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Markus Reuter (born
Lippstadt Lippstadt () is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the largest town within the district of Soest. Lippstadt is situated about 60 kilometres east of Dortmund, 40 kilometres south of Bielefeld and 30 kilometres west of Paderborn. Ge ...
,
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, 1972Markus Reuter official biography timeline
) is a German multi-disciplinary
musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wri ...
,
composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...
,
record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...
and instrument designer. Reuter's work as recording artist, solo performer and collaborator spans (and frequently fuses) electrophonic loop music,
contemporary classical music Contemporary classical music is classical music composed close to the present day. At the beginning of the 21st century, it commonly referred to the post-1945 modern forms of post-tonal music after the death of Anton Webern, and included seria ...
, progressive and
art rock Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that generally reflects a challenging or avant-garde approach to rock, or which makes use of modernist, experimental, or unconventional elements. Art rock aspires to elevate rock from entertainment to an art ...
,
industrial music Industrial music is a genre of music that draws on harsh, mechanical, transgressive or provocative sounds and themes. AllMusic defines industrial music as the "most abrasive and aggressive fusion of rock and electronic music" that was "initiall ...
, world jazz,
jazz fusion Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and jazz improvisation, improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, ...
,
pop songs Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/ CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played on a panel of Top 40 radio stations in the Un ...
and pure improvisation. Over the course of a two-decade career, he has been a member of multiple bands, ensembles and projects (including
centrozoon centrozoon (sometimes incorrectly capitalized as Centrozoon) is a German electronic improvisational music group. The core members are Markus Reuter ( Warr touch guitar, loops, programming) and Bernhard Wöstheinrich ( synthesizers, electronic perc ...
, Stick Men, Tuner, The Crimson ProjeKct and
Europa String Choir Europa String Choir is a cross-disciplinary musical ensemble formed in 1991. Its core members are Cathy Stevens (6-string electric viola) and Udo Dzierzanowski (guitar, bouzouki) although the project can also compose, perform and record as a trio a ...
) as well as a solo artist. Since 2011 Reuter has begun to establish himself as a contemporary classical composer, starting with the performance and recording of his large-scale orchestral piece '' Todmorden 513''. A specialist in touch guitar playing, Reuter became known as a leading player of the
Warr Guitar The Warr Guitar is an American-made touch guitar, a type of instrument that combines both bass and melodic strings on a single fretboard. It is related to the Chapman Stick, another two-handed tapping instrument. The Warr guitar is designed for ...
and
Chapman Stick The Chapman Stick is an electric musical instrument devised by Emmett Chapman in the early 1970s. A member of the guitar family, the Chapman Stick usually has ten or twelve individually tuned strings and is used to play bass lines, melody lines ...
during the 1990s and 2000s before developing, adopting and marketing his own U8 and U10 Touch Guitar instruments. In collaboration with former
King Crimson King Crimson are a progressive rock band formed in 1968 in London, England. The band draws inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, industrial, electronic, experime ...
member
Trey Gunn Trey Gunn (born December 13, 1960) is an American musician, known for his membership in the progressive rock band King Crimson from 1994 to 2003, playing Warr Guitar and Chapman Stick. Biography A native Texan who now resides in Seattle, Washi ...
, he runs the Touch Guitar Circle, a teaching and support network for touch guitar players. As well as further collaborations with artists including
Tim Bowness Tim Bowness (born 29 November 1963) is an English singer and songwriter primarily known for his work as part of the band No-Man, a long-term project formed in 1987 with Porcupine Tree's Steven Wilson. Music career In addition to recording album ...
, Lee Fletcher,
Ian Boddy Ian Boddy is a British electronic musician and composer. In the early 1980s Boddy began experimenting at an Arts Council-funded studio in Newcastle. This period resulted in 3 cassette releases on the Mirage label, which showcased Boddy's work wi ...
and Robert Rich, Reuter has produced records by numerous musicians and released several solo recordings as both performer and composer. He is also part of an artist-owned production consortium which encompasses Iapetus Media, Unsung Productions and Unsung Records.


