Look up vessel in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Vessel may refer to:

Container[link]

• Pressure vessel, designed to hold fluids at a pressure different from the ambient pressure
• Drinking vessel, for holding drinkable liquids
• Bowl (vessel), a common open-top container
• Double spout and bridge vessel, a ceramic drinking vessel used by the indigenous people of the Americas grouped on the Peruvian coast
• Stirrup spout vessel, a specific type of ceramic vessel from Pre-Columbian cultures of South America
• Bridge-spouted vessel, a particular design of pitcher that is a Mediterranean vessel form

Biology[link]

• Blood vessel, a part of the circulatory system and function to transport blood throughout the body
• Lymph vessel, a thin walled, valved structure that carries lymph
• Vessel element, a narrow water transporting tube in plants

Watercraft[link]

• Marine vessel, a nautical term for all kinds of craft designed for transportation on water, such as ships or boats.
• Sailing vessel

Media[link]

• Vessel (DVD), a 2003 video album by Björk
• Vessel (comics), a fictional Marvel Comics villain
• Vessel (video game), a 2012 video game developed by Strange Loop Games

Music[link]

• Vessels (band), a British post-rock band
• Vessels (Wolf & Cub album), 2006
• Vessels (Ivoryline album), 2010
• "Vessel", a song by Nine Inch Nails from the album Year Zero

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Zola Jesus
Zola Jesus performing at Waves Vienna on September 30, 2011
Background information
Birth name	Nika Roza Danilova
Born	(1989-04-11) April 11, 1989 (age 23) Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Genres	Synthpop, ambient, gothic rock, experimental rock, lo-fi, noise
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician
Instruments	Vocals, piano, guitar
Years active	2006–present
Labels	Troubleman, Sacred Bones, Die Stasi, Souterrain Transmissions
Associated acts	Former Ghosts, Nika+Rory, LA Vampires, M83
Website	www.zolajesus.com

Nika Roza Danilova (born April 11, 1989),^[1][2] better known by her stage name Zola Jesus, is an American singer-songwriter. Having released three EPs and three full-length albums, combining electronic, industrial, classical, goth,^[3][4] and experimental rock influences, she received generally positive reviews and was regarded as one of the names to watch out for in 2011.^[4][5]

Biography[link]

Early life: 1989–2008[link]

Nika Roza Danilova was raised in Merrill, Wisconsin,^[6] on over 100 acres of forest. "I was delusional as a kid; I never spent a lot of time around other people my own age except for my brother, who's a year older," she remembered.^[7] Speaking of her childhood's harsh realities, she remembered the climate ("The cold is unbelievable. I try not to complain") and general wilderness, the lack of TV or internet. "When you live around a lot of people in a city and that synthesized stimulation, you can get lost in that's the hustle and bustle. When you grow up in the country you have nothing to stimulate you but what you seek," she said.^[8] Some of Danilova's later goth sensibilities might have come from the impressions of her early childhood when she was exposed to a hunter's environment and a survivalist's worldview. "My dad was a hunter so there would constantly be animal parts all over the place. He'd be out in the forest and bring back deer heads hoping that animals would eat the flesh and leave a skull. But it wouldn't happen. There would just be a deer head hanging from a tree branch you could literally bump into", she remembered.^[8] "Our milk was from the neighbor's cow. I am not a country bumpkin but this is how we live. We ate deer and pheasant and venison and all this meat that my dad would go out and kill",^[8] she added.

Danilova started singing early on, buying voice lesson tapes and opera sheet music at the age of 7; soon she began working with a vocal coach. It was not her parents' idea: "I begged them to do it. For some reason, I really wanted to sing opera even though I wasn't really exposed to it as a kid. I think my little baby toddler mind heard some opera song and then became fixated on how powerful it sounded," she later remembered.^[7] Danilova started performing opera when she was 10 years old, but experienced serious psychological difficulties. "I would too often lose my voice before performances due to anxiety, and was so hard on myself. I would beat myself up about any imperfections or flaws in my voice. I was such a perfectionist, and my voice was still so young so it couldn't do everything I wanted it to, and I resented myself for that. But since performing as Zola Jesus it's been getting easier," she later recalled.^[9] For a couple of years she had to stop singing due to anxiety and the competitive nature of opera.^[2] "I studied opera on and off for about 10 years. I wasn't in any operas, though, it was always really private and individual...I kept stopping because I was like, I'm not good enough, I suck, this is awful, and then I'd start again. I could never practice singing if anyone was home," she explained in a Pitchfork interview.^[7] In her teens Danilova started to experiment in a more rock-orientated format.^[2] By naming her alter ego after Jesus Christ and the French writer Émile Zola she said she consciously wanted to alienate peers. "It worked perfectly – a lot of people wouldn't even say Zola Jesus because they thought it was sacrilegious", she said in an interview.^[5] "Using Jesus in my name isn't necessarily supposed to be a strong statement. I respect religion and I know people do need it, but it's a weird phenomenon in our world. It's so weird,"^[8] she later commented. Inspired by favorites like Ian Curtis,^[7] Lydia Lunch,^[7] Diamanda Galás, Throbbing Gristle and Swans (but also bubblegum pop and classical aria),^[6] she started to record at home, using keyboards, drum machines and "anything else she had on hand". In 2008 she debuted with singles "Poor Sons" on Die Stasi and "Soeur Sewer" on Sacred Bones Records.^[2]

