Joe Acheson of Hidden Orchestra Projects says he often picks up ingredients for his albums during night walks
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The Hidden Orchestra Project, led by Edinburgh-based multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer Joe Acheson, will be performing at the Bacardi NH7 Weekender’s Pune edition. We catch up with the artiste to know more about his music and what makes him stand out as an EDM artiste. Excerpts:
Q. Your music is electronica, with a blend of acoustics, natural sounds, jazz and classical music. How do you create this sound?
A. I write all the music myself in my studio. My music is a combination of field recordings, which I make when traveling and often while walking at night. I write little short pieces to record in a particular style — a small string piece which I might record in a church, or drums recorded in a vintage style in an old hall — which I then use as sources for sampling. I take all of these different recordings and pick out little fragments and use them to build my music in the studio. Often, I start with layers of drums and then add bits of bass and maybe, some orchestral textures, until I start to feel where the piece is going.
Q. How has Edinburgh influenced your music?
A. The traditional folk music scene in Scotland is incredible, and I have been introduced to many amazing musicians. During the early days, there were very few people doing similar things in Scotland, so it was easier to get good gigs and support slots. At the same time, this allowed me to develop my own style independently.
Q. What is your recent album, Reorchestrations, about?
A. Since 2010, I have been releasing annual mixtapes where I pick some of my favourite pieces of music and rework on them. Instead of remixing, I play these tracks out in full, and add layers of percussion, beats, instruments and basslines, to expand the texture and flesh out arrangements. I have used the same technique in my new album.
Q. What else can a listener look forward to?
A. I am working on a diverse bunch of projects, including an interesting commission from The National Trust and The British Library. For this, I am making music entirely created from sounds I recorded on the coast at the most southerly point of the UK, in Cornwall.
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