Burkhard Beins
born 1964 in Lower Saxony, lives in Berlin since 1995. As a composer/performer working in the fields of experimental music and sound art he is known for his definitive use of percussion in combination with selected sound objects. Furthermore, he works with live-electronics and analog synthesizers and has conceived several sound installations.
Since the late 1980’s he is performing at internationally renowned venues and festivals throughout Europe, America, Australia and Asia as diverse as the LMC Festival (London), Int. Ferienkurse (Darmstadt), SKIF (St. Petersburg), Musiktage (Donaueschingen), Musique Action (Nancy), Cave 12 (Geneva), ZKM (Karlsruhe), Kid Ailack Music Hall (Tokyo), Gaudeamus Festival (Amsterdam), Liquid Architecture (Australia), Meteo (Mulhouse), Taktlos (CH), Serralves (Porto), Wien Modern (Vienna), MoMA (New York), C.H.O.P.P.A. (Singapore), Now now (Sydney), New Music Festival (Hanoi), or Maerzmusik (Berlin).
Next to his solo work he is a member of Activity Center, Polwechsel, Mensch Mensch Mensch, Phosphor, Glück, The Sealed Knot, Perlonex, Trio Sowari, Tree, Fracture Mechanics, and Splitter Orchester and also works with Keith Rowe, Sven-Åke Johansson, Chris Abrahams, John Tilbury, Charlemagne Palestine, and many others.
Meanwhile he has released more than 40 CDs and LPs on labels like Zarek, Erstwhile, Hat Hut, Potlatch, Absinth, alt.vinyl, Mikroton, or Confront.
Burkhard Beins gives workshops based on his graphic notation system “Adapt/Oppose”, has published several articles on music theory, and is a co-editor of the book “Echtzeitmusik Berlin – Self-Defining a Scene” as well as the curator of a follow-up 3CD compilation featuring the Berlin Echtzeitmusik scene.
“Burkhard Beins is best known as one of the most distinctive percussionists in European free music.” – The Wire –
” …simply one of the most imaginative percussionists around, indeed making the tag ‘percussionist’ seem hopelessly deficient.” – All Music Guide –
“Burkhard Beins has proven to be one of those players delivering consistently intriguing releases.” – Signal To Noise –
