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{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox musical artist
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Leo Abrahams
| name = Leo Abrahams
| image = LeoAbrahamsLondon0710.jpg
| image = LeoAbrahamsLondon0710.jpg
| alt =
| alt =
| caption =
| caption = Abrahams in his London studio in 2010
| image_size =
| image_size =
| birth_date =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1977|11|28|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[London borough of Camden|Camden]], London
| death_date =
| origin =
| origin =
| instrument = Piano, guitar, [[guitaret]], bass, [[omnichord]], [[guitorgan]], [[lute]], [[hurdy-gurdy]]
| instrument = {{hlist|Guitar|keyboards|[[guitaret]]|bass|[[omnichord]]|[[guitorgan]]|[[lute]]|[[hurdy-gurdy]]}}
| genre = Modern classical, [[Ambient Music|Ambient]], Rock, [[English folk]], [[Electronica]]
| genre = {{hlist|Modern classical|[[Ambient Music|Ambient]]|Rock|[[English folk]]|[[Electronica]]}}
| occupation = Composer, musician, songwriter, producer, arranger
| occupation = {{hlist|Composer|musician|songwriter|producer|arranger}}
| years_active = 2000–present
| years_active = 2000–present
| label = Just Music, Bip-Hop
| label = {{hlist|Just Music|Bip-Hop}}
| website = [http://www.leoabrahams.com/ www.LeoAbrahams.com]
| associated_acts = [[Katie Melua]]<br>[[Imogen Heap]]<br>[[Ed Harcourt]]<br>[[Brian Eno]]<br>[[Brett Anderson]]<br>[[David Byrne]]<br>[[Jon Hopkins]]<br>[[Pulp (band)|Pulp]]
| website = [http://www.leoabrahams.com/ www.LeoAbrahams.com]
}}
}}


