Andris Vilcāns

(28.10.1966 )

“My music is the same as I am. What kind of style is that? – Mine.”

Andris Vilcāns

Andris Vilcāns was born on October 28th, 1966 in Riga, to the family of singer Margarita Vilcāne. He finished the Jūrmala Children’s Music School in the piano class of Rasma Ziemele, the Jāzeps Mediņš College of Music Choir Conducting department (1982–1986) with Roberts Liepiņš. His education in composition was with Maija Einfelde and Ādolfs Skulte. While studying at the Jāzeps Mediņš College of Music, he sang in the men’s choir Dziedonis, after finishing the School, he worked in the State Academic Choir Latvija. He was the leader of the groups Nakts pilsoņi (1989–1991) and Deus Ex Machina (1995–2002) (voice, keyboards, guitar), composed music for them and also wrote song lyrics. As of 2002, he lives in the United States, working in the field of advertisement music and plays in American groups, in the synthpop and gothic industrial styles. He develops sound designs for web pages, working together with Gateway, HP, DTS, Aisec. As of 2002, he writes music for advertisements for Sony. He has mainly composed theatre music and rock music. He is interested in electronic music and all that which is associated with music technology. Together with the group Deus Ex Machina he received the Latvian National Television Award for a song from the concert program Sister Left and the AKKA/LAA Copyright Infinity Award for the music for the production of Fausts. Deus ex machine (2000).