Full Name
Michael Douglas Heumann

Birthplace
Riverside, California, United States

Education
BA, MA, PhD (all in English) from the University of California, Riverside

Writings
See The Library to read my dissertation, music reviews, essays, and more.

Family
My wife, Caroline, and I were married in 1998.  We spent seven years living in Redlands, California, before moving, in May 2005, to El Centro.  We do not have any children, but we do have three cats (that's Luka, one of our cats, on my arm there in the picture).

Hobbies
Reading, writing, listening to music, creating music on my computer, watching great films, traveling, hanging out with my wife and our cats, eating steak, avoiding the heat, and cheering the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to victory.

Favorite Films

• Aguirre, the Wrath of God
• Stalker
• Andrei Rublev
• Monty Python and the Holy Grail
• Monty Python's Life of Brian
• Come and See
• Fata Morgana
• The Battle of Algiers
• Ikiru
• Tokyo Story
• The Decalogue
• My Neighbor Totoro

Favorite Books

• James Joyce, Finnegans Wake
• Anton Chekhov's short stories
• Dan Simmons, Hyperion
• Bram Stoker, Dracula
• David Toop, Ocean of Sound
• Theodore Levin, The Hundred Thousands Fools of God
• Franz Kafka, The Castle
• Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
• Paul Devereux, Stone Age Soundtracks: The Acoustic Archaeology of Ancient Sites
• Daniel F. Galouye, Dark Universe
• Philip Marsden, The Crossing Place: A Journey among the Armenians
• Alexander Roob, Alchemy and Mysticism: The Hermetic Museum
• Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy

Favorite Music

• Lee "Scratch" Perry, Arkology
• Boards of Canada, Music Has the Right to Children and The Campfire Headphase
• The Incredible String Band, Wee Tam, The 5,000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion, and The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter
• William Basinski, The Disintegration Loops and The River
• Richard and Linda Thompson, Shoot Out the Lights
• Richard Thompson, RT: The Life and Music of Richard Thompson, Watching the Dark
• Gevorg Dabaghyan, Miniatures: Masterworks for Armenian Duduk
• Various Artists: Tuva, Among the Spirits: Sound, Music, and Nature in Sakha and Tuva
• The Conet Project: Recordings of Shortwave Numbers Stations
• Random Inc.: Jerusalem: Tales Outside the Framework of Orthodoxy
• Pan Sonic: Kesto and Aaltopiiri
• King Tubby, In Fine Style
• Tim Hecker, Radio Amor
• The White Stripes, De Stijl, Elephant and Get Behind Me, Satan
• Chris Watson, Outside the Circle of Fire
• Young Marble Giant, Colossal Youth
• Sigur Ros, ( ), Takk..., Hvarf -- Heim , með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
• Gang of Four, Entertainment!
• Amiina, Kurr
• Joanna Newsom, Ys
• Minutemen, Double Nickels on the Dime
• Neutral Milk Hotel, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

Fun Facts

• In the summer of 1984, I spent two months living with a family in Akureyri, Iceland, and working at a shipyard
• My father was a Superior Court Judge in Riverside County
• My first pet was a cat, whom I named Beef for some strange reason.  I got her from the pound when I was about 11 and she was with me for over 15 years.
• I play a few rather unusual instruments, including the Armenian duduk, the Australian didgeridoo, and the mouth organ (or Jew's harp).
• I REALLY like Tivo!

Michael Heumann is from Riverside, California.  He holds a PhD in English from the University of California, Riverside.  He wrote his dissertation on sound and technology in 20th century literature.  You can read it right here at Haunted Ink.

He first began studying music in the 80s, influenced by both the indie-punk bands of that decade (The Replacements and The Minutemen, especially) and by the great music of earlier decades (Dylan, Stones, Stax/Volt, Robert Johnson). He spent a few years learning to play the guitar, but he grew dissatisfied with the instrument and became more interested in literature and writing. 

Ah, but then computers grew up and it became possible to not only create your own music using computers but also to record, edit, master, and distribute your own music.  He started on this road in the mid-90s, while he was working on his dissertation.  He recorded a few albums of fun little songs (Me, AC, and Pocket Monkey) under the name Aboo, and he sold them via mp3.com.

At first, Aboo's music emulated (or tried to) the more eclectic electronic music of Rephlex, Warp, and similar labels.  Gradually, his music evolved to incorporate more experimental sounds (borrowing from the artists on labels like Mille Plateaux, 12k, Trente Oiseaux, Raster-Noton, and Touch).  To accompany this shift in focus from lighthearted, bouncy songs to weird, atmospheric stuff, Aboo decided to stop being Aboo and start being Michael Heumann. 

In 2003, Heumann produced a web-only release, The Island of Sleeping Chickens.  It's a concept album, provided that the sounds of an island filled with chickens sleeping is really a concept and not some deranged image.   It is currently available at eMusic and is coming soon to Amazon and iTunes.

His most recent project, Neolithic, is complete and will be released on iTunes, Amazon, and eMusic in March 2008. It incorporates a number of experiments he has been conducting utilizing shortwave radio, field recordings, and electric guitar and bass recordings. Tracks are available here at Haunted Ink, and there's even a video available for the song "Small Victory" at YouTube.

Heumann’s interest in experimental electronic music (coupled with his career in writing) compelled him to create 25, a web site dedicated to providing recommendations for anyone interested in this type of music.  25 was begun in 2000.  In 2003, an offshoot of the site was created, Almaty or Bust, focusing on the music of Central Asia.  In addition to writing the reviews and maintaining these sites, Heumann wrote reviews for Stylus Magazine.  He's also published an article on The Outer Limits at the site. 

Heumann is currently living with his wife and their cats in El Centro, California, where he teaches English and coordinates the distance education program at a nearby community college.