Adam Wiltzie

Last updated
Adam Wiltzie
Adam Wiltzie.png
Background information
Birth nameAdam Bryanbaum Wiltzie
Born (1969-09-17) September 17, 1969 (age 54)
New York, New York, U.S.
Occupation(s)
Instrument(s)
Labels
Member of
Website www.artificialpinearchfailures.org

Adam Bryanbaum Wiltzie (born September 17, 1969) [1] is an American composer and sound engineer based in Brussels, Belgium. [2]

Contents

Early life

Adam Wiltzie was born on September 17, 1969 in New York City. [1] Originally a champion youth tennis player, a knee injury sustained when he was 16 ended his career. [3] Wiltzie then moved to Austin, Texas, where he lived for 10 years, before moving to Europe. [4]

Career

Wiltzie is best known for his work as a founder of seminal ambient classical projects Stars of the Lid, [5] [6] The Dead Texan, Aix Em Klemm and A Winged Victory for the Sullen. He scored A Winged Victory for the Sullen's 2021 album Invisible Cities , the score to the critically acclaimed theater production directed by Leo Warner. [7] [8]

He has also recorded, played with, and worked as a live sound engineer for artists such as The Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev, Labradford, Bedhead, The Bad Livers, Windsor for the Derby, Iron & Wine, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Hauschka and Sparklehorse.

He has written the original scores for several film and television productions including Salero, The Yellow Birds and Iris. [9] He also collaborated with Jóhann Jóhannsson on his scores for The Theory of Everything and Arrival , and wrote two of the main themes with Dustin O'Halloran in the 2016 Oscar-nominated film Lion . [10] [11] [12]

Discography

Solo

Stars of the Lid(with Brian McBride)

Sleepingdog(with Chantal Acda)

Aix Em Klemm(with Robert Donne)

The Dead Texan (with Christina Vantzou)

A Winged Victory for the Sullen (with Dustin O'Halloran) [14]

Film Score Albums

Filmography

Films

YearTitleDirectorNotes
2016 Iris Jalil Lespert
2017 The Yellow Birds Alexandre Moors
2018 American Woman Jake Scott
2022 H4Z4RD Jonas Govaerts [16]

Documentaries

YearTitleDirectorNotes
2009The PassageAlexander Douglas
2010 Submission Stefan Jarl
2013Godheten Stefan Jarl (2)
2015SaleroMike Plunkett

Short Films

YearTitleDirectorNotes
2010Want to See Something ?Tomas Jonsgården
2018BlightRaphaël Crombez

Television

YearTitleProduction CompanyNotes
2018ForeverAmazon StudiosSeason 1, Episode 8 - "Goodbye Forever"

Related Research Articles

Formed in 1993, Devics is an American indie rock band from Los Angeles, California, United States, consisting of Sara Lov, Dustin O'Halloran, Ed Maxwell, Theodore Liscinski, and Evan Schnabel. Their music can be described as melancholic. They have been largely inactive since 2006

Kranky is an American independent record label in Chicago, Illinois. It was started in 1993 by Bruce Adams and Joel Leoschke. It houses predominantly experimental music artists, often branching into or inspired by ambient, rock, electronic or psychedelic music. Their first release was Labradford's 1993 debut album Prazision. Adams left the label in 2006, after which Leoschke continued running it, with the help of Brian Foote of Kranky band Nudge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stars of the Lid</span> American ambient music duo

Stars of the Lid is an American ambient music project that formerly consisted of Brian McBride and Adam Wiltzie. The duo formed in Austin, Texas, in 1993. They have been acclaimed for their music incorporating droning, effects-treated guitars along with piano, strings, and horns, described as "divine, classical drone without the tedious intrusion of drums or vocals." After McBride's death in 2023, Wiltzie remains the sole member.

Brian Edward McBride was an American musician best known as one half of the duo Stars of the Lid. He also released two solo albums, When The Detail Lost Its Freedom and The Effective Disconnect, on Kranky using his own name. McBride moved to Austin, Texas, in 1990 where he met Adam Wiltzie, forming Stars of the Lid in the early 1990s. He also worked with the now defunct Pilot Ships. McBride was also a member of the duo Bell Gardens.