'''Leo Matthew Abrahams''' (born 1977 in [[London Borough of Camden|Camden]], London) is an English musician, composer and producer. He has collaborated with a multitude of professional musicians, including [[Brian Eno]],<ref name="wired">{{cite news
'''Leo Matthew Abrahams''' (born 28 November 1977) is an English musician, composer and producer. He has collaborated with [[Brian Eno]],<ref name="wired">{{cite magazine
|url=https://www.wired.com/underwire/tag/leo-abrahams/
|url=https://www.wired.com/underwire/tag/leo-abrahams/
|title=Exclusive: Track List From Brian Eno’s Upcoming Album, Small Craft on a Milk Sea
|title=Exclusive: Track List From Brian Eno's Upcoming Album, Small Craft on a Milk Sea
|last=Van Buskirk
|last=Van Buskirk
|first=Eliot
|first=Eliot
|date=23 August 2010
|date=23 August 2010
|work=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]
|magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]
|accessdate=5 March 2011}}</ref><ref name="tiny">{{cite news
|access-date=5 March 2011}}</ref><ref name="tiny">{{cite news
|url=http://www.tinymixtapes.com/news/brian-eno-release-collaborative-album-jon-hopkins-and-leo-abrahams-warp
|url=http://www.tinymixtapes.com/news/brian-eno-release-collaborative-album-jon-hopkins-and-leo-abrahams-warp
|title=Brian Eno to release collaborative album with Jon Hopkins and Leo Abrahams on Warp
|title=Brian Eno to release collaborative album with Jon Hopkins and Leo Abrahams on Warp
Line 33: Line 32:
|date=2 August 2010
|date=2 August 2010
|publisher=TinyMixTapes
|publisher=TinyMixTapes
|accessdate=5 March 2011}}</ref> [[Katie Melua]], [[Imogen Heap]], [[Jarvis Cocker]], [[Carl Barât]], [[Regina Spektor]], [[Jon Hopkins]] and [[Paul Simon]].<ref name="soundtrack">{{cite news|url=http://www.solarmanagement.co.uk/solar_2007/producers_details.php?producer_id=10|title=Leo Abrahams: Producer, Writer, Composer, Arranger|publisher=Solar Management|accessdate=5 March 2011|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110901080206/http://www.solarmanagement.co.uk/solar_2007/producers_details.php?producer_id=10|archivedate=1 September 2011|df=dmy-all}}</ref> After attending the [[Royal Academy of Music]] in England, he started his musical career by touring as lead guitarist with Imogen Heap.<ref name="justmusic">{{cite news|url=http://www.justmusic.co.uk/artists/leo_abrahams/|title=Artists: Leo Abrahams|publisher=JustMusic.com|accessdate=5 March 2011|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100717124052/http://www.justmusic.co.uk/artists/leo_abrahams/|archivedate=17 July 2010|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Since 2005 he has released five solo albums, largely in an [[ambient music|ambient]] style involving complex arrangements and a use of guitar-generated textures.<ref name="fly">{{cite news
|access-date=5 March 2011}}</ref> [[Katie Melua]], [[Imogen Heap]], [[Jarvis Cocker]], [[Carl Barât]], [[Regina Spektor]], [[Jon Hopkins]] and [[Paul Simon]].<ref name="soundtrack">{{cite news|url=http://www.solarmanagement.co.uk/solar_2007/producers_details.php?producer_id=10|title=Leo Abrahams: Producer, Writer, Composer, Arranger|publisher=Solar Management|access-date=5 March 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110901080206/http://www.solarmanagement.co.uk/solar_2007/producers_details.php?producer_id=10|archive-date=1 September 2011|df=dmy-all}}</ref> After attending the [[Royal Academy of Music]] in England, he started his musical career by touring as lead guitarist with Imogen Heap.<ref name="justmusic">{{cite news|url=http://www.justmusic.co.uk/artists/leo_abrahams/|title=Artists: Leo Abrahams|publisher=JustMusic.com|access-date=5 March 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100717124052/http://www.justmusic.co.uk/artists/leo_abrahams/|archive-date=17 July 2010|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
Since 2005, he has released five solo albums, largely in an [[ambient music|ambient]] style involving complex arrangements and a use of guitar-generated textures.<ref name="fly">{{cite news
|url=http://www.flyglobalmusic.com/fly/archives/europe_reviews/leo_abrahams_the_grape_and_the.html
|url=http://www.flyglobalmusic.com/fly/archives/europe_reviews/leo_abrahams_the_grape_and_the.html
|title=Reviews: The Grape and the Grain
|title=Reviews: The Grape and the Grain
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|date=1 February 2009
|date=1 February 2009
|publisher=Fly Global Music
|publisher=Fly Global Music
|accessdate=5 March 2011
|access-date=5 March 2011
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605092141/http://www.flyglobalmusic.com/fly/archives/europe_reviews/leo_abrahams_the_grape_and_the.html
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605092141/http://www.flyglobalmusic.com/fly/archives/europe_reviews/leo_abrahams_the_grape_and_the.html
|archive-date=5 June 2011
|archive-date=5 June 2011
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|date=May 2009
|date=May 2009
|publisher=The Echoes Blog
|publisher=The Echoes Blog
|accessdate=5 March 2011}}</ref>
|access-date=5 March 2011}}</ref>
Abrahams has produced Regina Spektor's album ''[[Remember Us to Life]]''. Hayden Thorpe's ''[[Diviner (album)|Diviner]]'', Editors' ''[[Violence (Editors album)|Violence]]'' and Ghostpoet's ''[[Dark Days + Canapés]]''.
Abrahams has produced Regina Spektor's album ''[[Remember Us to Life]]''. Hayden Thorpe's ''[[Diviner (album)|Diviner]]'', Editors' ''[[Violence (Editors album)|Violence]]'' and Ghostpoet's ''[[Dark Days + Canapés]]''.


==Career==
==Career==
===Early years===
Abrahams was given an acoustic guitar by his parents at age 7, only to ignore the instrument for piano until age 12. As a teenager he played guitar in a succession of bands, also writing classical music. After high school, Abrahams attended the [[Royal Academy of Music]] with the goal of becoming a classical composer.<ref name="home">{{cite news
Abrahams attended the [[Royal Academy of Music]].<ref name="home">{{cite news
|url=http://www.leoabrahams.com/#/biography
|url=http://www.leoabrahams.com/#/biography
|title=Biography
|title=Biography
Line 62: Line 64:
|date=
|date=
|publisher=LeoAbrahams.com
|publisher=LeoAbrahams.com
|accessdate=5 March 2011}}</ref> While there, he studied under [[Steve Martland]] and [[Nick Ingman]], only to become disillusioned.<ref name="justmusic"/>
|access-date=5 March 2011}}</ref> He studied under [[Steve Martland]] and [[Nick Ingman]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Leo Abrahams: Brian Eno, David Byrne, Wild Beasts |url=https://tapeop.com/interviews/111/leo-abrahams/ |access-date=2022-10-04 |website=tapeop.com |language=en}}</ref> During his studies, Abrahams was invited to join [[Imogen Heap]]'s touring band.<ref name="home" /> He left the Royal Academy of Music<ref name="justmusic" /> to tour England for several months.<ref name="home" />