Before transferring to University of Wisconsin-Madison to study French and philosophy, she attended UW-Milwaukee, where she began a business major. Of these business courses she said: "I was giving up my soul. I think I was drawn to business because it's really insensitive and unemotional, so it was the complete opposite of what I was studying with music."^[10]

Career: 2009–present[link]

Zola Jesus in Stockholm, November 2010

In 2009, while still studying at the University of Wisconsin-Madison,^[7] Zola Jesus recorded (in her apartment)^[7] and released her debut full-length The Spoils. The sound was in a certain way dependent on her surroundings. "I usually record in the winter because I am holed up. It's cold outside but warm inside with the heater and blankets. A lot of the songs are cold but in the coldness you find warmth. Winter has a lot to do with it.^[8]

Then followed Tsar Bomba EP (on Troubleman), New Amsterdam compilation on Sacred Bones and an untitled, limited-edition vinyl split with Burial Hex (Aurora Borealis). For touring she recruited Dead Luke (synths), bassist Lindsay Mikkola and drummer Max Elliott. Later the line-up changed to: Shane Verwey and Nick Turco (synth), Alex DeGroot ("who... does fancy controller things I can't wrap my head around, as well as backup vocals" per Danilova) and Nick Johnson, a drummer with metal band Jex Thoth.^[11]

Zola Jesus has also played with Former Ghosts. "It was fun to participate in that project. Freddy is a really amazing person, I am very honoured to be able to collaborate with him and Jamie," she commented.^[11] On Fever Ray's 2010 European tour, she performed as a support act^[12] and also toured with The xx. In the late 2009 collaboration between Zola Jesus and Rory Kane took shape (as Nika+Rory project), a demo being put out on MySpace which was described as having "more of a straight up pop feel". "Rory really nails that trance-pop-r&b style, he loves making that stuff and I love singing on it," Danilova remarked.^[11]

In 2010 Zola Jesus released Stridulum EP, described as "a much grandier effort" (next to her debut album)^[10] and her "most melodic work to date".^[11] Inspired by Giulio Paradisi 1979 film of the same name,^[13] it marked "a huge leap forward in terms of fidelity and accessibility".^[6] "With Stridulum I've tried to find a better balance; meeting in the middle with melody and texture," she explained.^[11] After the release Zola Jesus performed at the SXSW festival, for her second time.^[9]

Then followed the Valusia EP, also on Sacred Bones. LA Vampires Meets Zola Jesus EP, the collaboration with Amanda Brown of Pocahaunted, presented "a dingy, lower-than-lo-fi sound and very little of what one would call traditional songwriting," according to Pitchfork review.^[14]

Zola Jesus' second full-length album, Stridulum II (an EP extension, regarded as a debut in the UK);^[2] received 8/10 from the NME which praised Danilova's classically trained voice as "the deadliest weapon in her arsenal" and called the album "dark masterpiece".^[4]

Zola Jesus's third LP, Conatus was released in late September 2011 via Sacred Bones. The album's 11 tracks were produced by Brian Foote (aka Nudge: Jackie-O Motherfucker, Cloudland Canyon) and Danilova herself, including elements of cello, double bass, violin, and viola.

She provides guest vocals on New France by Orbital, from their 2012 album Wonky.

