joe acheson (bass/samples) poppy ackroyd (keys/violin) tim lane (drums) jamie graham (drums)
Featuring on album:
Su-a Lee (cello)
Fraser Fifield (soprano sax/kaval/low whistles)
Marcus Britton (French horn/trumpet)
Live Guests:
Su-a Lee (electric cello)
Ivan Torres Hdez (visuals)
Calum McIntyre (drums)
Marcus Britton (Orkestra del Sol - French horn)
Maja Borg (visuals)
MC Profisee (Great Ezcape)
Nick Roth (saxophone)
Colm O'Hara (trombone)
Influences
In no particular order:
Claude Debussy, Red Snapper, Charles Mingus, DJ Shadow, Aphex Twin, Orbital, William Byrd, Steve Reich, Arnold Bax, Frank Bridge, Oskar Okros, Dave Brubeck, Luke Vibert, Lou Reed, Madlib, Maurice Ravel, Radiohead, Isaac Albeniz, DJ Premier, Sergei Rachmaninov, Gene Krupa, Bill Evans, Squarepusher, Mike Paradinas, Leftfield, Charlie Parker, Authechre, DJ Krush, Tortoise, Erik Satie, Boards of Canada, Wagon Christ, Buddy Rich, Gerald Finzi, 4hero, John Martyn, The Doors, FSOL, Jackson C. Frank, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Igor Stravinsky, Arvo Part, Cesar Franck, Louis Vierne, Lou Reed, Gabriel Faure, David Holmes
Sounds Like
xploding plastix, amon tobin, cinematic orchestra, bonobo, four tet, skalpel
CLICK HERE FOR LIVE VIDEO FROM JAZZ HOUSE SESSION (RADIO SCOTLAND)
Joe Acheson Quartet make electronic music using only acoustic instruments and natural sounds.
Combining two live drummers and deep basslines with strong jazz and classical influences, JAQ create beat-driven tunes with orchestral textures and epic electroacoustic soundscapes.
Their energetic and emotive live audiovisual shows - with two drummers, violin, piano, bass, sampler, and regular guests including cello, live cinematic visuals and MC - have garnered praise from a wide variety of music fans, and cemented their reputation as one of the most exciting live bands in Scotland. Having attracted the attention of the Scottish Arts Council, the group were invited to apply for funding to record the material, and have just completed an album featuring a selection of distinguished Scottish jazz/folk/classical musicians - Su-a Lee (SCO/McFall's - cello),
Fraser Fifield (saxophone, whistle), Marcus Britton (Orkestra Del Sol - horn, trumpet).
Despite being still unsigned, and without an album released, the band have built a solid foundation with an increasingly high profile on the Scottish scene, going on to play with many of their musical heroes, packing out their regular solo Edinburgh appearances, stunning the festival circuits, and playing national radio sessions. Previous gigs include performances with Bonobo, Jaga Jazzist, Aim, Red Snapper and Gilles Peterson, and at festivals including T in the Park, Triptych, Knockengorroch and Kelburn Graffiti Project. Airplay includes Radio 1, 6Music, XFM, Radio Scotland, Radio Magnetic, other stations and podcasts all around the world, and several live sessions on Radio 1 and Radio Scotland.
A sign of their cross-genre appeal is suggested by the fact that in 2008 they won the guitar-band-dominated competition to play at T in the Park, as well being listed in the A-Z of the greatest Scottish jazz artists of all time by The Jazz House on Radio Scotland.
Outside the Quartet, Joe is an established composer, music producer, and sound designer, as well as a freelance radio documentary producer and presenter. This year he produced a documentary for BBC 1Xtra on the Scottish urban music scene, and his music has featured on everything from international TV advertising campaigns to films and plays/programmes for BBC Radios 3, 4, and the World Service. He has also been commissioned to compose and produce the music for the largest arts event touring Scotland in 2009, the street-walking 26ft-tall giant puppet extravanganza Big Man Walking.
Tracks have been released on compilations from Alex Tronic Records (Edinburgh, May ‘07),
and DDE Records in Italy (Dec ’06), including a remix of London–based Lautrec. Other
remixes include Found, Great Ezcape, Kinetic Fallacy, and an interactive software remix for
Coldcut.
Joe Acheson Remixes Page
"...a band that you won't come across anywhere else in the world at the moment, one of the most impressive things you can see live.."
