Michael den Elzen
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Michael den Elzen (1962) is a musician and music producer based in Melbourne, Australia. He has performed for over 20 years with many well known Australian and New Zealand artists, principally as a guitarist, and has contributed music for several Australian movie soundtracks.
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[edit] Early Career
Michael spent his early life in Boort and Mansfield (Victoria) and started playing guitar at about 10 years of age. At the age of 15, he was performing in Melbourne with the band Expresso Bongo, who made it to the finals of the talent competition, "Safeway New Faces". This led to his playing with local bands Notorious Gentlemen and The U-Boats. At age 20, Michael joined Broderick Smith for his first solo album and toured in his band for about three years. He went on to perform with Venetta Fields; with Tim Finn as a guitarist on his 1985 Big Canoe tour; and with Stephen Cummings on his "This Wonderful Life" album, and Australian and U.S. tours.
In the mid 80s, Michael joined Melbourne band Schnell Fenster with ex-Split Enz members Phil Judd, Nigel Griggs and Noel Crombie. They released two albums, "The Sound Of Trees" and "OK Alright A-Huh O Yeah" and toured in Australia and New Zealand.
[edit] 1990s
After the break up of Schnell Fenster, Michael played on and co-produced Deborah Conway's 1991 successful String Of Pearls album. He went to America to perform for Peter Case (at the request of producer Mitchell Froom) on "Six Pack Of Love"; recorded and toured as bass player and musical director with Tim Finn; and toured and recorded with Richard Pleasance. He then joined Melbourne band Rebecca's Empire's for their "Way of All Things" album.
At the end of the 1990s, Michael joined Australian rock outfit Deadstar and played on their final album Over the radio.
[edit] Soundtracks
Michael started doing music for films in the 80s, the first being As The Mirror Burns. He worked with Phil Judd and Schnell Fenster on the soundtrack for the movie Rikky and Pete, and was also involved with Phil Judd on the soundtrack for The Big Steal and Mr.Reliable.
He did the soundtrack to David Batty's Rodeo Road which lead to producing, recording,and co-writing the music for the TV series Bush Mechanics in Yuendumu about 300 kms north-west of Alice Springs, and the soundtracks to other David Batty films, Sisters,Pearls and Mission Girls and Taylor Made, as well as the TV series Inventions From The Shed, all aired on the ABC.
Michael also worked on a project with painter and artist David Munro called Birdbrain, whose music was used in the TV series The Secret Life of Us and in the film Ghosts of the Civil Dead. Other composer credits include Trespass, Beyond Sorry ,Bush Bikes and Us Mob by David Vadiveloo, Case 442 by C.A.A.M.A. and Going Bush by SBS TV.
[edit] Other work
He produced, recorded and played most instruments on Take Me To The Place by Tess McKenna after collaborating on a song for the film Curtains For My Cabin. He played guitar and recorded with David Bridie and has also written and performed with Renee Geyer, Mark Seymour and Pound System. Other artists Michael has recorded with include Margaret Urlich and Mimori Yusa (Japan).
Michael feels a strong bond with remote Central Australia and was therefore very happy to go to far north-western South Australia (Pitjantjatjara Lands) in recent years to record songs by local musicians promoting awareness of issues to do with health and well-being,supported by Nganampa Health Council in Alice Springs. The resulting cds are called UPK2 Tilun Tilun Ta (2003), UPK3 Kunma Piti-la (2004) and UPK4 Ulkiyala (2005).
Michael continues to do session work as a guitarist and bassist. He is currently making music for a film and a TV series by Rebel Films, having just completed the music and final film mix for Marree Man also by Rebel Films.