Musical style

Most of Reuter's performance work to date has evolved from exploring electric touch-style instruments and sound processing. Between 1993 and 1996, he predominantly played
Chapman Stick The Chapman Stick is an electric musical instrument devised by Emmett Chapman in the early 1970s. A member of the guitar family, the Chapman Stick usually has ten or twelve individually tuned strings and is used to play bass lines, melody lines ...
, switching to 8-string
Warr Guitar The Warr Guitar is an American-made touch guitar, a type of instrument that combines both bass and melodic strings on a single fretboard. It is related to the Chapman Stick, another two-handed tapping instrument. The Warr guitar is designed for ...
circa 1997. In 2008, he began using his own self-designed range of 8- and 10-string Touch Guitars. A technically skilled player, Reuter performs using a variety of approaches from unprocessed sound and standard technique through to extreme processed textural sounds and drones. As a performer, Reuter is best known for his work as an
art rock Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that generally reflects a challenging or avant-garde approach to rock, or which makes use of modernist, experimental, or unconventional elements. Art rock aspires to elevate rock from entertainment to an art ...
musician (partly due to his involvement with multiple projects related to
King Crimson King Crimson are a progressive rock band formed in 1968 in London, England. The band draws inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, industrial, electronic, experime ...
and his work in experimental ambient music) but as a keen and flexible collaborator by inclination, his work with other projects has also involved elements of
chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numb ...
,
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
,
folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...
and various pop styles depending on context. Since 2011, he has been actively developing a parallel and linked career as a contemporary classical composer. In terms of composition, Reuter has shown a particular interest in
process music Process music is music that arises from a process. It may make that process audible to the listener, or the process may be concealed. Primarily begun in the 1960s, diverse composers have employed divergent methods and styles of process. "A 'music ...
, using rules-based algorithmic and serial compositional techniques. He has also worked with
generative music Generative music is a term popularized by Brian Eno to describe music that is ever-different and changing, and that is created by a system. Historical background In 1995 whilst working with SSEYO's Koan software (built by Tim Cole and Pete Col ...
, which informs both the harmonic designs of some of his classical compositions (such as '' Todmorden 513'') and his work with the band TunerBiography on 'Todmorden 513' microsite
/ref>'Fifteen Questions with Markus Reuter'
(interview on ''Fifteen Questions'' website)
and follows various improvisational approaches. Recently, he has been referring to his overall musical approach as "Modus Novus". Reuter views his ongoing work as an opportunity to educate himself through broad experience and experiment. He has cited the challenges brought to him by long-term musical partners (such as Bernhard Wöstheinrich) as being a particular inspiration.


Biography and career as musician


Initial studies, Guitar Craft and university (1975-1996)

Markus Reuter began training as a musician in 1975 at the age of three. Initially he studied as a
pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...
(tutored by Ulrich Pollmann) and later took up
classical guitar The classical guitar (also known as the nylon-string guitar or Spanish guitar) is a member of the guitar family used in classical music and other styles. An acoustic wooden string instrument with strings made of gut or nylon, it is a precursor o ...
and
mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...
. During his childhood and early teens (up until the age of 16), he performed in concert both as a solo musician and as a member of ensembles and orchestras. With Pollmann's aid and encouragement Reuter began composing in 1985 at the age of 11 or 12. He was inspired by a variety of influences - classic 1960s and 1970s pop music (
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
in particular), classical music (
Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...
and
Messiaen Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen (, ; ; 10 December 1908 – 27 April 1992) was a French composer, organist, and ornithology, ornithologist who was one of the major composers of the 20th-century classical music, 20th century. His m ...
), progressive rock (
Mike Oldfield Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and documen ...
,
David Torn David M. Torn (born May 26, 1953) is an American guitarist, composer, and producer. He is known for combining electronic and acoustic instruments and for his use of looping. Background Torn has contributed to recordings by artists as diverse ...
,
Robert Fripp Robert Fripp (born 16 May 1946) is a British musician, songwriter, record producer, and author, best known as the guitarist, founder and longest-lasting member of the progressive rock band King Crimson. He has worked extensively as a session ...
and
King Crimson King Crimson are a progressive rock band formed in 1968 in London, England. The band draws inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, industrial, electronic, experime ...
) and contemporary crossover composers such as
David Bedford David Vickerman Bedford (4 August 1937 – 1 October 2011) was an English composer and musician. He wrote and played both popular and classical music. He was the brother of the conductor Steuart Bedford, the grandson of the composer, painter ...
. During his teens, Reuter studied music history, theory, and analysis with Karlheinz Straetmanns, a composer in the lineage of
Harald Genzmer Harald or Haraldr is the Old Norse form of the given name Harold. It may refer to: Medieval Kings of Denmark * Harald Bluetooth (935–985/986) Kings of Norway * Harald Fairhair (c. 850–c. 933) * Harald Greycloak (died 970) * Harald Hardrada ...
and
Paul Hindemith Paul Hindemith (; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major advocate of the ''Ne ...
. In 1991, at the age of 18, Reuter began attending courses in Robert Fripp's
Guitar Craft Guitar Craft (GC) was a series of guitar and personal-development classes, founded and often presented by Robert Fripp, who is best known for his work with the rock band King Crimson. Guitar Craft courses introduced ...
. Tutored by Tony Geballe (and by Fripp himself), he continued to study Guitar Craft until 1998, combining intensive music courses with explorations of the philosophy of
George Gurdjieff George Ivanovich Gurdjieff (; rus, Гео́ргий Ива́нович Гурджи́ев, r=Geórgy Ivánovich Gurdzhíev, p=ɡʲɪˈorɡʲɪj ɪˈvanəvʲɪd͡ʑ ɡʊrd͡ʐˈʐɨ(j)ɪf; hy, Գեորգի Իվանովիչ Գյուրջիև; c. 1 ...
and
J.G. Bennett John Godolphin Bennett (8 June 1897 – 13 December 1974) was a British academic and author. He is best known for his books on psychology and spirituality, particularly on the teachings of G. I. Gurdjieff. Bennett met Gurdjieff in Istanbul in ...
. Gurdjieff's work - in particular, the '' Sacred Dances'' - would have a profound effect on Reuter's own subsequent work. By his own admission, Reuter was not a particularly disciplined musician in his teens, initially relying on his innate musical talent. His approach changed when he took up the
Chapman Stick The Chapman Stick is an electric musical instrument devised by Emmett Chapman in the early 1970s. A member of the guitar family, the Chapman Stick usually has ten or twelve individually tuned strings and is used to play bass lines, melody lines ...
in early 1993, following discussions with Fripp and inspired by Reuter's own admiration for King Crimson's Stick player
Tony Levin Anthony Frederick Levin (born June 6, 1946) is an American musician and composer, specializing in electric bass, Chapman Stick and upright bass. He also sings and plays synthesizer. Levin is best known for his work with King Crimson (since 198 ...
. Learning to play both the 10-string and 12-string models of the instrument required a disciplined approach to study and practice, which Reuter adopted and turned to his advantage.'Markus Reuter: (R)Evolutionary Touch Guitarist' – article in ''All About Jazz''
by Jeffrey L. Melton, October 19, 2010
At around the same time, he began to develop a serious interest in textural loop music and started to experiment with a form of "instant composition" using a system of out-of-synch looping devices. In 1993, Reuter began a six-year degree course in psychology at
Universität Bielefeld Bielefeld University (german: Universität Bielefeld) is a university in Bielefeld, Germany. Founded in 1969, it is one of the country's newer universities, and considers itself a "reform" university, following a different style of organization a ...
. While at university, Reuter pursued further musical education. Between 1993 and 1996 he studied free improvisation with Gerd Lisken and became a member of Lisken's Chaos Orchester Bielefeld. During 1995 he studied contemporary classical music with Belgian composer and touch guitar (Stick) player
Daniel Schell Daniel Schell (born 20 January 1980) is an Australian rules footballer. He played for both the Fremantle Football Club, Fremantle and the Adelaide Football Clubs. He was drafted from Central District Bulldogs, Central District in the South Aust ...
: he also studied
Indian music Owing to India's vastness and diversity, Indian music encompasses numerous genres in multiple varieties and forms which include classical music, folk (Bollywood), rock, and pop. It has a history spanning several millennia and developed ove ...
with Ashok Pathak and developed his existing interest in permutation-based compositional principles.Biography on Markus Reuter's Myspace page
retrieved October 30, 2008
In 1996 (while still part-way through his degree course and his Guitar Craft studies) Reuter performed his first complete concert of entirely self-written compositions, and embarked on a career as a professional musician.


