Boris Blank (musician)

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Boris Blank (born 15 January 1952 as Boris Leibovich Blank, Russian: Борис Лейбович Бланк) is a Swiss artist and musician especially famous for his work in the musical duo Yello with Dieter Meier. Blank is said to possess "perfect pitch" (the ability to identify and reproduce a musical note with perfect accuracy).

[edit] Career

Boris is the musical part of Yello. He composes the songs and is responsible for the characteristic sound, having reputation of perfectionist^[1]. Boris considers himself as a constructor of music, starting composing with manipulation of self-recorded samples and finishing the tracks with participation of invited professional musicians.

Already as a child he was very interested in music, but never had formal training. He never learned to read notes but always was interested in producing new sounds and samples. Blank began experimenting with tape loops and echo effects as a teenager. He recorded watersounds from a bucket of water and played sounds on a homemade bamboo flute. It was in this period he met Carlos Perón. Later the duo Yello was formed with Dieter Meier as a conceptualist, vocalist and author of lyrics.

Blank was blinded in one eye in a childhood accident while playing with gunpowder and empty bullet shells.

Boris lives in Zürich, with his wife and daughter, Olivia.