Ann Arbor, MI-based multi-instrumentalist/writer Thomas Meluch -- who uses Benoît Pioulard as one of his musical alter egos -- combines found sounds, electronics, and atmospheric rock and pop in his various projects. A part of the Rattling Wall Collective in Dutch, a loose-knit group of like-minded musicians, Meluch also collaborated on a multimedia piece for the University of Michigan's 2003 Film and Video Studies Association Lightworks Festival. He played with a half-dozen bands in the area, including Esmae, an experimental rock quartet inspired by Godspeed You Black Emperor! and Explosions in the Sky. When Esmae disbanded in 2005, Meluch concentrated on his work as Benoit Pioulard. He began a series of handmade, limited-edition CD-R releases, and late that year, the Enge EP was released by Moodgadget. Tracks from the EP also appeared on collections from Astrolab and Ghostly. Kranky released Benoit Pioulard's debut full-length, Precis, a shimmering hybrid of laptop pop and shoegaze, in fall 2006. ~ Heather Phares, All Music GuideMore