Rodolphe Burger

Rodolphe Burger stands out as an influential force within French experimental rock, recognized chiefly for his twenty-year role as singer and guitarist in Kat Onoma, together with a series of well-regarded solo recordings and numerous joint projects. He came into the world on November 26, 1957, in Colmar, Haut-Rhin, France, where his first musical recognition arrived via the experimental rock band Kat Onoma. Based in Strasbourg, the group issued its initial full-length recording independently in 1988 under the name Cupid. Audience interest grew steadily across later releases that included Stock Phrases (1990), Billy the Kid (1992), Far from the Pictures (1995), Happy Birthday Public (1997), Kat Onoma (2001), and Live a la Chapelle (2002). The 2001 self-titled album proved especially successful, climbing to number 29 on the French albums chart. Although Kat Onoma formally ended in 2004, Burger had already launched solo work with Cheval-mouvement (1993) and Meteor Show (1998), the second of which drew particular praise. Shaped by the worldwide electronica movement then current, Meteor Show represented a notable shift from the jazz-rock style of Kat Onoma. In addition to solo releases, Burger took part in several collaborative albums, joining Olivier Cadiot for On N'est Pas des Indiens, C'est Dommage (2000) and Hôtel Robinson (2002), pairing with James Blood Ulmer on Guitar Music (2003), and working with Chloé Mons and Alain Bashung on Cantique des Cantiques (2003). He further appeared on Françoise Hardy's Le Danger (1996) and Clair Obscur (2000), as well as Fantaisie Militaire (1998) by Alain Bashung and Paramour (2003) by Jeanne Balibar. After Kat Onoma's 2004 breakup, Burger undertook a variety of activities that encompassed further partnerships such as Before Bach (2005) with Érik Marchand. Among subsequent solo efforts, No Sport (2008) received widespread critical acclaim.