Thomas Ankersmit

 
Thomas Ankersmit (born 1979 in Leiden, Netherlands, lives and works in Amsterdam and Berlin) is an electronic musician and composer. He plays the Serge Modular synthesizer, both live and in the studio, and collaborates with artists like Phill Niblock, Kevin Drumm, and Valerio Tricoli. His music combines intricate sonic detail and raw electric power, with an extremely physical and spatial experience of sound. Acoustic phenomena such as infrasound and otoacoustic emissions (sounds emanating from inside the head, generated by the ears themselves) play a central role in his work, as does a deliberate misuse of the equipment.
His work has been presented at Hamburger Bahnhof and KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin; Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; Kunsthalle, Basel; Tate Modern, London; Serralves Museum, Porto; MoMA PS1, New York; and at festivals for experimental and contemporary music all over the world. He's also lectured at universities like Harvard, Stanford, CalArts, and Goldsmiths. Ankersmit's music is released on the PAN, Touch, Shelter Press and Students Of Decay labels.

(external link : thomasankersmit.net)
 
Thomas Ankersmit - The Dip (vinyl LP)
2025
Students Of Decay
forthcoming
Comprised of two expansive, sidelong pieces composed entirely on the Serge Modular synthesizer, The Dip signals a subtle yet significant shift in the Berlin-based artist and composer Thomas Ankersmit's trajectory, imbuing the hyper-physical, psychoacoustic intensities of his live performances with introspective, atmospheric, and even melodic elements.
Thomas Ankersmit - Perceptual Geography (CD)
2021
Shelter Press - Records
sold out
An album created as a loosely structured piece for live performance in 2018-2019, commissioned by CTM in Berlin and Sonic Acts in Amsterdam, and premiered there on the GRM Acousmonium. The music is inspired by—and dedicated to—the pioneering research of American composer and installation artist Maryanne Amacher (1938-2009), and created entirely on the Serge Modular analog synthesizer.
Thomas Ankersmit - Homage to Dick Raaijmakers (vinyl LP)
2018
Shelter Press - Records
sold out
For his first record in 6 years, Thomas Ankersmit pays homage to the late legendary Dutch composer, electronic and tape music pioneer, and multimedia artist Dick Raaijmakers. Inspired by Raaijmakers's composition and recording techniques, Ankersmit exclusively used analogue devices, creating three-dimensional and holophonic sound fields.
Thomas Ankersmit - Homage to Dick Raaijmakers (CD)
2018
Shelter Press - Records
For his first record in 6 years, Thomas Ankersmit pays homage to the late legendary Dutch composer, electronic and tape music pioneer, and multimedia artist Dick Raaijmakers. Inspired by Raaijmakers's composition and recording techniques, Ankersmit exclusively used analogue devices, creating three-dimensional and holophonic sound fields.


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