<i>And Their Refinement of the Decline</i> 2007 studio album by Stars of the Lid

And Their Refinement of the Decline is the seventh and final studio album by Stars of the Lid, which was released by Kranky in April 2007. The album was Kranky's 100th release, and was issued as a double CD and as a triple vinyl LP set. And Their Refinement of the Decline features minimal, droning compositions of varied length created from treated guitar, horn, piano, and other classical instruments.

<i>Avec Laudenum</i> 1999 studio album by Stars of the Lid

Avec Laudenum is the fifth studio LP released by Stars of the Lid. It was originally released on Sub Rosa in 1999 and then re-released on Chicago indie Kranky in late 2002. The title translates as "With Laudanum", laudanum being an opiate. The first three tracks are three sections of one long piece but, while within the minimalist vein, they have some variation and movement. The final two, individual tracks are more minimalist than the former and create a "floating bliss" atmosphere. By the time of this recording, band members Adam Wiltzie and Brian McBride were residing in Brussels, Belgium, and Los Angeles, California, respectively. It is reported that a vast proportion of this album was recorded through mail, with ideas being sent back and forth between the duo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hauschka</span> German composer and pianist (born 1966)

Volker Bertelmann is a German composer, pianist and former rapper who mainly performs and records under the name Hauschka. He is best known for his compositions for prepared piano. He won an Academy Award and a British Academy Film Award for his work on All Quiet on the Western Front (2022).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dustin O'Halloran</span> American pianist and composer

Dustin O'Halloran is an American composer and pianist. Aside from releasing music as a recording artist, O'Halloran is a film and TV composer, as well as one half of ambient act A Winged Victory for the Sullen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lichens (musician)</span> Musical artist

Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe is an American musician, composer and sound artist who records under the moniker Lichens. In live performances as Lichens, Lowe incorporates spontaneous arrangements of voice and modular synthesizer patch pieces.

<i>The Ballasted Orchestra</i> 1997 studio album by Stars of the Lid

The Ballasted Orchestra is the third studio album by Stars of the Lid and their first to have its initial release on Kranky. It was released simultaneously as a double LP and a single CD in March 1997. The album features minimal, droning compositions, of varied length, some of which blend into each other. The track "Taphead" is a reference to the Talk Talk song of the same name while "Music for Twin Peaks Episode #30 Part I" and "Part II" are named as a tribute to the cult TV show.

<i>Gravitational Pull vs. the Desire for an Aquatic Life</i> 1996 studio album by Stars of the Lid

Gravitational Pull vs. the Desire for an Aquatic Life is the second studio album by ambient drone music group Stars of the Lid. It was recorded on four track and released as an LP on Sedimental in 1996. The album features short, medium and long minimal, droning compositions created from heavily treated guitar, horn, piano and other classical instruments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Broderick</span> Musical artist

Peter Broderick is an American musician and composer from Carlton, Oregon. He has released solo material under his own name, been a member of Efterklang, and played with several ensembles as a session musician.

Felix were a British chamber pop musical group, whose members included Lucinda Chua, Chris Summerlin and Elv Beetham. In 2009, Felix signed to Chicago-based label Kranky, following support from Ambient Music band Stars of the Lid. Their debut album met positive feedback from BBC Music and Pitchfork.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Winged Victory for the Sullen</span> American ambient music duo

A Winged Victory for the Sullen is an American ambient music duo composed of Dustin O'Halloran and Adam Wiltzie. They have released four studio albums, an EP, and one soundtrack album. In 2015, they performed at the Royal Albert Hall as part of The Proms.

<i>A Winged Victory for the Sullen</i> (album) 2011 studio album by A Winged Victory for the Sullen

A Winged Victory for the Sullen is the eponymous debut studio album by the ambient music duo A Winged Victory for the Sullen. It was released on 8 September 2011 on Erased Tapes Records and Kranky. Recorded over a two-year period at six studios throughout Europe, A Winged Victory for the Sullen features extensive use of natural reverb and combines classical instrumentation with soundscapes and drones. In addition to members Dustin O'Halloran and Adam Wiltzie, the album features several prominent collaborators, including Hildur Guðnadóttir and Nils Frahm.