===Collaborative work===
During his studies Abrahams got a call from Mickey Modern, a manager to whom he had sent a demo years before. Modern was looking for a guitarist to perform with singer [[Imogen Heap]].<ref name="home"/> Heap invited Abrahams to go on tour, prompting him to leave the academy<ref name="justmusic"/> to tour England for several months.<ref name="home"/>
Through Heap, Abrahams was introduced to alternative folk artist [[Ed Harcourt]], who Abrahams joined as a guitarist, playing lead guitar and scoring the instrumental parts on Harcourt's 2001 album ''[[Here Be Monsters]]'',<ref name="justmusic" /><ref name="home" /> as well as Harcourt's subsequent albums.<ref name="home" />


A couple of years later, Abrahams had a fortuitous meeting with producer and ambient music pioneer [[Brian Eno]] in a [[Notting Hill]]<ref name="qthe">{{cite news
Imogen Heap introduced Abrahams to alternative folk artist [[Ed Harcourt]] on the night Harcourt was signed by a major label. After Abrahams confirmed to Harcourt that he liked [[Tom Waits]], Harcourt agreed to take Abrahams on as a guitarist. Abrahams played lead guitar and scored the instrumental parts on Harcourt's 2001 album ''[[Here Be Monsters]]'',<ref name="justmusic"/><ref name="home"/> as well as Harcourt's subsequent albums.<ref name="home"/>

A couple of years later Abrahams had a fortuitous meeting with producer and ambient music pioneer [[Brian Eno]] in a [[Notting Hill]]<ref name="qthe">{{cite news
|url = http://news.qthemusic.com/2009/03/leo_abrahams.html
|url = http://news.qthemusic.com/2009/03/leo_abrahams.html
|title = Track of the Day: Leo Abrahams
|title = Track of the Day: Leo Abrahams
|date = 3 October 2009
|date = 3 October 2009
|publisher = QTheMusic
|publisher = QTheMusic
|accessdate = 5 March 2011
|access-date = 5 March 2011
|url-status = dead
|url-status = dead
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20110715134557/http://news.qthemusic.com/2009/03/leo_abrahams.html
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110715134557/http://news.qthemusic.com/2009/03/leo_abrahams.html
|archivedate = 15 July 2011
|archive-date = 15 July 2011
|df = dmy-all
|df = dmy-all
}}</ref> guitar shop. Eno stated "I spotted him trying out a guitar, the first I've ever seen in a guitar shop who wasn't playing '[[Stairway to Heaven]],' so I thought he must be good."<ref name="justmusic"/><ref name="echoes"/> Eno invited Abrahams to his studio, and Abrahams contributed guitar to Eno's album with [[J. Peter Schwalm]], ''[[Drawn From Life]]'', which was released in 2001. Abrahams went on to contribute instrumentals to a number of musicians produced by Eno, including [[Grace Jones]], [[Seun Kuti]], [[Nick Cave]], and [[Paul Simon]]'s 2006 album ''[[Surprise (Paul Simon album)|Surprise]]''.<ref name="echoes"/><ref name="bbctwo">{{cite news
}}</ref> guitar shop. Eno stated, "I spotted him trying out a guitar, the first I've ever seen in a guitar shop who wasn't playing '[[Stairway to Heaven]]', so I thought he must be good."<ref name="justmusic" /><ref name="echoes" /> Eno invited Abrahams to his studio, and Abrahams contributed guitar to Eno's album with [[J. Peter Schwalm]], ''[[Drawn From Life]]'', which was released in 2001. Abrahams went on to contribute instrumentals to a number of musicians produced by Eno, including [[Grace Jones]], [[Seun Kuti]], [[Nick Cave]], and [[Paul Simon]]'s 2006 album ''[[Surprise (Paul Simon album)|Surprise]]''.<ref name="echoes" /><ref name="bbctwo">{{cite news
|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/3x4h
|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/3x4h
|title=Review: Honeytrap
|title=Review: Honeytrap
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|date=8 August 2005
|date=8 August 2005
|publisher=[[BBC]]
|publisher=[[BBC]]
|accessdate=5 March 2011}}</ref>
|access-date=5 March 2011}}</ref>

