Photograph copyright Anke Jacob

Audio samples

Born 1965; guitar, electronics, composer.

Michael Renkel's guitar lessons began at the age of 7, in 1972, later to be followed by a classical music education at the Hamburger Konservatorium. He became interested in open concepts of composition and improvisation in 1985, started composing in 1993 and has been working with live electronics and computers since 1998. His main interest is in the interface and interaction between improvisation and composition which have been pursued via exchange and collaboration with similar-minded musicians internationally.

Renkel is one of the organizer's of the 2:13 Club in Berlin, founder of the 2:13 Ensemble (1997) which develops its own pieces in collective processes, for example, Isomerie, the first performance of which was given at the Kryptonale festival in Berlin in 1998. The 2:13 Ensemble have also have also given complete performances of the graphic composition Treatise by Cornelius Cardew. The Ensemble won a prize at the contemporary music competition, Düsseldorfer Altstadtherbst in 1999.

Renkel has worked in a guitar/tuba duo with Robin Hayward and given experimental street performances in Berlin with a quartet including Burkhard Beins, Markus Wettstein and Robin Hayward. His current projects include:

• solo - classical guitar, playing from 'the tradition' and using his own techniques and concepts
• own compositions which include: Albas for 7 solo instruments published by Verlag Neue Musik Berlin spring 2000; several compositions for guitar (solo and in combinations) in preparation; noise - music for string quartet and guitar collaboration with the artist Fehmi Baumbach (a graphic score interpreted with electronics)
• Activity Center since 1988 duo with Burkhard Beins which develops its very own narrative sound concept; the duo toured France and Spain and gave a workshop in Madrid in 1999
• NUNC since 1996 with Burkhard Beins, Martin Pfleiderer (saxophone), Wolfgang Ritthoff (voice)
• SOWARI Quartet with Phil Durrant (violin), Rhodri Davies (harp) Burkhard Beins which undertook a British Arts Council tour in the UK in 1998
• 2:13 Ensemble with Margarete Huber (soprano) Burkhard Beins, Markus Wettstein (metal- objects) and Bettina Junge (flute)
• Odradek Distortion - duo with Markus Wettstein: using live electronics and prepared digital tapes to create a music between industrial and techno
• Urbano Mistica Amplitude - duo with Gato Leiras (Buenos Aires) using live sampling and digital tapes; the U.M.A. did the live sound at the HdK theatre project Violet by W. Kandinsky extended by video live cut - vj-ing (Sonja Bender)

Recordings