ABOUT

Biography

Kerem Ergener is a Baton Rouge-based electronic music composer and multimedia artist known for his architectural approach to sound, melding minimal, glitch-driven electronics with spatial audio, light, and atmosphere to create immersive performances and installations. His artistic output and research interests focus on embodiment through sound and the phenomenology of atmosphere, shaping space and place through developing holophonic and immersive listening experiences through Wave Field Synthesis (WFS) and advancing the democratization of music-making through live coding. He earned his undergraduate degree in Mechatronics Engineering at Bahçeşehir University, where he helped establish the BAU Stanford Robotics Research Project Laboratory and conducted research on advanced robotics applications. Then, he continued his graduate education at Istanbul Technical University MIAM, and received his Master of Arts in Sonic Arts. From 2019 to 2022, he lived in Bangkok, Thailand, where he served as a lecturer at King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Institute of Music Science and Engineering. He studied electronic music and composition with Reuben de Lautour, Jeremy Woodruff, Brian Raphael Nabors, Jesse Allison, and Stephen David Beck. He founded the label Le Horla Records in 2016 to bring unheard avant-garde and experimental sounds to listeners. He has been featured on numerous compilations, including the Music from SEAMUS series, and has released solo work under his name and the pseudonym Le Horla. His works have been performed internationally in concerts and conferences, including Electric LaTex, SEAMUS (The Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States), and ICMC (International Computer Music Conference). He was honored with the American Prize Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for his visual work for David Walter’s Makrologos. He is a Ph.D. candidate in Experimental Music and Digital Media at Louisiana State University, with a graduate minor in Architecture.

FAQ

How is Kerem Ergener’s name pronounced?

In­ter­na­tional Phonetic Alphabet: [kʰeˈɾem ˈær̥ˈɡenær̥]

Katakana: ケレム・アーゲナー

What are Kerem's preferred pronouns?

Kerem prefers He/Him pronouns.

How many languages does Kerem speak?

He is fluent in English, French, and Turkish. 

What is the philosophy behind Kerem's works?

Kerem's artistic philosophy revolves around the exploration of light, shadows, deconstruction, decay, the human condition, atmosphere, and loss. Rooted in both architecture and sonic arts, his works aim to create immersive experiences where the audience becomes part of the space. Using space as a vital element, Kerem integrates light, fog, and sound to shape an evocative atmosphere. His practice involves live coding tools and electronic gear, reflecting a belief that technological limitations fuel creativity. Influenced by phenomenology, as well as thinkers like Merleau-Ponty, Baudrillard, Derrida, Deleuze and Guattari, his art leans towards minimalism in design, with industrial and brutalist sonic palette.

What is Kerem's relationship with architecture?

Architecture, fashion, and design are Kerem's biggest hobbies and influences in life, which led to his graduate minor in architecture under Dr. Paul Holmquist. His PhD research is centers on the phenomenology of atmosphere and creating immersive architectural spaces through sonic means. Kerem's installation work is often categorized as architectural installations on space, atmosphere, and sound spatialization. 

What were his artistic influences?

His approach to music composition is inspired by industrial groups like Throbbing Gristle and Einstürzende Neubauten, electronic music artists like Carsten Nicolai (Alva Noto) and Mika Vainio (Pan Sonic), and composers like Morton Feldman and Julius Eastman. He follows the works of musicians from labels such as Raster-Noton, Mille Plateaux, Trente Oiseaux, Sub Rosa, and many more. 

In his personal life, he is a furniture and fashion collector. He sees design as the core element of life and the most important influence on his art. His favorite designers, architects, and fashion designers include Dieter Rams, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Carlo Scarpa, Peter Zumthor, Tadao Ando, Kazuyo Sejima, Richard Serra, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Herzog & de Meuron, Alexander McQueen, Rei Kawakubo, Jun Takahashi, Hussein Chalayan, and Martin Margiela. As an avid cinema lover, he is influenced by the works of directors like Andrei Tarkovsky, Yasujirō Ozu, Lars von Trier, Gaspar Noé, and Wong Kar-wai. 

How can I perform one of Kerem's pieces?

In this website's catalog, you can discover which work you're interested in and either purchase or rent a copy of the score, including parts for multiple performers if necessary. 

What about the pieces involving electronics?

The electronic parts are all available upon purchase. The technical rider is provided with each score. Some performances of these pieces might require the assistance of a sound engineer expe­rienced in electroacoustic music.

How should I approach Kerem's music if I don’t have any prior knowledge of it?

You don't need any prior knowledge to approach Kerem's music. The program notes and metadata are provided in the catalog as a helpful guideline. Kerem's work is an embodied experience. This means it is best enjoyed in a concert hall (especially multichannel works) or with a good sound system with subwoofers due to the low frequency content of most works. The stereo renderings of fixed media pieces are released as compilations under the Selected Lost Works series every few years. 

What should I listen to first?

It depends on what you are looking for! If you want to dive into electronic works, check out Kerem's first album Ajirak, released under the pseudonym Le Horla. It is a critically acclaimed 35-minute ambient/noise work that gives you the best idea of his sonic world. If you want to check out his electroacoustic work, In Praise of Shadows is the way to go! This piece was performed worldwide and selected for SEAMUS CD Vol. 34. If you are craving something more beat-based, check out the 1/5 performance where Kerem and jazz trumpeter Kasey Ball create a fusion of jazz and electronics on stage.

What is Kerem's area of research?

He is currently focused on code-based music-making applications and the democratization of music creation. He believes different applications of coding-based music make music more accessible and equal worldwide. His graduate research topic is sound installations, the concept of space, the phenomenology of atmospheres, and wavefield synthesis (WFS). He works under two grants (LA Board of Regents Enhancement Grant and LSU Provost Big Idea Grant) to design a 192-channel WFS system called The AURA and to develop miniaturized high-resolution applications of WFS technology. His academic interest is in investigating electronic music, with a background in musicology, ethnomusicology, and music technology. He studied music in different genres under this umbrella, from hip-hop to avant-garde music, and published many papers on these topics.

Testimonials

"The swelling tones and glitchy textures were layered with the voices to create a unique sound not often heard in choral concerts. The whole endeavor was a great success and Kerem is a true artist. I was amazed at how he was able to manipulate the sounds of the choir while simultaneously playing them back live on stage, seconds after recording them." 

• Dr. David Walters - Composer

“Kerem’s music is always entertaining, but beyond that he has a wonderful ability to collaborate with other musicians, playing to their strengths while always maintaining his own distinctive voice.”

• Dr. Treya Nash, Composer

"Kerem is a force to be reckoned with in the electronic music space. His creations come from a place of deep technical knowledge, but his performance aesthetic and stage presence acumen showcase a vulnerable earthiness akin to an intimate DJ set. "

• Kasey Ball - Jazz trumpeter

"I came away from this one more impressed than a lot of the ambient releases I've heard this year, even the ones I liked by artists I see as among the best in the genre. I can't imagine this being a coincidental stumbling into greatness either. I highly anticipate whatever direction Le Horla goes in next, and hopefully this record or perhaps the next will reach the ears of those who might be interested."

• Ajirak album review on RYM

"Sonicscapes that span both the dimensions of space and culture.”

• Conrad Foreman, Composer