Musical style and influences[link]

According to the NME, Zola Jesus "wails like Kate Bush" on a music sometimes evoking Joy Division.^[15] For Q magazine, her "haunting vocals and swirling, electronic athmospherics are located midway between Florence Welch and Siouxsie and the Banshees."^[5] She has also been linked to Lisa Gerrard of Dead Can Dance and Elizabeth Frazer of the Cocteau Twins.^[16] Her style has been described variously as "commanded by ominous lyrics and a sultry Goth delivery,"^[9] and "noise music that scrapes and glistens in equal measure."^[7] In a Spinner interview, describing her own artistic self, she said:

I try to create songs that are really massive and intense, but at the same time remaining honest and raw. I love the feeling when you hear a song that is so overwhelming and powerful it makes your veins hurt. I'd like to write one of those songs one day. I keep the lyrics simple, no nonsense. I've always enjoyed the way old folk songs say what they need to say without becoming convoluted or ostentatious. Just words of wisdom straight from the heart of a little midwestern girl.^[9]

Reviewers praise the quality of her vocal performances. "Whether creaking or soaring, her voice transmits with a directness that easily cuts through the layers of lo-fi grime that usually surround it. You don't hear singers like this every day, or even every year," according to Pitchfork.^[7]

Danilova's been exposed to modern music through her father who listened to bands like Oingo Boingo, Dead Kennedys, Squeeze and Talking Heads.^[8] When older, she discovered The Residents and Throbbing Gristle.^[8] "I liked exploring how uncomfortable music could make you, which is how I found noise. I was terrified by the Residents when I first heard them at 13, but then I got intrigued by it and wanted to listen more," she said.^[7] "Their catalogue is one of the few of any artist where I never know what to expect with each album. [They're] constantly changing and experimenting in their art, as any great performer should. As far as a composer, I'd have to say Karlheinz Stockhausen – absolutely out of control brilliant."^[9] Answering questions about her favourite artists and composers, she was also mentioning "singers with big voices, like Diamanda Galas and Tina Turner. Divas, film scores from the '70s and '80s. Industrial and power electronics. BBC Radiophonic Workshop, opera, Philip K. Dick."^[9] Speaking to Spinner, she said: "I listen to anything that stands out. I guess something people wouldn't expect me to listen to are artists like Alicia Keys. But she is so incredibly talented. She has this huge voice and great work ethic, which I really respect in an artist. She is also very humble and gracious and devoted to her skill."^[9] Of her operatic upbringing she said:

It has probably influenced me in several ways. When recording I look at the entire album as a whole, and not just song by song. As in operas, there are arias, interludes, etc., that all weave together to create a mood and story. Singing opera has made me very self-critical and analytical; I'm a severe perfectionist due to my studies. I was taught to sing in a way that was very biological and scientific. I resented the idea of opera as a 'skill' to be mastered, so Zola Jesus was my way of using what I knew but allowing the sounds to come out of my voice however was most comfortable, regardless of correctness.^[11]

Ideas and concepts[link]

Zola Jesus performing in Vienna, 2011.

Being a philosophy student in some ways shaped both her lyrical concepts and attitude. "In high school I was really into Situationism, which is basically the idea that you can live art. Thats part of my music now, because I feel like it's not worth doing something if it's already been done. So I'm trying my best to do something that's completely novel within the parameters of it being accessible so people won't dismiss it right away", she said in an interview.^[7] "...Reading about certain philosophers changes your perspective. I was just reading this guy named Arthur Schopenhauer, who's dark as fuck. He's basically like: Kill yourself, it's not worth it. After you read his essays, you can't feel good about anything, so it's obviously going to affect my art and how I live", she added.^[7]

Serious reading played an important part in her self-education. "I probably read Dostoevsky and Nietzsche before I should have", she confessed. Danilova, much interested in philosophy, described herself as an atheist. "If there were physical evidence then maybe I would consider it. But...The Bible and all these books written by people, they are stories, compelling, yes, and they teach you about life and how to take care of people. Taking them for fact, that's really naive. They are great stories to teach moral structure, but they are just stories."^[8] When asked of her personal philosophy, she said: "I believe in not avoiding things you're afraid of. Especially really dark things."^[8]

Touring band members[link]

• Nika Roza Danilova – vocals, occasional synth
• Alex DeGroot – electronics, programming
• Nick Turco – synth
• Shane Verwey – synth
• Nick Johnson – drums
• Christiana Key – electric violin

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

• The Spoils (2009, Sacred Bones Records)
• Stridulum II (2010, Souterrain Transmissions)^[17]
• Conatus (2011, Sacred Bones Records, UK #144^[18])

EPs[link]

• Tsar Bomba (2009, Troubleman Unlimited Records)
• Stridulum (2010, Sacred Bones Records)
• Valusia (2010, Sacred Bones Records)

Splits, compilations, and collaborations[link]

