Jon Hopkins is a London-based electronic composer, producer and
remixer. He makes powerfully emotive, instrumental music that
consistently crosses genres, ranging from solo acoustic piano to
explosive, bass-heavy electro. A long-term collaborator of Brian Eno,
his career has remained unpredictable, taking in collaborations with
Wayne MacGregor, King Creosote and David Holmes; remixes for such
varied artists as Wild Beasts, Nosaj Thing, James Yorkston and Four
Tet; and film scores for directors including Peter Jackson and Gareth
Edwards. His hyper-energetic live show has been seen at some of the
world's most iconic venues, including Sydney Opera House with Brian
Eno, Madison Square Garden opening for Coldplay, and innumerable clubs,
festivals and concert halls the world over. Read More...
Jon Hopkins is a London-based electronic composer, producer and
remixer. He makes powerfully emotive, instrumental music that
consistently crosses genres, ranging from solo acoustic piano to
explosive, bass-heavy electro. A long-term collaborator of Brian Eno,
his career has remained unpredictable, taking in collaborations with
Wayne MacGregor, King Creosote and David Holmes; remixes for such
varied artists as Wild Beasts, Nosaj Thing, James Yorkston and Four
Tet; and film scores for directors including Peter Jackson and Gareth
Edwards. His hyper-energetic live show has been seen at some of the
world’s most iconic venues, including Sydney Opera House with Brian
Eno, Madison Square Garden opening for Coldplay, and innumerable clubs,
festivals and concert halls the world over.
A childhood musical prodigy, he studied classical piano at the Royal
College of Music from the age of 12. Exposure to the melodic side of
electronica and rave via such artists as Acen, Seefeel and Plaid proved
eye-opening, and aged 17 he decided to concentrate on exploring more
contemporary sounds. He was hired to play keyboards and samplers for
Imogen Heap, then after a year of touring, began to write solo music.
His first two albums on Just Music, 2001’s Opalescent and 2004’s
Contact Note, gained him critical recognition and a small but loyal
following.
After an introduction from guitarist and friend Leo Abrahams, he
started working with Brian Eno on his Another Day On Earth album.
Continuing this break from solo work, he produced King Creosote’s
Bombshell, starting a working relationship with the Fence Collective
that continues to this day. He also co-wrote tracks with David Holmes
for his Holy Pictures album, remixed for James Yorkston and released
further Fence collaborations. In 2007 he was introduced to Coldplay by
Eno, which led to an additional production credit on Viva La Vida,
opening slots for the band on tour, and the inclusion of his track
Light Through The Veins as both intro and outro for the album.
In 2008 he was commissioned by choreographer Wayne McGregor to
compose the score for Entity, a contemporary dance production that
premiered at Sadler’s Wells to widespread critical acclaim. This music
formed the basis for his third solo album, and his first for Domino,
Insides.
Insides had a far greater impact. He developed an intensely dynamic
live show to bring the album to life, which resulted in club and
festival shows all over Europe and America. In 2009, supporting slots
with The xx, Royksopp and Four Tet helped the album gain further
momentum, and it reached no.2 in the electronic charts on US iTunes.
After finding his feet in the live arena he joined Eno, Abrahams, The
Necks and Underworld’s Karl Hyde for the ‘Pure Scenius’ series of
improvised concerts, at Sydney Opera House. At the same time he
collaborated with Tunng on the EP Seven Gulps of Air, a commission from
designer Christopher Kelly that was presented at London Fashion Week.
He worked with Eno again on the Lovely Bones soundtrack, a project
which led to his first solo score – 2010’s Monsters. A haunting indie
sci-fi road trip by first-time director Gareth Edwards, Hopkins’
electro-acoustic score is built around processed string performances by
legendary arranger Davide Rossi. 2010 also saw him release remixes of
tracks by Wild Beasts, Nosaj Thing, Imogen Heap and Four Tet, the
latter returning the favour on Hopkins’ latest 12-inch, Vessel, which
was backed by a Nathan Fake remix of Wire.
Hopkins, Abrahams and Eno teamed up most recently for Eno’s Warp
Records debut, Small Craft On A Milk Sea, an album of fifteen dark and
dreamlike instrumentals born out of a two-week period of improvisation.
Released in November 2010, the album has already been hailed as one of
Eno’s finest collaborations.
He is currently working on a new solo electronic album, to be released
on Domino in 2011.