Tyondai Braxton is an American composer and performer, largely known as the guitarist/singer of American post-rock super-group Battles, and as a prominently featured artist on record label Warp Records. He has been actively producing and performing music under his name as a solo artist, as well as collaboratively under various group titles and collectives, since the mid 90’s.
Raised in Connecticut, Braxton is the son of multi-instrumentalist and avant-garde composer Anthony Braxton. He later studied composition at Hartt School of Music in Hartford, Connecticut with Robert Carl and Ingram Marshall. His “orchestrated loops” involve real-time overlaying of guitar, voice and found objects, designed to simulate an ensemble.
Most recently, the release of Braxton’s newest work, titled “Central Market,” has been announced by Warp Records as slated for mid-September release in the US; the album is anticipated as a new direction in Braxton’s orchestral style, while maintaining qualities of the loop compositional style he is known for.
A sequel to “Mirrored,” the first full-length album released under the band name Battles (which pairs Braxton with musicians John Stanier, Ian Williams, and Dave Konopka), is rumored to be scheduled for 2010. Collaboratively, Braxton has also worked with Prefuse73 and Glenn Branca, and has been commissioned by the Kronos Quartet and Bang on a Can, amongst others.


