Aidan O'Rourke (Lau and Kan) new album 'Hotline' 
PRE ORDER NOW FROM REVEAL-STORE.COM
RELEASED JULY 1st 2013
All music written and arranged by Aidan O'Rourke 
As played by: 
Aidan O'Rourke - Fiddle/Loops
Phil Bancroft - Sax
Paul Harrison - Piano/Synths
Catriona McKay - Harp
Martin O'Neill - Bodhran/Percussion

TAT-1

Early music of Ireland, Scotland, Norway and Sweden

Traditional Irish, contemporary/ambient folk fiddle player, composer and producer.
I feature on all my reposted tracks.

I am an artist / musician / programer working in the west midlands, I am currently signed to US labels http://n5md.com/ and http://enpeg.com/ and have release work on UK labels http://hibernate-recs.co.uk/ and http://www.audiobulb.com/ and member of the Modulate AV collective http://www.modulate.org.uk

My work has a strong interest in systems and generative processes in art and music - I have developed a number of software applications which allow me to work with these processes in a live performance environment. I usually work from heavily processed samples of live instruments and field recordings - Although there is a strong systems based element in my work, I tend to work though a process of improvisation with the samples in real time to generate the work. I aim to create immersive work which gradually develops over time and creates a sense of space and place,and generates a strong emotional response in the listener. 

I'm always into opportunities to play live - feel free to contact me about bookings

Alex Maxwell, a Dumfries indie folk singer-songwriter or 'The Tallest singer-songwriter in Scotland' - Jim Gellatly (2017)

Dedicated to creating, discovering and mixing music which is experimental, independent and new.  Inspired by Late Junction, Unclassified, Music Planet...

AIDAN O'ROURKE

Aidan O’Rourke is a fiddler, composer, producer and curator. With his trio Lau, in multiple solo projects and in collaborations, he has pioneered a new sound in folk music and redefined traditional forms.

His roots are in Scottish and Irish folk music. He grew up in an Irish family in Argyll and studied fiddle in the West Highland tradition. By 14 he was touring with The Caledonia Ramblers; in 1998 he joined Blazin’ Fiddles; in 2010 he formed the quartet Kan with whistle player Brian Finnegan; in 2016 he formed a duo with the jazz pianist Kit Downes; in 2017 he joined the legendary Donal Lunny's new collective The Atlantic Arc Orchestra.

Lau came together in 2006 and their debut album set a precedent for new politically-charged folk music that expands the form and experiments with sound while staying rooted in tradition. Four further studio albums followed, plus a couple of live albums and a 2017 retrospective charting the band’s first decade. Lau collaborators include Karine Polwart, Fred Frith, Anais Mitchell, Joan as Police Woman, John Parish, Adem, Jack Bruce, Trilok Gurtu, Brian Irvine and the Royal Northern Sinfonia. The band have made multiple tours of the US and Japan and won Best Group at the BBC 2 Folk Awards an unprecedented four times.

As a solo artist, Aidan is always looking for new ways to articulate the tradition. He has released four solo albums – Sirius (2006), An Tobar (2008), Hotline (2013) and 365: Vol 1 (2018) – as well as the experimental EPs Music For Exhibition and Film (2015) and Imprint (2016). He was named Musician of the Year at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2014.

As a composer, Aidan threads his heritage into diverse settings. He is a three-time winner of the PRSF New Music Biennial commission at the Southbank Centre; other commissioners include the Scottish Ensemble, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Sage Gateshead, Celtic Connections, the Tolbooth in Stirling, An Tobar, Cottier Chamber Project and Capella Nova. In 2017 he wrote the official music for the opening of the Queensferry Crossing.

As a curator, Aidan has co-directed multiple editions of the Lau-Land festival featuring eclectic lineups, one-off collaborations and workshops. Other curations include Lucky Middlemass’s Tavern, recreating a hub of Edinburgh enlightenment music and debate.

As a teacher, Aidan is a regular tutor at Newcastle University and University of Limerick, and holds fiddle classes as part of Lau-Land.

As a producer, Aidan's interests are in stripping back to bare elements and appreciating the real qualities of instruments and voices – letting the nuances of the tune be at the forefront. In 2018 he produced Brighde Chaimbeul's debut album The Reeling.

His latest project is the immense tune-cycle 365. Aidan wrote a tune every day for a year in response to a short story collection by James Robertson. The result is a major new body of 365 tunes – a significant addition to the Scottish traditional music canon. Aidan’s fiddle tunes are sparse and emotive; his playing is renowned for its lyricism, here paired with bold harmonies from Kit Downes on harmonium and piano, guitarist Sorren Maclean and harpist Esther Swift. 365: Vol 1 was released in May 2018. 365: Volume 2 will be released in August 2019.

“Few contemporary musicians in any category can match either his artistic ambitions or his achievements in bringing them to fruition” (The Scotsman)

“O’Rourke’s music – both his writing and playing – is unfailingly strong and imaginative” (The List)

“Lau are a remarkable band - exquisite and hypnotic, musicianship at its best” (The Guardian)

TAT-1

AidanO'Rourke