In 2010, Abrahams joined with long-time collaborators [[Jon Hopkins]] and [[Brian Eno]]<ref name="spin">{{cite news |last=Beta |first=Andy |date= |title=Brian Eno: Small Craft on a Milk Sea |work=[[Spin (magazine)|SPIN]] |url=http://www.spin.com/reviews/brian-eno-jon-hopkins-and-leo-abrahams-small-craft-milk-sea-warp |access-date=5 March 2011}}</ref> to create the album ''[[Small Craft on a Milk Sea]]''. The album is based largely on a two-week period of joint improvisation,<ref name="justmusic" /> as well as "several years of jams between the three of us", and is officially described as "a Brian Eno album featuring Leo Abrahams and Jon Hopkins."<ref name="wired" />


As a guitarist he has played on over 100 records by artists including [[Florence and the Machine]], [[Annie Lennox]], [[Marianne Faithfull]] and [[Badly Drawn Boy]]. With [[David Holmes (musician)|David Holmes]] he contributed several instruments and co-wrote several tracks on Holmes' release ''[[The Holy Pictures]]''.
As a guitarist he has played on over 100 records by artists including [[Florence and the Machine]], [[Annie Lennox]], [[Marianne Faithfull]] and [[Badly Drawn Boy]]. With [[David Holmes (musician)|David Holmes]] he contributed several instruments and co-wrote several tracks on Holmes' release ''[[The Holy Pictures]]''.


Abrahams has written with and produced for a variety of musicians.<ref name="home"/> He contributed additional production to [[David Byrne]] and Brian Eno's ''[[Everything That Happens Will Happen Today]]'', co-writing the lead single "[[Strange Overtones]]". His production credits include [[Katie Melua]], [[Wild Beasts]], [[Paolo Nutini]], [[Frightened Rabbit]], [[Oscar and the Wolf]], [[Tomoyasu Hotei|Hotei]], [[Karl Hyde]] solo album, [[Diagrams (band)|Diagrams]], [[Josephine Oniyama]], [[Carl Barât]] (of [[The Libertines]]), [[Chris Difford]] (of [[Squeeze (band)|Squeeze]]), [[Brett Anderson]] (of [[Suede (band)|Suede]]), Iarla O'Lionaird, [[Sparrow and the Workshop]] and [[Kill It Kid]]. He arranged the string sections for the 2003 album ''[[Silence is Easy]]'' by [[Starsailor (band)|Starsailor]], also conducting the orchestra at [[Abbey Road Studios]].<ref name="home"/><ref name="qthe"/>
He has played guitar for [[Pulp (band)|Pulp]] on their 2011–2012 reunion dates, although was not an official member of the band.

Abrahams has written with and produced for a variety of musicians.<ref name="home"/> He contributed additional production to [[David Byrne]] and Brian Eno's ''[[Everything That Happens Will Happen Today]]'', co-writing the lead single "[[Strange Overtones]]".
His production credits include [[Katie Melua]], [[Wild Beasts]], [[Paolo Nutini]], [[Frightened Rabbit]], [[Oscar and the Wolf]], [[Tomoyasu Hotei|Hotei]], [[Karl Hyde]] solo album, [[Diagrams (band)|Diagrams]], [[Josephine Oniyama]], [[Carl Barât]] (of [[The Libertines]]), [[Chris Difford]] (of [[Squeeze (band)|Squeeze]]), [[Brett Anderson]] (of [[Suede (band)|Suede]]), Iarla O'Lionaird, [[Sparrow and the Workshop]] and [[Kill It Kid]]. He arranged the string sections for the 2003 album ''[[Silence is Easy]]'' by [[Starsailor (band)|Starsailor]], also conducting the orchestra at [[Abbey Road Studios]].<ref name="home"/><ref name="qthe"/>

He has co-written or arranged a variety of film soundtracks, including [[Peter Jackson]]'s 2009 release ''[[The Lovely Bones (film)|The Lovely Bones]]'' with Brain Eno, [[Steve McQueen (director)|Steve McQueen]]'s award-winning ''[[Hunger (2008 film)|Hunger]]'' with David Holmes, ''Seeking 1906'' with Simon Winchester, ''Gardens of Paradise'', ''[[The Graduates (2008 film)|The Graduates]]'', ''After Happily Ever After'', and also on the ''[[Oceans]]'' series with David Holmes.

