Terza parte del nostro speciale dedicato all’etichetta Tru Thoughts ed ai suoi artisti con la collezione di dischi del compositore e produttore Joe Acheson, meglio conosciuto come Hidden Orchestra. Mescolando strumentazione sintetica ed acustica, il britannico crea tessiture che incorporano organicamente beats e sonorità orchestrali. Riprova del suo talento è il suo nuovo “Wingbeats”, una raccolta di sette magici brani che lo rendono perfettamente in linea con le più celebrate firme di quel genere che si muove sul confine tra musica classica ed elettronica. Abbiamo colto questa occasione per scoprire le sue influenze musicali attraverso i suoi dischi preferiti.
The first record you bought:
The first CD I bought was ‘The Bends’ by Radiohead, though I had loads of cassettes before that. I went from tapes -which I collected and made as a kid- to minidiscs to digital, with CDs peppered throughout. I like lots of things about vinyl, but it’s not a great format in practical terms. I only have a couple dozen records, and almost never listen to them. I never sit down and listen to music at home, it’s mostly when I’m on the move.
I’m still a fan of Radiohead and their side projects, Jonny Greenwood’s work in particular. In some ways their careers feel like they have evolved in parallel with my taste, and they are inspirational as artists who have continued to develop instead of settling down with the formula that brought them success.
The record you own you are most proud of:
My favourite vinyl purchase is probably a collection of Madlib remixes, an unofficial release on No Label Records from 2000, which has no tracklisting, just a ‘dope side’ and a ‘phat side’. Favourite track: Lootpack feat. Medaphoar- Wanna Test (Madlib remix)
A record that made you want to start making music:
This should probably be the Albeniz and Schubert my mother played on the piano, which I used to fall asleep to, listening through my bedroom floor as a child.
I started writing music when I was really young, but the record that really inspired me to start producing my own music in studios was ‘Tally Ho!’ by Wagon Christ. This was the blueprint for the music that a friend and I made by playing around on early music computer software at school. Shortly after choosing that album in a record store just because I liked the name, I bought Orbital’s ‘In Sides’, DJ Shadow’s ‘Endtroducing’, and Aphex Twin’s ‘Richard D. James’ albums all on the same day when I was 14, probably the most important record-shopping trip of my life.
A record that inspires you production-wise:
Tipper- Ambergris. There are many, I love many different styles and qualities of recording and production – classic lofi dub production, ultra-crisp drum and bass, delicate classical recordings, warm fuzzy folk, pristine glitch, wall-of-sound post-rock – and I often use different production styles all in one track.
But whenever I want to hear something inspiringly well-produced -crisp and clear and clean and solid and heavy- I turn to Tipper.
A record that makes you always want to dance:
Ranjit Bawa- Jatt di Akal. After a big festival show on a tour in India last year, our Punjabi driver drove us back from the site late at night blasting this tune at top volume in his car. It’s become the track that never fails to pick up everyone in my live band.
A record that makes you go all emotional:
Maurice Ravel- Piano Concerto in G (II. Adagio Assai)
(Francois-Joel Thiollier/Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra/Antoni Wit version)
This is simply one of the most spine-tinglingly beautiful pieces of music, especially the solo piano introduction.
The record the you use to come down and relax:
Jan Johansson- Visa Fran Utanmyra. Beautifully clean, pure, and yet intellectually stimulating music which simultaneously soothes and tickles my brain. Classy and unpretentious piano and double bass improvisations, based on Swedish folk songs, reinterpreted with deceptive simplicity. Nils Frahm and Anne Muller’s ‘7fingers’ is also a reliable choice – or ‘Clychau Dibon’ by Catrin Finch and Sekou Kouyate.
Your favourite record of the 2016 so far:
Radiohead. Just to go full circle from my answer to the first question, Radiohead are still producing the goods – strong riffs and melodies, inventive beats, lovely pianos and choirs, varied production and interesting textures.
The last record you bought:
Continuing this list’s theme of clarity, listening to the intricate and fascinating ‘Floating Underwater’ album by Daisuke Tanabe is like drinking a cold clear glass of water.
