Michael Rouse, also known as Mikel Rouse, was born on January 26, 1957, in St. Louis, Missouri, and is an American composer. Raised in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, he studied painting, film, and music at the Kansas City Art Institute and the University of Missouri–Kansas City. In 1978, his band Tirez Tirez opened for Talking Heads in Kansas City, marking a significant early breakthrough. The band later relocated to New York City. His association with Ben Neill and Kyle Gann led to the recognition of totalism, a new rhythmic complexity in minimalist-based music. In 1996, he premiered his opera Dennis Cleveland at The Kitchen, which was later performed at Lincoln Center in 2002. His discography includes notable albums such as Gravity Radio (2009), Recess (2010), Swingers Castle (2019), and Community Spread (2020).
