Recordings artists Paper Bag Records artists Juno Award for Electronic Album of the Year winners Kranky (record label) artists Canadian film score composers Canadian male film score composers