Background
He grew up in Minnesota. Maus was born in February 1980 in Austin, Minnesota.
He grew up in Minnesota. Maus was born in February 1980 in Austin, Minnesota.
He later studied music at the California Institute of the Arts.
A keyboard player for Panda Bear and Ariel Pink, he has released three albums of his own music to acclaim. He is known for his eclectic samples when composing, "an almost absurd mix – a stand-off between taut, bass-driven post-punk, whooshing electro-popular and, thanks to the chants and bleak intoning, Medieval and Gregorian disco."
Experimenting with music from an early age, his first efforts were strongly influenced by Nirvana and film scores of the 1980s. As a college student he was interested in experimental music, such as the work of Michael Pisaro, as well as Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque music
When he befriended and began to work alongside Ariel Pink, he took a greater interest in popular music
While continuing to make music, Maus went on to study philosophy at the European Graduate School in Saas Fee, Switzerland, where he earned his master"s degree. He was awarded a doctorate in political philosophy from the University of Hawai"i, where his thesis advisor was Michael J. Shapiro.