Oliver Doerell

Oliver Doerell emerged from Berlin’s early ‘90s squatting scene and is now a central figure in Germany’s experimental "fumbletronics" movement. Originally from Brussels, where he grew up playing guitar and writing songs, he shifted to Berlin and built a unique career composing for ballet, radio plays, film, and more. “I really can’t do anything else,” he says—and it shows. Merging field recordings, electronics, and self-built sound machines, Doerell creates compositions that are both fragile and powerful. His sound is experimental yet deeply personal, often born from improvisation and long periods of layering, editing, and deconstructing audio. His work reflects the eclectic influences of his youth—especially the avant-garde scene surrounding Brussels' Crammed Disc label—and a lifelong curiosity about sound. After moving to Berlin in 1990, he left traditional songwriting behind to embrace open-ended structures and new sonic textures. He often invents instruments or repurposes old ones, turning them into vehicles for unexpected sounds.

Doerell’s music can be heard in numerous films, TV series, and over 25 contemporary dance and theater productions across Europe and Asia.

Selected works include The Love He Knows (2023), Timberland (2022), The Responder (BBC, 2022), Insellandschaften (2020), October (BBC, 2018), XX Riots (2015), Suicidal Notions (2014), I Love I (2013), In Motion (2012), Don’t Move (2011), and Tokyo Tools (2005).