Abrahams joined with long-time collaborators [[Jon Hopkins]] and [[Brian Eno]]<ref name="spin">{{cite news
|url=http://www.spin.com/reviews/brian-eno-jon-hopkins-and-leo-abrahams-small-craft-milk-sea-warp
|title=Brian Eno: Small Craft on a Milk Sea
|last=Beta
|first=Andy
|date=
|work=[[Spin (magazine)|SPIN]]
|accessdate=5 March 2011}}</ref> to create the 2010 album ''[[Small Craft on a Milk Sea]]''. The album is based largely on a two-week period of joint improvisation,<ref name="justmusic"/> as well as "several years of jams between the three of us." The album is officially described as "a Brian Eno album featuring Leo Abrahams and Jon Hopkins."<ref name="wired"/>


He has played guitar for [[Pulp (band)|Pulp]] on their 2011–2012 reunion dates, although he was not an official member of the band.
Inspired by his work on the film score to the 2003 film ''[[Code 46]]'', Abrahams created his first solo album in 2005:<ref name="echoes"/> ''Honeytrap'', released on Just Music. It relies primarily on ambient sounds generated exclusively by guitars, rejecting keyboard effects, sampling, computer effects, or keyboards.<ref name="justmusic"/> The [[BBC]] referred to the album as "subtle, imaginative and sometimes intoxicatingly lovely."<ref name="bbctwo"/>


===Solo albums and film scores===
''Scene Memory'' (2006), his second solo album, was also in an ambient style, with sounds created entirely by playing electric guitars through chains of laptop effects.<ref name="glasswerk">{{cite news
Inspired by his work on the film score to the 2003 film ''[[Code 46]]'', Abrahams created his first solo album in 2005:<ref name="echoes" /> ''Honeytrap'', released on Just Music. It relies primarily on ambient sounds generated exclusively by guitars, rejecting keyboard effects, sampling, computer effects, or keyboards.<ref name="justmusic" /> The [[BBC]] referred to the album as "subtle, imaginative and sometimes intoxicatingly lovely."<ref name="bbctwo" /> ''Scene Memory'' (2006), his second solo album, was also in an ambient style, with sounds created entirely by playing electric guitars through chains of laptop effects.<ref name="glasswerk">{{cite news
|url=http://www.glasswerk.co.uk/reviews/national/3808/Leo+Abrahams
|url=http://www.glasswerk.co.uk/reviews/national/3808/Leo+Abrahams
|title=Reviews: Scene Memory
|title=Reviews: Scene Memory
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|date=31 July 2006
|date=31 July 2006
|publisher=Glasswerk
|publisher=Glasswerk
|accessdate=3 July 2010
|access-date=3 July 2010
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120325071929/http://www.glasswerk.co.uk/reviews/national/3808/Leo+Abrahams
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120325071929/http://www.glasswerk.co.uk/reviews/national/3808/Leo+Abrahams
|archive-date=25 March 2012
|archive-date=25 March 2012
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|date=
|date=
|publisher=Boomkat
|publisher=Boomkat
|accessdate=3 July 2010}}</ref> ''Sea of Tranquility'' reviewed the album saying "he respects a certain level of restraint – the solo guitar- putting into sharp relief the...limitless opportunities for the resultant sounds and form. This work is thoughtful, adventurous, and the result of a high degree of artistic integrity."<ref name="seaof">{{cite news
|access-date=3 July 2010}}</ref> ''Sea of Tranquility'' reviewed the album saying "he respects a certain level of restraint – the solo guitar- putting into sharp relief the...limitless opportunities for the resultant sounds and form. This work is thoughtful, adventurous, and the result of a high degree of artistic integrity."<ref name="seaof">{{cite news
|url=http://www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=4028
|url=http://www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=4028
|title=Review: Scene Memory
|title=Review: Scene Memory
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|date=3 August 2006
|date=3 August 2006
|publisher=Sea of Tranquility
|publisher=Sea of Tranquility
|accessdate=3 July 2010}}</ref>
|access-date=3 July 2010}}</ref>


