" Undefinable, eclectic and breaking norms "
For more than thirty years, Holeg Spies has traveled the world as one travels through a soundscape: in search of what resonates. Among the Hopi of Arizona, among the nomads of the Mongolian steppes, in the heart of Asian and American megacities, in the Raves’ warehouses of the 90s or in the legendary Abbey Road studio, he has learnt above all to listen to the places, the gestures, the people, the vibrations that pass through them… before composing.
Holeg’s work can be described as cinematic, weaving evocative visual soundscapes and narrative orchestrations; electrorganic, blending electronic, acoustic, field recordings and ethnic influences, and ecophonic, considering music as a living organism. More about Ecophonism® here
“Holeg Spies has composed twelve albums and numerous film scores. He is one of France’s greatest exponents of electronica and contemporary music. Freeing himself from the boundaries of time, he reflects on the continuity of the place of sound in human societies. His music also pushes for a form of demandingness: through its ruptures, irruptions and unpredictability, Holeg Spies’ music provokes the unexpected, forcing active listening and always reminding the listener of his/her senses.”
SacreBleu Production – Cannes Golden Palm, César, Golden Globe and Oscar winning-company
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In the early 90s, a graduate in European and International Law from the Panthéon-Sorbonne, Holeg was also one of the pioneers of the French Electro scene, performing all over the world. His performances have contributed to shape a sonic culture where music becomes space, energy, and collective language, resonating through bodies and places.
Throughout the 2000s Holeg moved into avant-garde audio-visual creations and exhibited at the French museum of modern art The Pompidou Centre and the Nation French Library in Paris, contemporary art venues in Tokyo, New York, and Geneva.
From 1997 to 2007, Holeg extensively toured and performed in Japan thanks to Mike Maguire from Juno Reactor (contributors to the Matrix franchise soundtracks), and it was there that he crossed paths with the notorious filmmaker Takashi Miike. After making an audio-visual remix of his film Ichi the Killer (2001) Holeg’s film journey began.
Since then, as a solo artist and also with Australian-British violin virtuoso and composer Patrick Savage, Holeg has composed feature film scores that include fantasy animation Abruptio (2023) starring Jordan Peele ; thriller Black Site (2022) by the producers of John Wick ; documentary The Road to Freedom Peak (2013) narrated by Djimon Hounsou ; cult horror The Human Centipede: First Sequence (2009) ; the trailer for Michael Bay’s The Hitcher (2007). more
As a film composer… Where film music often illustrates, Holeg Spies connects: for him, a film is not a sequence of scenes to illustrate, but an ecosystem of visual, emotional, and sonic forces. Holeg Spies breaks away from the traditional harmonic frameworks and favours open modes, micro-intervals, suspended or partially unstable chords that maintain a gentle tension between consonance and dissonance. His approach does not dictate what to feel but allows the viewer to wander through emotion. Example of his writing process here
Today, he is developing the VR/Installation/Live trilogy Sound Retinas, an immersive experience produced by Sacrebleu Productions (winner of the 2025 Oscar, César and Golden Globe for Flow), and is leading several ecophonic projects in France and Europe, supported by most French cultural institutions.
Spring 2026 will see the publication of his Essay Echoes of Origins, a journey from the Paleolithic era to contemporary immersive environments, with a preface by Isabelle Warnier Henry, guardian of the legacy of the visionary composer of Musique Concrète, Pierre Henry; and postfaces by Roland Lehoucq (astrophysicist, CEA) and Mylène Pardoen (archaeologist of sound heritage, CNRS).
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Holeg’s numerous collaborations include iconic artists like The Future Sound of London, Coldcut, Anne Clark, Youth from Killing Joke, East Bay Ray from Dead Kennedys, Jon Klein from Siouxsie & The Banshees, Andy Falconer from The Orb, Mona Soyoc from KaS Product among many others…
Holeg’s shape-shifting discography includes releases on major labels as Universal, Sony and Lakeshore as well as many indie labels like Citizen of French electro-pop star Vitalic, Perfecto of Grammy nominee Paul Oakenfold, and Liquid Sound Design of Youth – producer of The Verve, Pink Floyd and Paul McCartney... more
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“Holeg Spies’ Brave New World album is a masterpiece. Genre bending psychedelia. An electronic Dark Side of the Moon meets soundtrack and chill.”
Martin ‘Youth’ Glover – Grammy winner producer
“Holeg Spies’ Axis Mundi album is the soundtrack to the ultimate film I dream of directing. A journey between the end of a world and the beginning of a new era reconciled with the original vibration.”
Pierre Morel – Director of Taken