<i>Atomos</i> (album) 2014 studio album by A Winged Victory for the Sullen

Atomos is the second album by ambient music duo A Winged Victory for the Sullen. The album was released on October 6, 2014 on the labels Erased Tapes and Kranky.

Erased Tapes Records is a London-based independent record label focusing on releasing avant-garde and experimental electronic music.

<i>The Undivided Five</i> 2019 studio album by A Winged Victory for the Sullen

The Undivided Five is the third studio album by the ambient music duo A Winged Victory for the Sullen. It was released on 1 November 2019 on Ninja Tune.

<i>Invisible Cities</i> (album) 2021 album by A Winged Victory for the Sullen

Invisible Cities is the fourth studio album by ambient music duo A Winged Victory for the Sullen. It was released on 26 February 2021 by Artificial Pinearch in association with Ninja Tune. The album was composed as the score of a 90-minute multimedia theatre production that was inspired by Italo Calvino's 1972 novel of the same name. The record relies prominently on an instrumental production featuring piano chords, arpeggiated strings, and distortion. Music critics were generally favourable towards the album, with particular praise towards its instrumental soundscape.

<i>Lion</i> (soundtrack) 2016 film score by Dustin OHalloran and Hauschka

Lion (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album to the 2016 film Lion. The album mostly features musical score composed by Dustin O'Halloran and Volker Bertelmann, known by the stage name Hauschka. This film marked their joint collaboration together in scoring films. The score consisted of piano, accompanied by strings, percussions and a minimal orchestra, to produce the score in a "subtle and restrained manner", to convey the emotions of Saroo, the film's protagonist. The score album, also featured a promotional single, "Never Give Up" by Sia. The album was distributed by Sony Classical Records and released in digital formats on 25 November 2016, and through CDs on 23 December. A vinyl edition of the album also released on 17 March 2017.

References

  1. 1 2 "Adam Wiltzie". FamilySearch. United States Public Records, 1970-2009. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  2. "Track-By-Track: Adam Bryanbaum Wiltzie – Travels in Constants Vol 24 | Album Streams | musicOMH". www.musicomh.com. 28 June 2015. Retrieved 2017-06-17.
  3. "Organ Reframed Cinema: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari with new score by Adam Bryanbaum Wiltzie (Stars of the Lid)". Musicglue.com. Retrieved 2017-06-23.
  4. "A Winged Victory for the Sullen: the dance album". The Irish Times. 2015-02-15.
  5. "Stars Of The Lid's Adam Wiltzie releases Salero film score". FACT Magazine: Music News, New Music. 2016-08-31. Retrieved 2017-06-17.
  6. Martinelli, Roberto (2004). "Stars of the Lid". Maelstrom magazine. Archived from the original on 2007-09-07. Retrieved 2006-12-08.
  7. A Winged Victory for the Sullen Invisible Cities Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic , retrieved 2022-06-08
  8. "A Winged Victory for the Sullen Create Soaring and Contemplative Soundscapes on Invisible Cities, PopMatters". PopMatters. 2021-03-02. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
  9. "No Going Back: The 405 meets Stars of the Lid". The 405. Retrieved 2017-06-17.
  10. "The Quietus | Reviews | A Winged Victory For The Sullen". The Quietus. Retrieved 2017-06-17.
  11. "A Winged Victory for the Sullen: the dance album". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2017-06-17.
  12. "Aix Em Klemm (interview)" (in French). brdf.net: musiques mutines et mutantes. March 2001. Archived from the original on 2007-02-20. Retrieved 2006-12-08.
  13. "Track-By-Track: Adam Bryanbaum Wiltzie – Travels in Constants Vol 24 | Album Streams | musicOMH". www.musicomh.com. 28 June 2015. Retrieved 2017-06-23.
  14. Ehrlich, David (30 November 2016). "How Hauschka And Dustin O'Halloran Helped Lion Find Its Way Home | IndieWire". www.indiewire.com. Retrieved 2017-06-17.
  15. "Salero (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Adam Bryanbaum Wiltzie - Releases - Erased Tapes". Erased Tapes. Retrieved 2017-06-17.
  16. Govaerts, Jonas (2022-07-20), H4Z4RD (Action, Comedy), Dream Big Productions, Potemkino, retrieved 2022-06-08