Solo work

The majority of Reuter's solo releases under his own name have consisted of ambient textured music (with hidden processes) recorded using heavily effected touch guitar, Warr Guitar or Chapman Stick, plus laptop. Reuter began recording and releasing this type of music in 1998 - beginning with the ''Taster'' album - and has released nine such albums to the present day (including three live recordings from the Crimson ProjeKCt Tour of 2014). In 2017, Reuter released a very different album - ''Falling for Ascension'', a twelve-tone pointillist suite reworked from several of his teenage compositions (blending his contemporary classical work with his art-rock work, while also exploring
post-rock Post-rock is a form of experimental rock characterized by a focus on exploring textures and timbre over traditional rock song structures, chords, or riffs. Post-rock artists are often instrumental, typically combining rock instrumentation with ...
). Credited to "Markus Reuter featuring SONAR & Tobias Reber", it's effectively a Reuter solo album performed by him with a post-minimal Swiss electric guitar ensemble and added electronics. ''Falling for Ascension'' was described as "exceptional music for endlessly rewarding drift and ecstatic momentum... ensemble intricacy at its most musically stimulating" in ''Gapplegate Guitar and Bass Blog''.


Work as classical composer

Although he'd previously composed contemporary classical instrumental pieces as early as 1988 (compositions written for guitar orchestra when he was fifteen), Reuter's formal work as a classical composer began with '' Todmorden 513''. For this work, he applied his ambient process music approach to chamber music in what he intends to be an increasing number of large-scale contemporary classical works for orchestras and chamber ensembles. In 2011 Reuter released a recording of the small-ensemble version of the piece (featuring his own processed and overdubbed touch guitar plus string quartet, recorder, electric organ, synthesizer, glockenspiel and electronics. In 2013, the work was expanded to a full orchestral arrangement in collaboration with American conductor and composer Thomas A. Blomster. This version (performed by the Colorado Chamber Orchestra) was premiered in Denver, Colorado in April 2013 and has been released on record twice – first as a studio recording in 2014, then as a live recording in 2016. Reviewing the studio recording in ''Gapplegate Classical-Modern Music Review'', Grego Applegate Edwards hailed ''Todmorden 513'' as "sound''(ing)'' like what Morton Feldman might have written had he advanced to a new stage... This, I am confident, is one of the most important orchestral works of our era.... a breakthrough in form and sound." Reuter has gone on to compose and record further classical pieces: *the solo piano piece ''His Last Decade'' (premiered by Susanne Kessel at the Klavierhaus Klavins on 25 February 2016, as part of her "250 piano pieces for Beethoven" series) *the electro-acoustic chamber piece ''Daimon Fu'' for two flutes, violin, viola, cello, double bass, baritone saxophone, bass clarinet, electric organs, vibraphone, electric guitar, electric bass and drums (premiered in Oldenburg, Germany on 30 October 2016 by Oh Ton Ensemble). *the electric chamber work ''Sun Trance'' for tuned/untuned percussion ensemble, bass clarinet, synthesizer and electric guitar/bass/touch guitar (commissioned by Mannheimer Schlagwerk, premiered on May 23, 2017 in Mannheim, Germany and released as a live recording in October 2017).


