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Adam Wiltzie

Adam Wiltzie is a composer, musician, and sound engineer known for founding several highly acclaimed ambient/neo-classical projects, particularly Stars of the Lid and A Winged Victory for the Sullen, in addition to his original scores for film, television, and theater productions. Along with Brian McBride, he formed Stars of the Lid when both were living in Austin. The two began releasing guitar-based atmospheric drone in 1995, culminating with The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid (2001) and the more fully orchestrated And Their Refinement of the Decline (2007), two of the most beloved ambient albums of all time. Wiltzie was also part of other collaborative projects such as the Dead Texan (with Christina Vantzou) and Sleepingdog (with Chantal Acda). A Winged Victory for the Sullen, his project with Dustin O'Halloran, has proven to be one of his most prolific partnerships. Wiltzie's first solo effort, the EP Travels in Constants, Vol. 24, appeared in 2015, and he became sought-after as a score composer, with Salero (2016) and American Woman (2019) among his many soundtrack credits. Wiltzie's first solo studio full-length, the serene, reflective Eleven Fugues for Sodium Pentothal, appeared in 2024. Adam Bryanbaum Wiltzie was born in New York, and originally had dreams of a professional career playing tennis but was forced to quit following a knee injury when he was 16. He moved to Austin and became part of the local music scene. He engineered numerous recordings, including many on the Trance Syndicate label, and formed Stars of the Lid with Brian McBride in 1993. Heavily influenced by composers such as Arvo Pärt, Gavin Bryars, and Henryk Górecki, as well as experimental rock groups like Talk Talk and Labradford, the group released two albums of lo-fi experimental drone for the Sedimental label before signing with Kranky and issuing The Ballasted Orchestra in 1997. Wiltzie also played in the indie rock band Windsor for the Derby and formed the side project Aix Em Klemm with Robert Donne, releasing a self-titled album in 2000. The double-CD/triple-LP The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid, featuring compositions for heavily treated guitar, horn, flute, and piano, was released to massive acclaim in 2001. Wiltzie eventually moved to Brussels. He formed audio-visual duo the Dead Texan with Christina Vantzou and released a self-titled album/DVD in 2004. Wiltzie also began working with Chantal Acda as the project Sleepingdog. Stars of the Lid released And Their Refinement of the Decline, the group's most orchestral release, in 2007, and the album was once again highly acclaimed and gradually became their most popular work. They toured as a full ensemble throughout 2007 and 2008, and an album of unreleased outtakes, Carte-de-Visite, was available at shows. Wiltzie began composing scores for short films and documentaries, and he formed A Winged Victory for the Sullen with composer Dustin O'Halloran, releasing the duo's self-titled debut on Erased Tapes in 2011. They composed the score for Wayne McGregor's dance piece Atomos, which premiered in 2013. Wiltzie collaborated with Jóhann Jóhannsson on his scores for The Theory of Everything and Arrival. Travels in Constants, Vol. 24, an EP released by Temporary Residence Limited in 2015, was Wiltzie's first solo release. A Winged Victory for the Sullen composed scores for the films Iris and God's Own Country, and the duo co-wrote the main themes for the Oscar-nominated Lion. Wiltzie wrote film scores such as Salero, American Woman, and the Whitney Houston documentary Whitney. A Winged Victory for the Sullen released Invisible Cities, the duo's score for a multimedia theatre production inspired by Italo Calvino's novel of the same name, on Ninja Tune in 2021. Following Brian McBride's death in 2023, Wiltzie confirmed in an interview for The Guardian that Stars of the Lid had recorded sessions during the 2010s, and that he planned to finish them and release the group's final album. Wiltzie returned to Kranky for 2024's Eleven Fugues for Sodium Pentothal, his first solo studio full-length. The album was recorded at his home studio in the Flemish countryside, with strings recorded in Budapest, and it was mixed by Robert Hampson of Loop.
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Discography

15 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller

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