Beat Solèr, known professionally as Seelenluft, was born on 8 July 1971 in Wil, Switzerland, and began playing guitar at seven. His early career involved guitar work in new wave and indie bands such as The Nightmare and Hamlets Fish, while he studied graphic design and attended the Jazz school in St. Gallen. In 1991 he released his first solo cassette, the flame of acapulco, self‑produced with drum computers and synthesizers. Seelenluft’s breakthrough came with the 1997 album Bellatrax on the Danish label Hypnotic Records, which blended drum'n'bass and easy‑listening elements. He followed with The Rise and Fall of Silvercity Bob (2000) and the Synchronschwimmer EP (2001), the latter serving as music for the Acapulco 11 project and gaining traction in the nu jazz scene. The 2002 album Out of the Woods, produced in Los Angeles, featured the single "Manila", which entered the English, Australian, French, German and Austrian club charts, reaching number one in several countries. Subsequent releases included Way We Go (2004) and Birds And Plants And Rocks And Things (2008). Throughout the 2000s Seelenluft toured globally as a DJ and live act, remixed tracks for artists such as Stefan Eicher and Moonbootica, and composed music for film and television projects, including Being Azem (2010).
