James Heather

Additional information

As part of the Metronome piano sessions. The contemporary classical pianist signed to Ninja Tune, inspired by Beethoven, Debussy and his neighbour’s Acid House pirate radio show.
"A masterful set of contemporary piano pieces. The sound Heather makes is captivating." Electronic Sound
“Capable of supreme tenderness and yet, tonally, hugely powerful.” Mixmag
“Incredibly emotive pieces. A tender, touching album.” Loud and Quiet (Albums of the Month)
“Masterful contemporary piano.” Dummy
“This classical masterwork seems like it has simply come out of nowhere.” Bandcamp (Albums of the Week)

As a child Heather’s Grandad taught him composition and how to manipulate the tuning of piano strings. Inspired by Beethoven, Debussy and his neighbour’s Acid House pirate radio show, composing on piano became his passion. After a near death experience, he had the energy to step out as an artist.

His art takes as much from electronic music in sensibility and post-rock in its exploration of meditative builds as it does its classical and jazz grounding.

In 2022 Heather releases his second album, “Invisible Forces”. The album is about becoming aware of invisible forces around us to help deepen understanding of self and our connection to the world. The tracks (alongside 2021’s “Modulations: EP2”) were this time honed on the road, playing shows such as Green Man, Glastonbury, Berlin Planetarium and many more across Europe.

His approach, that he dubs ‘Pulse Music’, finds him playing freely, with no metronome or notation but instead his instinct deciding where things go. In 2021 he released a new version of 'And She Came Home' with added strings for Coldcut's ambient '@0 compilation' in aid of CALM, Mind, and Black Minds Matter, with the song being promoted as a double-single alongside Ryuichi Sakamoto.

Heather first released via Ahead Of Our Time in 2017, Ninja Tune founders Coldcut’s label with “Modulations: EP1”, followed by his well received album “Stories From Far Away On Piano”. In 2018 he was remixed by DJ Seinfeld, Mary Lattimore, Sarah Davachi and Echo Collective for his “Reworks” album.

Supporters include Cillian Murphy, Nils Frahm, Emika, Flying Lotus' Brainfeeder label and The Cinematic Orchestra, who asked him to rework them in 2020.