Astronaut

Four years on from his explorative third full-length 'Aquamarine', Ash Walker returns wth an equally ambitiosu follow-up, set for release via Night Time Stories on 30 June. Alongside a plethora of award-winning collaborators and combining a dizzying array of sounds, 'Astronaut' hears Walker push his astral shower of rhythm and vibes to new heights. If 'Aquamarine' was the take-off of his audial spaceship, 'Astrnoaut' is the sosmic voyage reaching terminal velocity; a rocket-powered masterclass spanning jazz, blues, soul, funk and reggae. An avid record collector, Walker has DJed far and wide from the infamous Royal Mail squat partiy to the canals of Venice, spinning vinyl in Brixton with The Specials to scattering dub across San Francisco and LA. His own production output is similarly explorative: his journeys have taken him far and wide, from tunnels under the river Thames to recording local percussionists in the Atlas mountains of Moroco. Inspired by a deep dive of sounds from artists including Duke Ellington, Quincy Jones, King Tubby, Bo Diddley, 4Hero, J Dilla, Peter Rock, Curtis Mayfield, Philip Glass and Steve Reich; Walker has gained attention from the likes of Gilles PEterson, Don Letts, Dummy, KCRW and NPR.