• "Hold On," "Mother," "In Earth's Palm," "The Bull and the Ram," and "This Is My Last GoodBye" on Former Ghosts' – Fleurs (2009, Upset The Rhythm)
• Burial Hex/Zola Jesus – Untitled LP (2009, Aurora Borealis Records)
• New Amsterdam (2009, Sacred Bones Records)
• "Year of the Ox" with Fucked Up (2010, Merge Records)
• "Chin Up," and "Only In Time" on Former Ghosts' New Love (2010, Upset the Rhythm)
• LA Vampires/Zola Jesus – LA Vampires Meets Zola Jesus EP (2010, Not Not Fun Records)
• "Intro" on M83's Hurry Up, We're Dreaming (2011, Naïve Records)
• "New France" on Orbital - Wonky (2012)

Singles[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Zola Jesus

• Official website
• L.A. Record interview
• Too Cool To Die interview
• Jekyll and Hyde in depth audio interview
• (French) Zola Jesus, Saint-esprit libre at Brain Magazine

Jon Hopkins (born 1979) is a London-based producer and musician who writes and performs his own melodic electronica and dance music. After starting his career performing keyboard for Imogen Heap, he's produced or contributed to albums by Brian Eno, Coldplay, David Holmes, and others. Hopkins composed the soundtrack for the 2010 film Monsters,^[2][3] which was nominated for an Ivor Novello Award for Best Original Score. His third solo album, Insides, reached #15 on the Dance/Electronic Album Chart in 2009,.^[4] His collaborations on Small Craft on a Milk Sea with Brian Eno and Leo Abrahams and Diamond Mine with King Creosote both reached #82 on the UK Albums Chart.^[5][6] In 2011 Diamond Mine was nominated for a Mercury Prize, which is annually awarded for best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland.^[7]

Early life[link]

Jon Hopkins was born in 1979 in Wimbledon in the South of London, where he was raised. He first became aware of electronic music after hearing early house music on the radio at the age of seven or eight, and also became an avid fan of Depeche Mode and the Pet Shop Boys.^[8] These records inspired an early fascination with synths.^[9]

At the age of 12 Hopkins began studying piano at the Junior Department of the Royal College of Music in London, where he continued until age 17.^[10] The composers that were greatly influential to him whilst studying were Ravel and Stravinsky, and he eventually won a competition to perform a concert of Ravel's Piano Concerto in G with an orchestra.^[11] For a time Hopkins considered becoming a professional pianist, only to decide classical performance was too formal and unnerving to pursue full time.^[10]

As a teenager he also listened avidly to acid house, early hardcore, grunge,^[12] as well as electronica artists such as Acen, Seefeel, and Plaid.^[13] When Hopkins was 14 he got his first computer, an Amiga 500, and started programming midi material.^[14] By the age of 15 he had saved up enough money from winning piano competitions to buy a low-level professional Roland synth,^[9] and on this he began creating his first full-length electronic compositions.^[15]

Early career[link]

After finishing his final high school exams at age 17, Hopkins accompanied his friend Leo Abrahams to an audition for Imogen Heap's backing band. Hopkins decided to audition as well, and was hired to handle both keyboard and samples, while Abrahams was hired as guitarist.^[11][14] He toured with the new band for the entirety of 1998.^[10]

Just Music[link]

Opalescent

In 1999 Hopkins signed with boutique London label Just Music as a solo artist, and began recording his debut album Opalescent. At the time he was also working part-time as a studio session musician.^[10][15] Opalescent attracted positive press attention upon its release, and several tracks were licensed to Sex and the City.^[11]

The Guardian reviewed it as "Opalescent is a beautifully realized debut. Using synth oozes, phased and echoed guitars and pianos and chilled beats, his wonderful tunes drift from calm to eerie power like a restless sea. It will delight any lovers of beautiful music." DJ Magazine gave it 4/5 stars, and stated "Piano, guitar strings and slow beats blend like the clouds at sunset (or an opiate smoothy) filtering in and out like elegantly wasted beauty. Darker drums add a further depth."^[16]

Contact Note

Hopkins released his second album, Contact Note, on Just Music in 2004 while still working as a studio musician. The album slowly gained an underground following but failed to take off, and led Hopkins to become disillusioned with his solo career, and take a break from writing in order to learn how to become a producer.^[11]

Brian Eno[link]

By 2004 Leo Abrahams, a friend of Hopkins and former guitarist for Imogen Heap, had been collaborating for some time with ambient musician and producer Brian Eno. Abrahams played some of Hopkins' second record for Eno, and Eno invited him to join them for a jam session. On the first day of their collaboration they came up with some of the music for Eno's upcoming album Another Day on Earth,^[10] and Hopkins became a long-term collaborator.^[13][15]

