Praised by the Washington Post as “one of the most acclaimed experimental musicians of the last decade,” Tyondai Braxton has been writing and performing music under his own name and collaboratively, under various group titles, since the mid-1990s. He is the former front man of experimental rock band Battles, whose debut album Mirrored was both popular and influential. Since departing Battles in 2010, Braxton has focused on composing music for HIVE, as well as composing commissioned pieces for ensembles such as the Bang on a Can All Stars, Kronos Quartet, Alarm Will Sound, and Brooklyn Rider. In 2012, he collaborated with Philip Glass—performing as a duo for the festival series All Tomorrow’s Parties, as well as remixing Glass’ work for the REWORK remix album.
Braxton says, “There is a sense of impossibility when you hear electronic music tapped to its full potential—especially when it’s an analog instrument. The sound is real, but it’s doing something that would be impossible for a person or a traditional acoustic instrument to do. Balancing that with a more traditional sense of making music, considering rhythm and harmony, you realize the massive world this way of working inhabits.”
