New York-based composer and musician Drew McDowall grew up in Scotland, where he found a home in Glasgow’s rich underground music community. After moving to London, he joined Psychic TV and then became a full-time member of Coil, shaping the group’s later output and contributing heavily to some of their most respected and influential works. He is known for his diverse collaborations, working with Kali Malone, Caterina Barbieri, Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe, Hiro Kone, Varg, Puce Mary, Shapednoise, Rabit, Elvin Brandhi and LEYA, amongst others. While McDowall has had a strong affinity to electronic music throughout his life, he avoids making music confined to any one genre, and in his most recent works, has used string players, brass, the pipe organ and the harp. He recently released A Thread, Silvered and Trembling (2024), which alchemises laments and tributes to the dead, fusing modal drones with flickering dissonance and plaintive melody.
Drew McDowall participates in Sharjah Biennial 16 as part of Bilna'es' project curated by Adam HajYahia.