Shortly afterwards Hopkins also produced King Creosote's album Bombshell, which initiated his relationship with the Fence Collective. He also co-wrote tracks with DJ and composer David Holmes for Holmes' Holy Pictures album, and remixed for James Yorkston.^[13]

Coldplay[link]

Production

In early 2007 Hopkins was invited by Brian Eno, who was producing Coldplay's upcoming album Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, to join the band in the studio for a day.^[17] Hopkins ended up staying and contributing to the album for the next year, co-producing^[15] several tracks and playing organs, harmoniums, and other keyboard instruments on others. The intro to the track "Violet Hill" came from an improvisation with Hopkins and Davide Rossi, the album's string arranger. Throughout this time period Hopkins was periodically creating his own solo tracks, and his song "Light Through the Veins" was adapted to serve as the introduction to the album's first track "Life In Technicolor." "Light Through the Veins" was also picked by the band to serve as the backing for the track "The Escapist", which is hidden at the end of the album.^[17] Viva la Vida was released in 2008, and won Best Rock Album at the 2009 Grammy Awards and became the best selling album of 2008. Various people working upon the band's next album, Mylo Xyloto, have also mentioned that he is involved with the songwriting of the album.

Touring

After the album release Coldplay asked Hopkins to serve as the pre-show DJ and opening act for their 2008 World Tour.^[1][13] Hopkins toured with the band for six months through England, the United States, and Japan.^[18] He performed at venues as varied as Madison Square Garden^[14] and the London O2 Arena,^[17] often to crowds as large as 20,000 people.^[14]

Later career[link]

Hopkins also has co-writing or producing credits on albums by artists such as^[15] David Holmes^[1] and Dan Arborise.^[17] He is also known for remixing a variety of artists, including Wild Beasts, Nosaj Thing, Imogen Heap, Four Tet,^[13] and James Yorkston.^[13] He was also one of the few producers chosen by Radio 1's Rob Da Bank to remix film director David Lynch's first electronica release, "Good Day Today" / "I Know", which was released on Sunday Best Records.

In 2008 Hopkins was commissioned by choreographer Wayne McGregor to compose music for Entity, a production of McGregor's "Random Dance" group. Entity was performed live at Sadler's Wells in April 2008 to critical acclaim. A world tour followed throughout 2008 and 2009.^[13]

[edit] Insides (2009)

Hopkins signed to Domino Records in late 2008.^[6] Hopkins's third album, Insides, was released by Domino Records on May 5, 2009.^[1] It included the track "Light Through the Veins", which had previously been used on the Coldplay album. Some of the tracks had been written by Hopkins sporadically since his last release, while others were based on the music he had composed for the Entity production.^[13]

Hopkins developed an intense live show to support the release, resulting in club and festival performances across Europe and the United States. He secured supporting slots with The xx, Röyksopp, and Four Tet.^[13] Many of his live shows utilized background visuals featuring the animations of Vince Collins.^[10]

Reception

Insides charted at #15 on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart.^[4][13] PopMatters listed the album as one of the top ten electronic albums of 2009.^[9]

According to reviews, the album "takes its cues from ambient electronica, but uses strings and piano, along with some very tasty beats and dubstep-influenced bass on some tracks."^[10] TinyMixTapes stated the album "strikes me as his single most aggressive release yet. His sense of timing, the clarity of his production, and the variety of effects he employs draw you into the story that each instrumental tells. Jon Hopkins is not a button-pushing man of presets; he is a bona fide composer and a trained pianist. Craftsmanship sets him apart, and allows Insides to be as incredibly moving as it is and always will be. It will easily be one of the best electronic albums of 2009."^[1]

Paul Clarke of the BBC wrote that "Hopkins [is] capable of producing music as epic, soaring and emotional as any power ballad in his own way. Take "Light Through The Veins" for example...a close relative of Ulrich Schnauss' "In All The Wrong Places", it's a majestic piece of widescreen shoegazing which grows ever more expansive throughout its entire ten minute duration...no amount of reflected glory could ever fully illuminate Insides' mysterious depths."^[19]

Pure Scenius[link]

In June 2009 Hopkins was invited by Brian Eno to play some solo shows at the Luminous Festival at the Sydney Opera House. A few weeks prior to leaving, Brian Eno asked Hopkins to join with himself, Underworld's Karl Hyde, Leo Abrahams, and the Sydney-based improv trio The Necks in the group "Just Scenius", the planned finale for the Luminous Festival.^[13] They then improvised music based on pre-planned themes, putting on three 1.5 hour shows in the Opera House with Hyde on vocals. Pure Scenius was repeated a year later in Brighton, when Eno was curating the Brighton Festival.^[14]