Projects and collaborations


centrozoon

centrozoon centrozoon (sometimes incorrectly capitalized as Centrozoon) is a German electronic improvisational music group. The core members are Markus Reuter ( Warr touch guitar, loops, programming) and Bernhard Wöstheinrich ( synthesizers, electronic perc ...
(an improvised music project initiated by
fine art In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwork ...
ist/synth player Bernhard Wöstheinrich) was the first band which Reuter joined on his professional emergence in 1996. It remains one of his main creative outlets to this day. For most of its career centrozoon has been a duo of Reuter and Wöstheinrich, with current third man and multi-instrumentalist/sound-designer Tobias Reber joining in 2008. (The band also included
No-Man No-Man are an English art pop duo, formed in 1987 as No Man Is an Island (Except the Isle of Man) by singer Tim Bowness and multi-instrumentalist Steven Wilson. The band has so far produced seven studio albums and a number of singles/outtakes ...
singer
Tim Bowness Tim Bowness (born 29 November 1963) is an English singer and songwriter primarily known for his work as part of the band No-Man, a long-term project formed in 1987 with Porcupine Tree's Steven Wilson. Music career In addition to recording album ...
for a period between 2002 and 2005). The project's music has touched on ambient electronica, free-form experimentalism, sung art pop, progressive rock and electronic dance music. To date, Reuter has released eight albums with centrozoon, plus a number of live and archive releases.


Europa String Choir

Europa String Choir Europa String Choir is a cross-disciplinary musical ensemble formed in 1991. Its core members are Cathy Stevens (6-string electric viola) and Udo Dzierzanowski (guitar, bouzouki) although the project can also compose, perform and record as a trio a ...
is an instrumental art rock/contemporary classical chamber ensemble with whom Reuter was active for four years (and for which he remains an associate member) Between 1996 and 2000, Reuter played concerts with the group and recorded two albums, ''Lemon Crash'' and ''Marching Ants''.


King Crimson-related projects

Since 2005, Reuter has been affiliated with several projects related to
King Crimson King Crimson are a progressive rock band formed in 1968 in London, England. The band draws inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, industrial, electronic, experime ...
. In 2005 Reuter began actively collaborating with King Crimson's drummer
Pat Mastelotto Lee Patrick Mastelotto (born September 10, 1955) is an American rock drummer and record producer. He has been a member of King Crimson, Stick Men, Mr. Mister and O.R.k., as well as working as a session drummer with XTC, The Pointer Sisters an ...
. The duo released four albums under the band name of Tuner before releasing 2017's ''Face'' album as "Pat Mastelotto & Markus Reuter". In 2010 Reuter joined Mastelotto and Tony Levin in the Stick Men trio (replacing Michael Bernier), with whom he has released eleven studio and live albums plus an EP. In 2011, Stick Men united with the Adrian Belew Power Trio to form the six-piece Crimson ProjeKct and perform King Crimson material from the 1981 to 1995 period. Five of the ProjeKct's concerts have been released as live albums. In the latter two projects Reuter performs many musical parts originally played by Robert Fripp. He has sometimes been hailed as Fripp's potential successor, despite always downplaying and rejecting this idea when questioned about it.


Work within pop music

In addition to his work on the art-pop phase of centrozoon (featuring Tim Bowness), Reuter has been a long-term collaborator with producer, songwriter and art-pop musician Lee Fletcher, having met him on a Guitar Craft course in the mid-1990s. Reuter is a featured instrumental performer and general contributor to Fletcher's albums ''Faith in Worthless Things'' and ''The Cracks Within - FiWT Remixes'', as well as recording the ''Islands'' single (a Mike Oldfield cover under the name of Fletcher, Fletcher, Reuter) and playing on Fletcher's 2017 single ''The Chancer''. Reuter's work on Tovah's 2008 art-pop album ''Escapologist'' not only involved production (in collaboration with Pat Mastelotto) but also all of the album's arrangements. Since 2015, Reuter has been an associate member of Dutch Rall's synthpop studio project Nocturne Blue, providing touch guitar solos and textures.


Work within jazz and jazz fusion

Reuter's exploration of
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
and
jazz fusion Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and jazz improvisation, improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, ...
began in 1998 with his work with String Unit, an ambient world-jazz trio which also featured acoustic guitarist Dagobert Böhm and violinist Zoltán Lantos. Reuter remained with the group until 2000, when it released its single album ''String Unit'', under the name of Dagobert Böhm/Zoltan Lantos/Markus Reuter. Reuter resumed jazz work when he joined the spontaneous electro-acoustic improvisation band Syntony in 2009 (in which he worked with saxophonist Florian Bramböck, trumpeter Luca Calabrese, drummer Georg Tausch and bass guitarist/electronics player Yoshi Hampl). The band released the ''Scavenger'' album in 2010. During 2016 Reuter began collaborating with British guitarist
Mark Wingfield Mark Wingfield is an English guitarist and composer based in the UK. Most of his output is rooted in jazz, but he is also active in contemporary classical music. Much of his output is directed towards performing and studio work. Wingfield cit ...
and Israeli rhythm section Yaron Stavi and Asaf Sirkis: 2017 saw the release of two jazz fusion albums from these sessions - ''The Stone House'' (credited to “Wingfield Reuter Stavi Sirkis”) and ''Lighthouse'' (credited to “Wingfield Reuter Sirkis”). In 2020, Reuter founded Markus Reuter OCULUS, an experimental electric jazz fusion sextet featuring five previous collaborators (David Cross, Fabio Trentini, Asaf Sirkis, Mark Wingfield and Robert Rich). The group released the ''Nothing is Sacred'' album in 2020.


