Arthur Hnatek
In the heart beat of electro-acoustic rhythmics
Arthur Hnatek, drummer, composer and electronic artist, was born in Geneva in 1990. Possessing a rare overview of contemporary music, his aesthetic horizon encompasses traditional American jazz, electronic culture and folk music as well as composition in the strictest sense of the term: he has composed works for orchestras, string quartets, chamber ensembles, big bands and small groups.
He has worked with some of the most significant contemporary artists – Tigran Hamasyan, Erik Truffaz, Manu Delago, Shai Maestro, Gilad Hekselman, Dhafer Youssef, Donny McCaslin, Linda May Han Oh, Vincent Peirani, Grégoire Maret and Sophie Hunger, to name just a few. He has directed projects under his own name, but also by the moniker Melismetiq, SWIMS and with the Arthur Hnatek Trio.
These works evidence his in-depth exploration of the percussive dimension, merging live electronics and live drumming, linking and tying in with the electroacoustic rhythmic cultures of the ‘90s. His recent album “Static” – released as the Arthur Hnatek Trio and highly praised by international critics – is a celebration of electronic culture in a jazz trio context. In 2019, he was awarded the ZKB Jazzpreis at Moods in Zurich, the city where he now lives.