Also in 2009, Hopkins collaborated with Tunng on the EP Seven Gulps of Air, which was commissioned by designer Christopher Kelly for London Fashion Week.^[13] Seven Gulps of Air was listed as one of Drowned in Sound's singles of the year.^[20]

Film scores[link]

In 2009 Hopkins collaborated with Brian Eno and Leo Abrahams to score the Peter Jackson film The Lovely Bones.^[13] In early 2010 Hopkins composed the score for the short film Rob and Valentyna in Scotland directed by Eric Lynne, which won an honorable mention for the short film-making award at Sundance.^[21]

In 2010 Hopkins was commissioned to create the soundtrack for the British science fiction film Monsters, which was directed by Gareth Edwards.^[2] To create the score, Hopkins partly utilized string parts performed by arranger Davide Rossi and guitar by Leo Abrahams.^[22] The soundtrack album was released on November 29, 2010 on Domino Records.^[3] In 2011 the score was nominated for an Ivor Novello Award for Best Original Score.^[22]

Collaborations[link]

Small Craft on a Milk Sea (2010)

In 2010 Hopkins collaborated with Leo Abrahams and Brian Eno to create the album Small Craft on a Milk Sea. Released on Warp Records in late 2010,^[13] the album is based on a three-week session of improvisation wherein the artists recorded about six hours of material a day.^[9]

Diamond Mine (2011)

In 2011 Hopkins collaborated with Scottish musician King Creosote to create the album Diamond Mine, which featured lyrics and vocals by Creosote sung over musical backdrops arranged and recorded by Hopkins. The album was a culmination of about seven weeks of work spread over seven years of recording and collaboration,^[8] from whenever the two artists had the opportunity to get together. The album was released on March 28, 2011^[6] to positive acclaim,^[23] which included a glowing review from NPR. On July 19, 2011, Hopkins and Anderson were announced as nominees for the 2011 Barclaycard Mercury Prize, which is annually awarded for best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland.^[7]

Live performances[link]

Since 2009 Hopkins has performed shows at music festivals such as Moogfest,^[9] Mutek in Montreal,^[18] and Electric Zoo in New York,^[14][18][24] as well as several performances at influential LA/San Francisco club night Low End Theory. In 2008 and 2009 he supported Coldplay at venues including Madison Square Garden^[14] and the London O2 Arena,^[17] to crowds as large as 20,000 people.^[14][17] Between 2009 and 2011 he also toured with acts such as Four Tet, The xx, and Röyksopp.^[10][13]

Style[link]

According to reviews, "Hopkins's aesthetic is perpetually intriguing. He transcends genres, melding digital coldness with subtle, bucolic textures; veering from skewed elegance to strange, unsettling depths."^[12] "He makes powerfully emotive, instrumental music that consistently crosses genres, ranging from solo acoustic piano to explosive, bass-heavy electro."^[13] Also, he "meticulously constructs lush, downtempo arrangements, blending digital beats and soothing ambience."^[15]

Equipment[link]

As of September 2010 his studio setup relies on a Logic system,^[24] though all his previous releases were on Cubase VST, used in conjunction with an old version of SoundForge.^[11] He began using Logic when it became clear that his old system was not powerful enough to handle video for film soundtracks.^[24]

Discography[link]

Studio albums

EPs

Singles

Collaborative albums

Musical contributions

• 2005: Another Day on Earth by Brian Eno - keyboards
• 2006: Around in Circles by Dan Arborise - production, mixing
• 2006: De-Fence 10x10:02 EP
• 2007: Bombshell by King Creosote - production, mixing
• 2008: Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends by Coldplay - co-production, co-writing, keyboards
• 2008: The Holy Pictures by David Holmes

Compilations

• 2006: "Wire" on Electric Fence
• 2011: "Abandon Window" on For Nihon

Remixes

• 2002: "Breathe In" by Frou Frou
• 2003: "Deepest Blue" by Deepest Blue
• 2004: "Evergreen" by Clarkesville
• 2005: "Vice-Like Gist of It" by King Creosote
• 2006: "Spider" by Leo Abrahams (2006)
• 2007: "Woozy With Cider" by James Yorkston
• 2007: "Green Grows the Laurel" by The Memory Band
• 2009: "First Train Home" by Imogen Heap
• 2009: "Hey, Who Really Cares" by Headless Heroes (ft. Alela Diane)
• 2010: "Two Dancers" by Wild Beasts
• 2010: "Angel Echoes" by Four Tet
• 2010: "Us" by Nosaj Thing
• 2011: "I Know" by David Lynch
• 2011: "Panta Rei" by Agoria

