Fennesz was born and raised in Austria and studied music formally in art school.

In the late 1980s he formed a band called Maische, with a 'noise meets pop' approach similar to bands such as Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine. Despite the local popularity of the group, Fennesz was uncomfortable with the band setup and left.

Afterwards, he became involved in the Viennese techno scene of the early 1990s. From there on, he began to collect his own equipment and produce music based loosely around guitar and synthesizer sounds.

Fennesz has been recording with Ryuichi Sakamoto, with whom he also plays live, with Keith Rowe and Sparklehorse. He has also worked alongside Peter Rehberg and Jim O'Rourke in the improvisional trio Fenn O'Berg, and with David Sylvian who sang on his album Venice and for whom Fennesz composed the music for the song "A Fire in the Forest" for his album Blemish. Fennesz also appeared on the Ulver remix/compilation album 1993 - 2003: 1st Decade In The Machines, contributing "Only The Poor Have Time To Travel".

Fennesz had ties with the Vienna-based label Mego, and is now signed to Touch in the UK.

Fennesz and Sakamoto will release a collaborative album entitled cendre in March 2007 on Sakamoto's new Commmons label.

Fennesz will peform with singer Mike Patton at the 2007 Moers Festival - marking the first time the two have performed together on stage, and will continue to tour Europe together into June.

INFLUENCED:

The emphasis on the guitar texture and the burying of pop melodies under layers of effects are common ground for Fennesz. Also, the music of the Beach Boys have had an influence on Fennesz, as revealed by his cover of “Don’t Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder)” on the Plays EP. The Beach Boys influence is mentioned in a Pitchforkmedia interview, in relation to the album title, cover art, and melodic emphasis of his Endless Summer LP.