Michael Hamilton is a composer who is just as capable of tugging on your heart strings as bursting your ear drums. In his work you’ll hear everything from symphony orchestras, to retro synthesizers, to the 8-string guitars that linger from his days as a death metal guitarist. In addition to his work as a solo artist, Michael is also known for his work on video game and film soundtracks and, alongside collaborator, Ross Cairns, is also a prolific techno producer whose tracks have been released by record labels and heard on dancefloors from all across the globe.

When he’s not composing, Michael works as a session musician, performing with various internationally renowned artists, and can be found onstage as the bassist of Progressive Music Award winning post-rock band, Midas Fall.

In addition to all this, Michael has also maintained a consistent flow of releases as a solo artist. Michael’s solo releases display not only his versatility as a composer and his technical ability as a musician, but also his complete disregard for genre boundaries, consistency, and conventions. Michael first showcased his unique brand of melodic math-rock with a distinctly jazzy edge on his 2017 EP, Studies. Fully embracing his jazz influences, Michael followed this up with Nu Jazz: a collection of somewhat unorthadox arrangements of classic jazz standards. In 2019, he released the Godawful EP, returning to and further refining his signature, light-hearted blend of math-, prog- and post-rock.

2020 saw Michael take his music to more cinematic territories, incorporating more electronic and sound design elements, with his debut album and accompanying visual art piece, Pale Shadows of Forgotten Names. After much of this album’s feedback included descriptors such as ‘soundtrack’ and ‘cinematic’, Michael quickly followed this release up with Under a Proud and Merciless Sun, which marked his first foray into the realm of video game/film scoring. A would-be original soundtrack, abandoning guitar almost entirely, the album comprises delicate, emotional piano-led pieces; dramatic orchestral suites; and dense, atmospheric electronic soundscapes - a far cry from his math-rock roots.

While much of Michael’s output in 2021/22 would be focused primarily on video game and film soundtracks (owing to the success of his previous album), as well as several successful releases on techno labels across the world, he would still find time to work on his third solo album, A Language Forever. Now presenting himself more as a composer than just a guitarist, Michael’s continued dedication to broadening his horizons has made for his most ambitious, sophisticated and emotive compositions to date.