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• "Jon Hopkins interview by Peter Hollo". Cyclic Defrost. May 31, 2009. http://www.cyclicdefrost.com/blog/2009/05/31/jon-hopkins-qa/. 
• "Jon Hopkins Interview". JustQualityMusic. May 19, 2010. http://www.justqualitymusic.com/?p=2489. 
• "Interview: Jon Hopkins Talks Live, Studio Process, Habit, Instinct". Created Digital Music. September 2, 2010. http://createdigitalmusic.com/2010/09/interview-jon-hopkins-talks-live-studio-process-habit-instinct/. 
• "Classically Trained Electro Master: An Interview with Jon Hopkins". Pop Matters. November 23, 2010. http://www.popmatters.com/pm/post/133846-jon-hopkins/. 
• Jon Hopkins live in Berlin at CTM festival. 2009.

External links[link]

• Official website
• Jon Hopkins on Domino Records
• Jon Hopkins on MySpace
• Jon Hopkins on Twitter
• Jon Hopkins on Facebook
• Jon Hopkins on Last.fm
• Jon Hopkins on iTunes
• Jon Hopkins on CD Universe

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (March 2007)

Kieran Hebden
Hebden performs at the Grog Shop in Cleveland, Ohio
Background information
Also known as	Four Tet
Origin	United Kingdom
Genres	Electronic Folktronica IDM Jazz Post-dubstep Post-rock
Instruments	Piano, drums, guitar, harpsichord, horn, synthesizer
Years active	1998–present
Labels	Output Recordings Domino Records
Associated acts	Fridge, Steve Reid, Burial, Thom Yorke
Website	http://www.fourtet.net/

Kieran Hebden (born 1978, Putney, London) is a post-rock and electronic musician. Hebden first came to prominence as a member of the band Fridge before establishing himself as a solo artist under the moniker of Four Tet.

Hebden's music typically eschews the traditional pop song format in favour of a more abstract approach—his sound and melodies incorporate elements of hip hop, electronica, techno, jazz, and folk music with live instrumentation.

Alongside recording his own material, Hebden has also performed remixes for a number of artists including Aphex Twin, Anti-Pop Consortium, Bonobo, Beth Orton, Born Ruffians, Explosions in the Sky, Super Furry Animals, Radiohead, Manic Street Preachers, Matthew Dear, Sia, Nathan Fake, Bloc Party, Andrew Bird, Kings of Convenience, Battles, Juana Molina, Madvillain, The xx, Foals, and Black Sabbath, as well as producing two albums by psychedelic improvisational group Sunburned Hand of the Man. Hebden's recent output includes a number of improvisational works with the late jazz drummer Steve Reid and collaborations with both Burial and Thom Yorke.

History[link]

Kieran Hebden was born in London to a South African-born Indian mother and a sociology lecturer father.^[1] He attended Elliott School in Putney,^[1] where he formed the band Fridge with classmates Adem Ilhan and Sam Jeffers. The band signed a recording contract when Hebden was 15,^[1] and released their first album in March 1997.

Hebden began releasing material as Four Tet in 1998 with the 36 minute, 25 second single Thirtysixtwentyfive on Trevor Jackson's Output Recordings label. Later that year, he released a second single, the jazz-influenced "Misnomer". 1999's Dialogue, again on Output, was Four Tet's first full-length album release and fused hip hop drum lines with dissonant jazz samples. This was followed by the double A-side single "Glasshead"/"Calamine", which was to be Four Tet's last release on Output.

In late 1999, Warp Records released Warp 10 + 3: Remixes, a tenth-anniversary compilation of remixes of Warp tracks; Hebden contributed a remix of the opening track of Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works Volume II. This relatively high-profile exposure attracted new interest in Four Tet from fans of electronica and intelligent dance music, genres in which the Warp brand has a preeminent status.^{[citation needed]}

In 2001, Four Tet's second album Pause was released on Domino Records and found Hebden using more folk and electronic samples, which was quickly dubbed "folktronica" by the media and press^{[citation needed]} in an attempt to label the style (often also applied to artists such as Isan and Gravenhurst). Rounds was released in May 2003. Three singles were released from the album: "She Moves She", "As Serious as Your Life", and "My Angel Rocks Back and Forth". This last single was released as an EP featuring remixes by electronica duo Icarus and Isambard Khroustaliov along with additional Four Tet tracks "I've Got Viking in Me" and "All the Chimers". An accompanying DVD featured all of Four Tet's videos to date. In addition, the closing track "Slow Jam" was featured in a U.S. Nike commercial in 2001 and 2002; Hebden edited the track on the back of the bus with his laptop while on a tour with Fridge.^{[citation needed]}

