Mostly known as an electric textural guitarist and loop musician, Michael Bearpark plays a central role in the band Darkroom. He also has an ongoing duo project with German loop guitarist Bernhard Wagner, called Pedaltone.
Bearpark was a member of the live No-Man band for their brief live reunion of 2006, their mini-tour of Europe in autumn 2008 (on both occasions, playing guitar alongside Steven Wilson) and the 2012 tour. He has played on two No-Man releases - as a guest on the 2004 album Together We're Stranger and as a live band member on the 2009 Mixtaped concert DVD.
Bearpark has also been a frequent collaborator with No-Man singer Tim Bowness. He has played alongside Bowness in the 1980s Warrington-based art-rock bands After The Stranger and Plenty, the ambient-folk band Samuel Smiles (founded by Bearpark himself) and the contemporary progressive rock band Henry Fool (both of the latter projects also featuring multi-instrumentalist Peter Chilvers). In turn, Bowness has been an occasional Darkroom member.
Bearpark's other collaborations include work with Richard Barbieri (of Japan and Porcupine Tree) and David Kosten's Faultline. He is a regular contributor to Improvizone, a regular London-based night of improvised instrumental music organised by drummer Andrew Booker.
Releases
Appears on
Videos
Ghost of Wood & Michael Bearpark: Thirty Years (video)