Leafcutter John

Leafcutter John is the recording name of John Burton, a UK-based musician and artist. He makes frequent use of Max/MSP in his compositions. Much of Burton's style is based in computer music and use of samples of everyday sounds. However, he also has roots as a folk musician, and this influence is apparent in his more recent work.

Leafcutter John

Career

After graduating in Fine Art Painting at Norwich School of Art (1996–1998), Burton moved to London and after a year pursuing a career as a performance artist, began to concentrate on his musical work. He soon secured interest from Mike Paradinas, owner of independent electronics label Planet Mu. Paradinas encouraged Burton to develop his electro-acoustic folk hybrid and his first full-length release, Concourse EEP, was released in early 2000. His album, The Housebound Spirit, was a response to being mugged outside his London studio. The album deals with themes of increasing alienation and agoraphobia.

His fourth album The Forest and the Sea was nominated for Best Album at the Qwartz Electronic Music Awards 2007 and was described by comedian James Acaster as "a criminally overlooked record".[1]

In 2019, Burton released his seventh album Yes! Come Parade With Us on James Holden’s label Border Community, featuring modular synth and field recordings from the Norfolk Coast Path.

Burton was a full-time member of the contemporary British jazz pioneers and Mercury Music Prize nominees Polar Bear,[2] founded by drummer Seb Rochford.

He has performed with Imogen Heap,[3] Shabaka Hutchings,[4] Serafina Steer,[5] Laura Jurd[6] and Talvin Singh,[7] supported Matmos[8] and Otomo Yoshihide, and been in Beck's band[9] at the Barbican, London. In 2007, he performed at Jarvis Cocker’s Meltdown Festival.[10] He played alongside jazz pianist Michael Wollny at the opening night of the Bauhaus 100 festival[11] in January 2019. In autumn/winter 2019, he supported The Comet Is Coming on their UK tour.[12]

Leafcutter John is also an accomplished producer and remixer, having worked on projects for: DJ /rupture, Ed Dowie,[13] Melt Yourself Down, Mu-ziq/Speedy J, Electric Company, Badly Drawn Boy, Capitol K, Bas Jan and others.

He lives in Sheffield, South Yorkshire.[14]

Projects

Leafcutter John has engaged in several projects, both commissioned and DIY. Examples include installing microphones under a creaky wooden floor to record and manipulate the sounds in a software program, growing and constructing piezoelectric crystal microphones, touring the Grand Union Canal,[15] building a laser "microphone" and creating a massive morse code chorus for BBC Radio 3.

He has also worked on theatre, dance and poetry projects, including commissions from the Handspring Puppet Company, and choreographers Wayne McGregor and Shobana Jeyasingh.

Burton is a prodigious instrument builder and uses a self-built light-controlled musical interface at his shows.[16] He won the Qwartz Electronic Music Award for Innovation in 2015. In 2017, he was a recipient of an artists award from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.[17]

Discography
  • The Sky Is Darker Than the Road (1998)
  • Concourse EEP (2000) Planet Mu (ZIQ017) 12" and CD
  • Microcontact (2001) Planet Mu (ZIQ022) CD
  • Zeagma (2001) Planet Mu (ZIQ036) 7"
  • The Housebound Spirit (2003) Planet Mu (ZIQ061) CD
  • The Forest and the Sea (2006) Staubgold Records (Staubgold 68) CD/LP
  • Tunis (2010) Tsuku Boshi CD
  • Resurrection (2015) Desire Path Recordings (PATHWAY009) 12"/Digital
  • Yes! Come Parade With Us (2019) Border Community (52BC) CD/LP[18]

References
  1. Forever, James Acaster (8 March 2019). "The Forest & The Sea by Leafcutter John is a criminally overlooked record. A concept album about getting lost, full of electronic experimentation, rooted in sad folk music.pic.twitter.com/fvVUngM1jP". Twitter.com. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  2. "Polar Bear Q&A - 2014 Mercury Prize". YouTube. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  3. Leafcutter John live at Imogen Heap's Reverb, archived from the original on 12 December 2021, retrieved 2 August 2019
  4. "BBC - Radio 3 Live In Concert - Media Centre". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  5. "Pulsar light controlled music with Serafina Steer's Harp". YouTube. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  6. "FEATURE: Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music | NARC. | Reliably Informed | Music and Creative Arts News for Newcastle and the North East". Narcmagazine.com. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  7. Welt, Haus der Kulturen der (7 July 2016). "Shruti Sonic feat. Talvin Singh". Hkw.de. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  8. "Somnambule ~ Review of The Owl Project / Dick Slessig Combo / Matmos / Leafcutter John in concert". Eleventhvolume.com. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  9. "Beck - Live At Barbican, London". Clash Magazine. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  10. "Jarvis Cocker's Meltdown – Forest Of No Return 17/06/07". Music Like Dirt. 27 June 2007. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  11. "BAU.HAUS.KLANG". Bauhaus100.com. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  12. "Yorkshire Post review". The Comet is Coming. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  13. "The Quietus | Features | A Quietus Interview | I Am What I Am: Ed Dowie Interviewed". The Quietus. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  14. "Leafcutter John → Our Favourite Places – Sheffield Culture Guide". Our Favourite Places – Sheffield Culture Guide. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  15. Hodgkinson, Will (27 August 2009). "Canal Music takes the scenic route". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  16. "THE LIGHT COMPOSER | HACKING A LIGHT INTERFACE TO PRODUCE LIVE MUSIC". YouTube. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  17. "Leafcutter John". Paul Hamlyn Foundation. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  18. "Leafcutter John - Yes Come Parade With Us review". The Quietus. 9 May 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
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