At the beginning of 2003, Four Tet opened for Radiohead on their European tour. A remix of the song "Scatterbrain" from Radiohead's sixth studio album Hail to the Thief was released in November 2003 as a B-side to the single "2 + 2 = 5" and later included on their 2004 EP COM LAG (2plus2isfive). Furthermore, Hebden was among the people thanked by Radiohead in the booklet accompanying their 2007 In Rainbows "discbox" release.

A live album named Live in Copenhagen 30th March 2004 was released in April 2004 as a limited edition, available exclusively from the Domino Records website.

In March and April 2005, Four Tet performed two shows of improvisational music, in collaboration with jazz drummer Steve Reid, in Paris and London. He also appears on Steve Reid Ensemble 2005 album Spirit Walk. This collaboration was extended into a series of international tours, and the release of two albums, The Exchange Session Vol. 1 and The Exchange Session Vol. 2 over the course of 2005 and 2006.

His fourth studio album Everything Ecstatic was released on Domino on 23 May 2005. The video for the lead single, "Smile Around the Face", features actor Mark Heap. On 7 November 2005, Domino released a DVD version of Everything Ecstatic featuring video clips for each track of the album plus a CD with new material, titled Everything Ecstatic Part 2, which was later made available as an individual EP.

Hebden has also remixed, under the Four Tet name, tracks by a wide range of artists including Tegan And Sara, Madvillain, Andrew Bird, Bloc Party, Super Furry Animals, Beth Orton, Badly Drawn Boy, CYNE, The Notwist, Boom Bip, Battles, Kings of Convenience, Lars Horntveth, Bonobo, Rothko, The xx, Thom Yorke and Radiohead. On 25 September 2006, Domino Records released Remixes, a two-disc compilation of Four Tet remixes. The first disc contains twelve Four Tet remixes selected by Hebden, with the second disc comprising every official remix to date (both by Hebden himself and by other artists) of Four Tet tracks, many of which had previously been available on vinyl only.^[2] A new EP, Ringer, was released on 21 April 2008.

In 2008, Hebden collaborated with composer David Arnold to write "Crawl, End Crawl", the song used for the end credits of the film Quantum of Solace.^[3]

In 2009, Hebden worked on a secret collaboration with Burial. The two track 12" was released with a plain black cover with no liner notes or details contained on the vinyl, other than the artists' names and the track titles: "Moth" and "Wolf Cub".

In November 2009, details of the fifth full-length Four Tet album were released. Heavily influenced by a stint DJing at the Plastic People club in Shoreditch^[4] and entitled There Is Love in You, it was released on 25 January 2010.^[5] The album was preceded by a limited edition release of the 12" single "Love Cry".

In 2011, Hebden released a split 12" with Burial and Thom Yorke, entitled "Ego/Mirror". He has been chosen by Caribou to perform at the ATP Nightmare Before Christmas festival that they co-curate in December 2011 in Minehead, England.^[6]

Selected discography[link]

Albums (as Four Tet)[link]

• Dialogue (Output Recordings, May 1999)
• Pause (Domino Records, 28 May 2001)
• Rounds (Domino Records, 5 May 2003) - UK #60^[7]
• Everything Ecstatic (Domino Records, 23 May 2005) - UK #59^[7]
• Remixes (Domino Records, 25 September 2006)
• Ringer (Domino Records, 21 April 2008)
• There Is Love in You (Domino Records, 25 January 2010) - #35 UK, #157 US

Mix albums[link]

• Late Night Tales: Four Tet (Azuli Records, 4 October 2004) (DJ mix album compiled by Hebden)
• DJ-Kicks: Four Tet (Studio !K7, 26 June 2006) (mix album in the DJ-Kicks series)
• FabricLive.59 (Fabric Records, September 2011) (mix album in the Fabric discography series)

Albums (as Kieran Hebden)[link]

• The Exchange Session Vol. 1 (with Steve Reid; Domino Records, 27 February 2006)
• The Exchange Session Vol. 2 (with Steve Reid; Domino Records, 22 May 2006)
• Tongues (with Steve Reid; Domino Records, 19 March 2007)
• NYC (with Steve Reid; Domino Records, 4 November 2008)

References[link]