Further collaborations

Reuter has recorded seven albums as an electrophonic duo with British synthesizer player/soundscaper
Ian Boddy Ian Boddy is a British electronic musician and composer. In the early 1980s Boddy began experimenting at an Arts Council-funded studio in Newcastle. This period resulted in 3 cassette releases on the Mirage label, which showcased Boddy's work wi ...
(plus one with both Boddy and turntablist Nigel Mullaney), three with American experimental guitarist Tim Motzer, two with American ambient electronic composer Robert Rich and two with Zero Ohms (wind/wind-synth instrumentalist Richard Roberts). He has also worked and recorded with German “doombient” musician Stephen Parsick (of
ramp An inclined plane, also known as a ramp, is a flat supporting surface tilted at an angle from the vertical direction, with one end higher than the other, used as an aid for raising or lowering a load. The inclined plane is one of the six clas ...
. Reuter has also released several albums under his own name but defined as a “collaborative” series featuring varied other artists. These include ''0000'' (with bass clarinettist Stefan “Sha” Haslebacher); ''Star’s End'' (with Motzer); and ''How Things Turned Out'' (with pianist Angelica Sanchez and fellow Guitar Craft alumnus Tony Geballe). Reuter was also a member of international art pop band This Fragile Moment - fronted by
Toyah Wilcox Toyah Ann Willcox (born 18 May 1958) is an English musician, actress, and TV presenter. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Willcox has had eight top 40 singles, released over 20 albums, written two books, appeared in over 40 stage plays an ...
and incorporating Estonian duo Fragile (Arvo Urb and Robert Jürjendal) plus Toyah bassist Chris Wong - who recorded a single eponymous album in 2010. In 2021, Reuter created another new group, Anchor and Burden (named after his 2021 solo album and apparently sharing some conceptual links). With Bernhard Wöstheinrich in the line-up, Reuter acknowledged that Anchor and Burden was in some respects an extension of centrozoon: it also featured Reuter's fellow Touch Guitarist Alexander Dowerk (Zweiton, Van Halo) and drummer Shawn Crowder. The group released four albums during 2021 and 2022 (''Weigh Anchor'', ''Clenched Brow'', ''Furrowed Temple'', ''Molten Burden'' and ''Feels Like Forever'') before Crowder was replaced by Asaf Sirkis for the fifth album, 2023's ''Kosmonautik Pilgrimage''.


Other musical activities


Record producer and label owner

Since 2002, Markus Reuter has developed his work as a record producer for other artists, including Chrysta Bell, Yoshi Hampl, UMA, Tovah, The Season Standard, Skin Diary, Lake Cisco and The Redundant Rocker. He also served as producer for the
Toyah Willcox Toyah Ann Willcox (born 18 May 1958) is an English musician, actress, and TV presenter. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Willcox has had eight top 40 singles, released over 20 albums, written two books, appeared in over 40 stage plays an ...
-related project This Fragile Moment, for which he was also one of the main contributing musicians. In 2006, Reuter set up three interrelated businesses with his centrozoon partner Bernhard Wöstheinrich. One of these was the media company Iapetus Media, the second was the artist-owned production company Unsung Productions, and the third was the affiliated record label Unsung Records (which would release much of Reuter's subsequent work). Collaborators in Unsung/Iapetus work include Fabio Trentini and Lee Fletcher (Adrian Benavides was also involved until 2012). Benjamin Schäfer has been the engineer for Unsung Productions since 2014, co-producing with Reuter.


Teacher

Reuter began his work as a teacher in 1998, conducting touch guitar seminars in Spain, Belgium, and the USA. From this work he developed a set of systematic playing techniques and exercises called "The Family", inspired by
Guitar Craft Guitar Craft (GC) was a series of guitar and personal-development classes, founded and often presented by Robert Fripp, who is best known for his work with the rock band King Crimson. Guitar Craft courses introduced ...
and by
George Gurdjieff George Ivanovich Gurdjieff (; rus, Гео́ргий Ива́нович Гурджи́ев, r=Geórgy Ivánovich Gurdzhíev, p=ɡʲɪˈorɡʲɪj ɪˈvanəvʲɪd͡ʑ ɡʊrd͡ʐˈʐɨ(j)ɪf; hy, Գեորգի Իվանովիչ Գյուրջիև; c. 1 ...
's work on physical movement (in particular, the '' Sacred Dances''). "The Family" was launched as a formal method in 2007. In 2005, Reuter founded the Touch Guitar Circle, offering expert teaching of touch-guitar playing methods plus a support network for players. Former King Crimson Warr Guitarist
Trey Gunn Trey Gunn (born December 13, 1960) is an American musician, known for his membership in the progressive rock band King Crimson from 1994 to 2003, playing Warr Guitar and Chapman Stick. Biography A native Texan who now resides in Seattle, Washi ...
joined in 2010. Reuter continues to offer regular courses in both Europe and America, actively supporting students via continuous online education lessons on technique, composition and the "Modus Novus" music theory. Between 2002 and 2006 Reuter taught classes in "The Psychology of Creativity" at the University of Applied Sciences, Fulda, Germany.


