About Gregg Kowalsky
Hometown
New York, NY, United States
Genre
Electronic
Ranging from bleaker, more intense works to brighter and more optimistic pieces, ambient composer Gregg Kowalsky constructs richly textured drones and sound installations using tapes, oscillators, prepared guitars, and pianos, among other instruments and devices. He was born in New York City but raised in Florida, and spent some time in Barcelona during the early 2000s. He initially released music under the name Osso Bucco, contributing several tracks to compilations and sharing a split CD with Ljudbilden & Piloten. After relocating to California, he earned a Master's Degree in Electronic Music Composition at Mills College, where he was taught by Fred Frith, Maggi Payne, and Pauline Oliveros.
His debut album, Through the Cardial Window, was released by Kranky in 2006. Following limited releases on labels such as Root Strata, Digitalis, and Kning Disk, Kowalsky's second Kranky full-length, Tape Chants, appeared in 2009. The album was a recorded iteration of his long-running series of electro-acoustic experiments involving site-specific arrangements of cassette players. He further documented his cassette-based installation works with Battery Townsley, released by Senufo Editions in 2011, and 2012's Movements in Marble and Stone (Amish Records), which included a collaboration with lute player Jozef Van Wissem.
Kowalsky and frequent collaborator Marielle Jakobsons formed Date Palms, a project which explored folk and psychedelic influences. The group debuted with 2010's Of Psalms (Root Strata) before issuing LPs on Mexican Summer, Immune, and Thrill Jockey. Kowalsky and Jakobsons also participated in Portraits, a Bay Area avant-garde supergroup, whose self-titled full-length was released by Important Records in 2012. Kowalsky moved to Los Angeles after spending a decade in the Bay Area, and his solo full-length L'Orange, L'Orange was issued by Mexican Summer in 2017. ~ Paul Simpson
Gregg Kowalsky has also released music as a member of Date Palms.
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