Thomas Ankersmit

Portrait of the artist Thomas Ankersmit
Year of birth, place
1979, Leiden, Netherlands
lives and works in
Berlin und Amsterdam
Role at the ZKM
Guest Artist
Institute / Department
Institute for Music and Acoustics
At the ZKM
    Dezember 2014
Biography

The Dutch musician produces live electro-acoustic music, plays alto saxophone, and realizes installations. Since 2006, the Serge Modular synthesizer has been his main instrument which, alongside the Buchla synthesizer is generally considered to be one of the experimental, electronic instruments of the pre-digital era. Whereas the major synthesizer producers sought to imitate traditional (key) instruments, the goal of the Serge-Buchla model was the creation of an entirely innovative music. 

Ankersmit is one of the few musicians to use the Serge synthesizer as a live instrument, and compliment it with their own system. He is particularly interested in physical and psycho-acoustic phenomenon; with his improvisations, he is interested in the emergence of »otoacoustic emissions« − sounds, which the human ear produces itself as reaction to certain frequencies. Ankersmit often meets with minimal composer Phill Niblock, and forms duos with Valerio Tricoli or Kevin Drumm. His music appears on labels such as PAN, Touch and Ash International.

[2013]