Michael Hartman

Michael Hartman is an American improviser and composer currently living in Chicago, Illinois. He has been releasing and performing music as a solo artist, a member of TV Pow and Television Power Electric, and in multiple collaborations with musicians, choreographers, and artists from the United States, Europe, and Japan. Some of his projects include duos with Boris Hauf and Todd A. Carter, Solt, and The Funf; he also performed in several large groups, including Ensemble Noamnesia and The Lightbox Orchestra. Hartman was a founding partner of Gentle Giant Records between 1994 and 2002 and currently runs Kuro Neko Music label with his wife and partner Junko Okada (DJ JunkRoc).

Influenced by a broad range of sounds, from American country to international techno and his urban environmental sounds, Michael Hartman explores future electronics, free improv music, soundscapes, and contemporary composing in his work, utilizing analog and digital synthesizers, samplers, various electronics, drums & percussion, multi-track editing tools, and surround speaker systems. Besides releases on prominent independent labels, from Erstwhile Records to Southport, and numerous live concerts over the years, he has created music for sound installations and dance performances. Hartman also occasionally organizes and curates festivals and other events, including Boris Hauf's Chicago Sound Map and Decomposure concert series at Deadtech.