Susanne Brokesch, an Austrian composer active in ambient and electronica, belongs to the expanding circle of women issuing inventive experimental work in a field that remains overwhelmingly male. Born in Austria and now based in Vienna, she has released material under the aliases Sil and Sil Electronics as well as her own name on the labels Cheap, Sahko, Tension, and Disko B.
Tracks by Brokesch have appeared on multiple Austrian and European experimental compilations, among them Rancho Relaxo All-Stars, which also contained contributions from Cheap’s Patrick Pulsinger and Erdam Tunakan. Although she has never pursued formal music studies, her pieces stand out for their focus on acoustic instruments such as guitars and percussion, which she integrates with electronically generated soundscapes and sparse machine rhythms.
Her first full-length album, Sharing the Sunhat, was issued by the dance-oriented Disko B in 1997 and displayed her visual-art abilities through cover and sleeve designs she created herself. The 2006 collection Emerald Stars, consisting of adaptations of pieces by Austrian composer Hugo Wolf, appeared on Chicks on Speed Records. Brokesch also works as a DJ and has supported her music career with jobs ranging from museum guard to garbage-dump attendant.
