Boris Hauf

Anglo-Austrian [http://hauf.klingt.org Boris Hauf ] plays saxophones and electronics in Europe and Chicago.His music oscillates between the avant-garde jazz scene of his early professional years, the experimental, reductionist style of free improvisation he helped establish with his group [http://efzeg.klingt.org efzeg] , Chicago 'PowerPunk' ( [http://mylozenge.com Lozenge] ) and Classic Rock ( [http://theunderstatedbrown.com The Understated Brown] ). He has recorded for numerous labels, including Hathut, Durian, Mego, Grob, Charhizma, Mego.

Hauf was born in England in 1974, and moved to Vienna, Austria in 1984. He studied music (saxophone, flute, cello and piano) at conservatories in Linz and Vienna, and completed the two year course at the Studio for Advanced Music Technology (Linz). He is currently writing his MA thesis on fieldrecordings in contemporary Chicago music at the Bruckner University in Linz.

He started recording in the mid-'90s preferring the saxophone. Since then, he has integrated electronics into his playing, performing on computers and an array of vintage synthesizers.

His first published recording was with the digi-punk band Fuckhead as a guest on their 1995 album Video Arena and again on the Mego release Male Comedy. Between the two, Hauf participated in a number of left-field jazz groups, including Pull My Daisy (with Martin Siewert and Lukas Knöfler). In 1998, he released his first album under his name. Entitled efzeg, it featured Franz Hautzinger and Bertl Mütter. The formation didn't last, but the name survived.

In October 1999, Hauf formed the free improv group [http://efzeg.klingt.org efzeg] with Siewert, Burkhard Stangl, and Dieb13. In June 2000 Billy Roisz joined the group adding her visual feedback improvisations generated from the live audio output of the band. efzeg was one of the first improv bands to integrate visual improvisations.

Their debut album [http://efzeg.klingt.org/grain/index.html Grain] (2000) on Durian brought the saxophonist's highly abstract playing to the attention of international avant-garde circles. The album explored silence-based music in a similar vein to Polwechsel and Dachte Musik and was a figurehead of Viennese improv. On the 7 albums that followed, the band has widened it's repertoire. Landmarks are the outstanding mostly noise-oriented boogie (2002) on grob, the playful würm (2003) on charhizma and the dark and gloomy ambience on [http://efzeg.klingt.org/krom/index.html krom] (2006) on Hathut. In 2006 dieb13 left and drummer Steve Heather joined the band.

Since 1999 Hauf spends several months a year in the U.S., specifically Chicago where he is an integrated member of the local scene. Releases with electro-acoustic trio [http://tvpow.net TV Pow] , power-punk formation Lozenge, [http://www.longboxrecordings.com Adam Sonderberg] and many others document this.

In 2001 he started collaborating with performance and visual artists including Vera Mantero, Benoit Lachambre, Nadia Lauro, a.o.

In 2003 he relocated to Berlin, Germany where he lives with performer/choreographer [http://lito.klingt.org/ Litó Walkey] . One of his current projects in Berlin is the classic rock trio [http://theunderstatedbrown.com The Understated Brown] (Thomas Meadowcroft - organ, Steve Heather - drums, Hauf- synths) and the experimental country band with Heather and Siewert called [http://hauf.klingt.org/halfwolf Half Wolf] .

He is an award winning composer for contemporary ensemble music, and continues to compose commissions for film, theater, dance, performance, soloists and festivals worldwide.

His catalog of more than 30 releases includes two solo albums, [http://hauf.klingt.org/softleft Soft Left Onto Westland (2005)] on Mosz and [http://hauf.klingt.org/releases/clark Clark (2006)] on Sijis attracted worldwide critical attention.

In 2007 he started [http://hauf.klingt.org/csm/2007/ Chicago Sound Map] and co-curated this annual composition festival in Chicago with [http://www.kuronekomusic.com/ Michael Hartman] , Brian Labysz and [http://www.dbayne.com/ Dudley Bayne] .