saturday 9 july | 17:20

Austrian Christian Fennesz uses guitar and software to build glistening soundworlds that pulse and glide with tangible sonic heat. Fennesz came to the attention of a wider audience with his Endless Summer album (Mego, 2001), a processing and remoulding of his beloved Beach Boys into mind-altering swells, tics and skitters. His reputation has grown again with the release of Venice (Touch, 2004), surely the only album to feature collaboration with David Sylvian and referencing of both My Bloody Valentine and Berlin techno. The cover art of both Endless Summer and Venice features sunshine and warmth, something you can hear in the music within. A glowing light burns at the heart of Fennesz's recordings that wraps itself around the listener.

Rolling Stone described him as "the most pictorial composer-programmer in laptop electronica".

Fennesz is also known for his collaborations with Jim O'Rourke and Peter Rehberg as Fenn O'Berg, who have produced two albums of improvised and pre-composed journeys into electro-acoustic interaction. He has also worked with Ryuichi Sakamoto, Polwechsel, BJ Nilsen, Rosy Parlane and Z'ev, amongst others. Don't think you'll know what to expect when Fennesz plays live though: he's just as likely to send out waves of sheer hellish guitar noise instead of sun-baked aural landscapes.