Instrument designer (Touch Guitars)

Despite making a name for himself as a leading player of, successively, the Chapman Stick and the Warr Guitar, Reuter eventually admitted to dissatisfaction with both instruments. Deciding to design his own variant on the touch-style guitar, he set up the company Touch Guitars in 2007, intending to apply his knowledge of touch-style playing techniques to the task of producing musical instruments entirely based in the tradition of guitar-building. The first of these instruments, the U8 Deluxe Touch Guitar, was built by American luthier Ed Reynolds (who also acted as consultant for the project and built ten of the subsequent production models). The prototype was completed in June 2008 and soon became Reuter's own instrument of choice. Touch Guitars currently manufacture three instruments – the U8 and U8 Deluxe Touch Guitar (both 8-string instruments) and the U10 Touch Guitar(a 10-string instrument with a split sound output). The AU8 (a semi-acoustic hollow-body version, aimed at reproducing the sound of a tapped acoustic guitar) followed in 2015. Several of Reuter's students, including Alexander Dowerk and Erik Emil Eskildsen also play Touch Guitars and have released recordings of music made with the instrument.


Discography


Solo recordings

*''Taster'' (1998) *''Containment'' (1998) *''Digitalis'' (2001) *''The Longest in Terms of Being'' (2001) *''Older Than God'' (2003) *''Trepanation'' (2006) *''Kopfmensch'' (2011 - free download various project compilation) *''Sultry Kissing Lounge (Crimson ProjeKCt Tour 2014)'' (2014) *''Sultry Kiss Down Under (Crimson ProjeKCt Tour 2014)'' (2014) *''Quit Being So Gray (Crimson ProjeKCt Tour 2014)'' (2014) *''6 Reflections'' (2014) *''Mundo Nuevo'' (2015) *''Fool of Music'' (2016 - free download various project compilation) *''Live in Pomona 2016'' (2016) *''Falling for Ascension'' (featuring SONAR and Tobias Reber) (2017) *''Containment (Official Bootleg Remastered 2017)'' (2017) *''Live in Morelia 2016'' (2017) *''Monde, Vol. 1'' (2019) *''Monde, Vol. 2'' (2019) *''Monde, Vol. 3'' (2019) *''Gratitude, Vol. 1'' (2020) *''Gratitude, Vol. 2'' (2021) *''Anchor and Burden'' (2021) *''The Coming Dawn'' (2022)


Classical recordings

*Markus Reuter: '' Todmorden 513'' (2011) *Colorado Chamber Orchestra: ''Todmorden 513 (Concerto for Orchestra by Markus Reuter)'' (2014) *Colorado Chamber Orchestra: ''Todmorden 513 (World Premiere Performance)'' (2016) *Mannheimer Schlagwerk featuring Markus Reuter: ''Sun Trance (World-Premiere Performance)'' (2017) *Matangi Quartet: ''String Quartet No. 1 ‘Heartland’'' (2019)


Recordings as group member


with centrozoon

*''Blast'' (2000 - remastered version with bonus track issued 2008, reissued again on vinyl in 2017 with two bonus tracks) *''Sun Lounge Debris'' (2001) *''The Divine Beast'' EP (2001) *''centrophil'' EP (2002) *''The Cult of: Bibbiboo'' (2002) *''The Scent of Crash and Burn'' EP (2003) *''Never Trust the Way You Are'' (2005) *''Angel Liquor'' (2006) *''Never Trust the Things They Do'' (2006) *''Lovefield'' (2007) *''Vacuum Love'' (5-volume series, 2007) *''Boner'' (2012) *''Fire'' (live) (2012) *''The Room of Plenty'' (live) (2014) *''217'' (ongoing multi-volume live series, 2017) *''eisprung'' (2020)


with Europa String Choir

*''Lemon Crash'' (2000) *''Marching Ants'' (2004)


with This Fragile Moment

*'' This Fragile Moment'' (2010)


with Tuner

*''Totem'' (2005, remastered 2008) *''Pole'' (2007) *''Müüt'' (2008) *''ZWAR'' (2009) *''Face'' (2017)