BBC Radio 1 DJ Vic Galloway
"...There's a metronomic precision as well as a very human pulse to this music, which seems designed to work on different levels simultaneously. Both danceable and attractively ambient, the compositions of bass guitarist and electronics wiz Acheson draw on a cornucopia of ingredients. Spaghetti western-like trumpet themes, recorded interviews, pizzicato violin figures, a phantom cor anglais, a blast of Blues in the Night, and gurgling electric cello lines emerge from live instruments and samples as the group's engine room and potential focal point - its two-drummers groove - converse and cannily blend marching snare drum patterns with funk fundamentals."
The Herald
"...two drummers, a laptopper, Joe Acheson on bass and an impressive array of samplers, dials, cables, knobs, and levers, plus a violinist and cellist both poised in front of their music stands as if this was the Usher Hall. The resulting music is a beguiling, psychedelic, lush, sweeping and groovy hybrid of trip-hop swagger, discerning drum’n’bass, epic soundscapes, funky electronica, cosmic zouk, melancholy space synth, Ozric Tentacles-esque danceability, and impeccable nu-classical. But above all, Joe Acheson’s music is delightfully cinematic and makes out of the post-rock ideals the very music that they should spawn.""What made the night, however, was the Joe Acheson Quartet's assured, super-tight and undeniably funky set. Playing some new tunes, and attacking their moody soundscapes with real gusto, they looked and sounded like they were worth every word of the hype. With the right record deal, they will do damage, make no mistake about it".
Skinny Magazine
landscape etchings appear courtesy of Norman Ackroyd CBE
Summer is approaching and cruel winter is banished for another year. To celebrate, Big Hand would like to invite you to an extra special night of cosmic ska craziness...
Get your skanking shoes on and join us at Cabaret Voltaire this Sunday - 24th May (its a bank holiday, so no excuses)...
beloved, we are proud to announce, that our third release "things you wanna play" hit the stores. next to the original version, our friend dirty disco youth did an amazing remix job and turned the track into an aggressive dancefloor monster.
speaking of remixes: italian producer "myspace.com/riskodisko" did a phenomenal remix-job on our track 'electro messiah'. GET IT FOR FREE!!! http://www.theagtrio.com/download/Electro_Messiah_RiskoDisko_remix.zip by the way: if you think, you can do better, get the original samples and bring it on! www.theagtrio.com/electromessiah/
Videocrash 3! with Hexstatic (live AV) vs The Nextmen (live AV) plus The Anomolies + DJ Cheeba (AV) + more tbc 8 - 3 Sat 6th June '09 £15 adv www.ticketweb.co.uk
For the third installment of the now legendary Videocrash, London's biggest and best dedicated Audio-Visual event, we have lined up a truly ground-breaking affair, with the undeniable kings Hexstatic and new challengers The Nextmen as well as some of the finest up-and coming talent in this, the coolest up-and-coming night-club experience. Having absolutley killed it at the previous 2 Videocrash nights Hexstatic was an obvious choice to invite back to Koko, and in looking for an act to match up to them The Nextmen were a clear option, with their live showcase and excellent turntable skills. To make it all that bit more special, and to fit in with the theme of the occasion, Hexstatic will be providing a visual accompaniment to The Nextmen's set! Awesome. Throw into the mix the fruits of our quest into the world of AV to find some of the hottest new talent in the field, and the result is an evening that will blow Koko's bass-bins and your minds with a kaleidescopic mix of sounds and sights.
Solid Steel video podcast: http://www.vimeo.com/3543461
hey sexy badger it's jimmy the fingers... i've got a tune out called grace you can buy it on itunes and a whole host of others including beatport and amazon... check out the video to get you in the mood.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRLv_KkkKiQ it's all on me profile have a gander! love and squidgy kisses jimmy the fingers xxx
Hey, wassup? Just dropping by to say hey and spread the love.
Just so you know though, if you want extra networking opportunities, exposure, fans who can subscribe to your tracks, the chance to run remix contests for free promotion, and get tons of feedback on your music you should sign up for a free profile @ our website http://groundzeroprojects.ning.com
How are you joe acheson quartet! I haven't passed by in ages! Hope all is well. Thanks for being a friend! Please check out my new single HEAVEN BREAKS.
Hope you had a good new year and xmas! sounds like you did with those tracks!
I got a couple of new tracks up on my page, one is called "vision" and the other "when the lights were low" featuring brotherman! Let me know what you think!
Featuring Frightened Rabbit, Jocasta Sleeps, Popolo, Arca Felix, Anna Meldrum, Ross Clark & The Scarves Go Missing, Brother Louis Collective, Janet & The Boo Walks, & more
DJ sets from Craig Grant (Union Of Knives), Malky B (The Mill), Mixtape! DJs Div G, Twin Atlantic, Flood Of Red, The Dykeenies, & Team Lofi!
Drinks promos & Xmas presents for all from the Lofi Santa!
Online Now!