Might Brank

A drummer and composer, Emmanuel Scarpa is at the crossroads of many contemporary creative paths. He started out playing drums in a self-taught punk-rock band, and went on to study classical composition at the Lyon and Grenoble conservatoires, where he won 1st prizes in harmony, counterpoint and fugue, and was awarded a prize from the Sacem. At the same time, his fascination with improvisation and his curiosity have led him to make numerous musical and interdisciplinary encounters. Over the last twenty-five years, drumming, composition and improvisation have become inseparable practices, which have naturally led him to launch his own groups such as Umlaut, Les Métamorphoses, Blue Yonder, Might Brank his solo and more recently Le Quadrivium, which has its roots in 14th-century secular music. Emmanuel Scarpa is also involved in the groups Marteau-Matraque, SkullTone with Fanny Lasfargues, O.U.R.S (Clément Janinet), Red Desert Orchestra (Eve Risser), Parabolique, and the Coax and La Forge collectives. He has recorded some thirty albums and written the music for three contemporary dance pieces for the Ben Aïm (Paris), Epiderme (Grenoble) and ALS (St Etienne) companies. Some of his compositions have been commissioned by institutions and ensembles such as the Quatuor Béla, Radio France, La Forge, l’Arfi, L’Ensemble Op.Cit and the French Ministry of Culture.