with Stick Men

*''Absalom'' EP (2011) *''Open'' (2012) *''Deep'' (2013) *''Power Play'' (2013) *''Supercollider, Disc 1: Collider (Best of 2010-2014)'' (compilation, 2014) *'' Supercollider, Disc 2: Unleashed Live Improvs 2013'' (2014) *''Midori: Live In Tokyo – First Show'' (featuring
David Cross David Cross (born April 4, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, director, and writer known for his stand-up performances, the HBO sketch comedy series ''Mr. Show'' (1995–1998), and his role as Tobias Fünke in the Fox/Netflix sitcom ...
) (2015) *''Midori: Live In Tokyo – Second Show'' (featuring
David Cross David Cross (born April 4, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, director, and writer known for his stand-up performances, the HBO sketch comedy series ''Mr. Show'' (1995–1998), and his role as Tobias Fünke in the Fox/Netflix sitcom ...
) (2015) *''Scored Play-Alongs'' (stripped-down multitrack recordings for student playalongs, 2016) *''Prog Noir'' (2016 – version with bonus tracks released 2017. 5.1 and quad mix released 2019) *''KOLLEKTED'' (promotional CD, 2017) *''KONNEKTED'' (download compilation, 2017) *''Roppongi - Live in Tokyo 2017, Show 1'' (featuring
Mel Collins Melvyn Desmond Collins (born 5 September 1947, Isle of Man) is a British saxophonist, flautist and session musician. Collins has played in several progressive rock groups, having been a member of King Crimson on two occasions (the first from ...
) (2017) *''Roppongi - Live in Tokyo 2017, Show 2'' (featuring
Mel Collins Melvyn Desmond Collins (born 5 September 1947, Isle of Man) is a British saxophonist, flautist and session musician. Collins has played in several progressive rock groups, having been a member of King Crimson on two occasions (the first from ...
) (2017) *''PANAMERICA (Disc 1): Improvs (Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil)'' (featuring
David Cross David Cross (born April 4, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, director, and writer known for his stand-up performances, the HBO sketch comedy series ''Mr. Show'' (1995–1998), and his role as Tobias Fünke in the Fox/Netflix sitcom ...
) (2019) *''PANAMERICA (Disc 2): Suites (Argentina, Peru, Uruguay, Chile)'' (featuring
David Cross David Cross (born April 4, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, director, and writer known for his stand-up performances, the HBO sketch comedy series ''Mr. Show'' (1995–1998), and his role as Tobias Fünke in the Fox/Netflix sitcom ...
) (2019) *''PANAMERICA (Discs 3&4): Full Show (Costa Rica)'' (featuring
David Cross David Cross (born April 4, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, director, and writer known for his stand-up performances, the HBO sketch comedy series ''Mr. Show'' (1995–1998), and his role as Tobias Fünke in the Fox/Netflix sitcom ...
) (2019) *''PANAMERICA (Disc 5): Soundscapes (Argentina, Mexico, Guatemala)'' (featuring
David Cross David Cross (born April 4, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, director, and writer known for his stand-up performances, the HBO sketch comedy series ''Mr. Show'' (1995–1998), and his role as Tobias Fünke in the Fox/Netflix sitcom ...
) (2019) *''PANAMERICA Bonus Tracks'' (featuring
David Cross David Cross (born April 4, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, director, and writer known for his stand-up performances, the HBO sketch comedy series ''Mr. Show'' (1995–1998), and his role as Tobias Fünke in the Fox/Netflix sitcom ...
) (2019) *''OWARI'' (featuring
Gary Husband Gary Husband (born 14 June 1960) is an English jazz and rock drummer, pianist, keyboard player and bandleader. He is also a composer, arranger and producer. Husband is a member of John McLaughlin's group The 4th Dimension, he also regularly pe ...
) (2021) *''Tentacles'' EP (2022)


with The Crimson ProjeKCt

*''The Crimson ProjeKct - Official Bootleg Live 2012'' (2012) *''The Crimson ProjeKct - Live in Tokyo'' (3-volume series, 2013) *''The Crimson ProjeKct - Live in Japan'' (InsideOut Records, 2014)


with Nocturne Blue

*''Circle Round the Synthetic Sun'' (2015) *''The In-Between'' EP (2015) *''I Came For the Light and Stayed For the Shadows'' (2016) *''Under Covers (just for fun)'' (ongoing covers album, 2017) *''Outside the Transcend'' EP (2017)


with Markus Reuter OCULUS

*''Nothing is Sacred'' (2020)


with Anchor and Burden

*''Weigh Anchor'' (2021) *''Clenched Brow'' (2021) *''Folded Temple'' (2021) *''Molten Burden'' (2022) *''Feels Like Forever'' (2022) *''Kosmonautik Pilgrimage'' (2023)


Collaborative recordings


”Markus Reuter featuring...” series

*Markus Reuter featuring Sha: ''0000'' (2011) *Markus Reuter featuring Tim Motzer: ''Star's End'' (2011) *Markus Reuter featuring Angelica Sanchez and Tony Geballe: ''How Things Turned Out'' (2016) *Markus Reuter featuring Fabio Trentini and Asaf Sirkis: ''Truce'' (2020) *Markus Reuter featuring Fabio Trentini and Asaf Sirkis: ''Truce 2'' (2022)


Markus Reuter &

Ian Boddy Ian Boddy is a British electronic musician and composer. In the early 1980s Boddy began experimenting at an Arts Council-funded studio in Newcastle. This period resulted in 3 cassette releases on the Mirage label, which showcased Boddy's work wi ...

