He collaborated with Egyptian composer Halim El-Dabh since the late 1980s (performing and recording with him, and restoring his early electronic music), and is a former member of the multicultural experimental group, Pointless Orchestra.
In his solo work, and with Pointless Orchestra, he recorded and/or performed with such musicians as Jin Hi Kim, Z'EV, Amy Denio, Anna Homler, Illusion of Safety, Reed Ghazala, John Hajeski, and Barry Chabala.
For example, on "Hybrids" (from his Temporal Angels CD) he combines the Chinese guzheng, cello, violin, and Middle Eastern dumbek.
Reviewer Anastasia Pantsios of Cleveland Scene describes his work as "elegant, textured music that sounds spare and understated yet is quite complex.
"[2] Mike Hovancsek is a graduate of Kent State University, where he majored in psychology and later earned a master's degree in counseling.