*''Distant Rituals'' (1999 - credited to "Ian Boddy & Markus Reuter") *''Pure'' (2003 - credited to "Markus Reuter & Ian Boddy") *''Dervish'' (2009 - credited to "Markus Reuter & Ian Boddy") *''Unwound'' (2010 - credited to "Ian Boddy & Markus Reuter") *''Colour Division'' (2013 - credited to "Ian Boddy & Markus Reuter") *''Memento'' (2017 - credited to "Markus Reuter & Ian Boddy") *''Stay'' (2017 - credited to "Ian Boddy & Markus Reuter")


Ian Boddy, Markus Reuter, Nigel Mullaney

*''Triptych'' (2001)


Markus Reuter & Robert Rich

*'' Eleven Questions'' (2007) *''Lift a Feather to the Flood'' (2017) *''Flood Expeditions: Farmington CT, 15 May 2018'' (2018) *''Flood Expeditions: Streamside, 17 May 2018'' (2018) *''Flood Expeditions: The Gatherings, 19 May 2018'' (2018)


Tim Motzer & Markus Reuter

*''Descending'' (2010) *''Space is the Place'' (2016)


Markus Reuter & Zero Ohms

*''The Sun is Just the Sun, But the Stars They Call the Heavens'' (2011) *''From Worlds Unseen a Light Yet Streams a Sound Replete'' (2015)


Other collaborations

*Dagobert Böhm, Zoltan Lantos, Markus Reuter: ''String Unit'' (2000) *Markus Reuter &
ramp An inclined plane, also known as a ramp, is a flat supporting surface tilted at an angle from the vertical direction, with one end higher than the other, used as an aid for raising or lowering a load. The inclined plane is one of the six clas ...
/nowiki>: ''Ceasing to Exist'' (2007) *Syntony: ''Scavenger'' (2010) *Stephen Parsick & Markus Reuter: ''Lament'' (2012) *Wingfield Reuter Stavi Sirkis: ''The Stone House'' (2017) *Wingfield Reuter Sirkis: ''Lighthouse'' (2017) *Reuter Motzer Grohowski: ''Shapeshifters'' (2020) *Thorsten Quaeschning with Markus Reuter: ''Behind Closed Doors 1'' (2020) *Thorsten Quaeschning with Markus Reuter and Shawn Crowder: ''Behind Closed Doors 2'' (2020) *Gary Husband & Markus Reuter: ''Music of our Times''


Work with Lee Fletcher

*Lee Fletcher (featuring Markus Reuter & Lisa Fletcher): ''Faith in Worthless Things'' (2012) *Lee Fletcher (featuring Markus Reuter & Lisa Fletcher): ''The Cracks Within - FiWT Remixes'' (remix mini-album, 2013) *Fletcher, Fletcher, Reuter: ''Islands'' single (2013) *Lee Fletcher: ''The Chancer'' single (2017)


Guest appearances

* Dago, ''Sounds for a Blue Planet'' (2001 - credited as performer) * Tim Bowness, ''My Hotel Year'' (2004 - plays touch guitar on and co-wrote "The Me I Knew" and "I Once Loved You") * Kuha, ''Telekineettinen Testilaboratorio'' (2005 - plays touch guitar) * Star of Ash, ''The Thread'' (2008 - arranger, plays touch guitar) * Stefano Panunzi, "A Rose" (2009 - plays Warr guitar) * Scott McGill, Percy Jones, Ritchie DeCarlo (2010 - plays touch guitar) * Star of Ash, ''Lakhesis'' (2010 - arranger, plays touch guitar) * Herd of Instinct, ''Herd Of Instinct'' (2011 - plays touch guitar and loops on "Anamnesis" and "Possession") *
Pat Mastelotto Lee Patrick Mastelotto (born September 10, 1955) is an American rock drummer and record producer. He has been a member of King Crimson, Stick Men, Mr. Mister and O.R.k., as well as working as a session drummer with XTC, The Pointer Sisters an ...
& Tobias Ralph: '' ToPaRaMa'' (2014 - plays touch guitar)


Work as producer

* Show Of Exaggeration, ''Show Of Exaggeration'' (2003) * The Redundant Rocker, ''Collider'' (2005) * UMA, ''Civitas Soli'' (2008) * Tovah, ''Escapologist'' (2008 - producer/arranger) * The Season Standard, ''Squeeze Me Ahead Of Line'' (2008) * This Fragile Moment, '' This Fragile Moment'' (2009) * The Redundant Rocker, ''Heart'' (2009) * Yoshi Hampl, ''Water Dealer'' (2009) * Skin Diary, ''Skin Diary'' (2010) * Moonbound, ''Peak Of Eternal Light'' (2010 - co-producer) * Chrysta Bell, ''Strange Darling'' (unreleased) * Lake Cisco, ''Permanent Transient'' (2011) * Zweiton, ''Form'' (2012) * Adrian Benavides, ''Same Time Next Life'' (2012) * Specimen 13, ''Echosystem EP'' (2012) *
Namgar Namgar ( Buryat: Намгар) is a 4-piece music group that performs traditional Buryat and Mongolian music. Its leader Namgar Lhasaranova comes from the east borderland where three countries, Russia, Mongolia, and China meet. She inherited a ...
, ''Dawn of the Foremothers'' (2013) * Pavlov3, ''Curvature-Induced Symmetry... Breaking'' (2015) * Stick Men, ''Prog Noir'' (2016) * Yang, ''The Failure of Words'' (2017) * Gentle Knife, ''Clock Unwound'' (2017) * Stephan Thelen, ''Fractal Guitar'' (2018) * Frank Schätzing, ''Taxi Galaxi'' (2019)


References


External links


Markus Reuter homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reuter, Markus 1972 births Living people 20th-century German musicians 21st-century classical composers 21st-century German composers Chapman Stick players Crafty guitarists German classical composers German electronic musicians German guitarists German male classical composers German record producers German male guitarists People from Lippstadt Stick Men (prog band) members 21st-century guitarists 20th-century German male musicians 21st-century German male musicians RareNoiseRecords artists