His third album, the 2007 ''The Unrest Cure'', was initially built out of sessions in New York with [[David Holmes (musician)|David Holmes]]' rhythm section. Brian Eno, KT Turnstall, Ed Harcourt, [[Foy Vance]], [[Pati Yang]], [[Merz (musician)|Merz]], [[Phoebe Legere]], Kari Kleiv, and poet [[Bingo Gazingo]] also contributed to the album.<ref name="home"/> It involves heavier guitar lines than the previous two albums.<ref name="bbcone">{{cite news
His third album, the 2007 ''The Unrest Cure'', was initially built out of sessions in New York with [[David Holmes (musician)|David Holmes]]' rhythm section. Brian Eno, KT Turnstall, Ed Harcourt, [[Foy Vance]], [[Pati Yang]], [[Merz (musician)|Merz]], [[Phoebe Legere]], Kari Kleiv, and poet [[Bingo Gazingo]] also contributed to the album.<ref name="home" /> It involves heavier guitar lines than the previous two albums.<ref name="bbcone">{{cite news
|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/w29x
|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/w29x
|title=Review: The Unrest Cure
|title=Review: The Unrest Cure
Line 141: Line 131:
|date=14 February 2008
|date=14 February 2008
|publisher=[[BBC]]
|publisher=[[BBC]]
|access-date=5 March 2011}}</ref> On his 2008 album ''Grape and the Grain'', Abrahams continued to use [[English folk music|English Folk]] themes,<ref name="qthe" /> mainly with pieces featuring guitar, added instrumentation such as cello and [[medieval]] [[lute]],<ref name="echoes" /> and occasionally a [[hurdy-gurdy]], which he learnt to play for the record.<ref name="justmusic" /><ref name="four">{{cite news
|accessdate=5 March 2011}}</ref>

In his 2008 album ''Grape and the Grain'', Abrahams continued to use [[English folk music|English Folk]] themes,<ref name="qthe"/> mainly with pieces featuring guitar, added instrumentation such as cello and [[medieval]] [[lute]],<ref name="echoes"/> and occasionally a [[hurdy-gurdy]], which he learnt to play for the record.<ref name="justmusic"/><ref name="four">{{cite news
|url=http://thefourohfive.com/reviews/678
|url=http://thefourohfive.com/reviews/678
|title=Leo Abrahams – The Grape and The Grain
|title=Leo Abrahams – The Grape and The Grain
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|date=1 April 2009
|date=1 April 2009
|publisher=The 405
|publisher=The 405
|accessdate=5 March 2011
|access-date=5 March 2011
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100914171012/http://thefourohfive.com/reviews/678
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100914171012/http://thefourohfive.com/reviews/678
|archive-date=14 September 2010
|archive-date=14 September 2010
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|date=17 April 2009
|date=17 April 2009
|publisher=ContactMusic
|publisher=ContactMusic
|accessdate=5 March 2011}}</ref>
|access-date=5 March 2011}}</ref>


He has released two further EPs on the Just Music label, and also released a vocal-based record on [[One Little Indian]] in 2011.
He has released two further EPs on the Just Music label, and also released a vocal-based record on [[One Little Indian]] in 2011.


He has co-written or arranged a variety of film soundtracks, including [[Peter Jackson]]'s 2009 release ''[[The Lovely Bones (film)|The Lovely Bones]]'' with Brian Eno, [[Steve McQueen (director)|Steve McQueen]]'s award-winning ''[[Hunger (2008 film)|Hunger]]'' with David Holmes, ''Seeking 1906'' with Simon Winchester, ''Gardens of Paradise'', ''[[The Graduates (2008 film)|The Graduates]]'', ''After Happily Ever After'', and also on the ''[[Oceans]]'' series with David Holmes.
Abrahams has performed solo shows for his various albums across Europe, Russia, and the United States.<ref name="justmusic"/>


==Discography==
==Discography==
===Solo recordings===
===Solo albums===
* ''Honeytrap'' (2005)
{{tracklist
* ''Scene Memory'' (2006)
| collapsed = yes
* ''The Unrest Cure'' (2007)
| headline = ''Honeytrap'' {{nobold|(2005)}}
* ''The Grape and the Grain'' (2008)
| title1 = Kristiansand
* ''Daylight'' (2015)
| length1 = 3:41
* ''Scene Memory II'' (2021)
| title2 =Playground
| length2 = 3:40
| title3 = Slippery Jack
| length3 = 3:18
| title4 = Rise
| length4 = 4:09
| title5 = Siren
| length5 = 2:45
| title6 = Honeytrap
| length6 = 5:00
| title7 = The Distance
| length7 = 3:00
| title8 = Footprints
| length8 = 3:00
| title9 = Control
| length9 = 4:47
| title10 = In Doubt
| length10 = 4:13
| title11 = Spider
| length11 = 4:30
| title12 = Tonight
| length12 = 5:01
| title13 = Mirror Sister
| length13 = 4:16
| title14 = Seeing Stars
| length14 = 3:55
}}


===EPs and singles===
{{tracklist
* ''EP1'' (2006)
| collapsed = yes
| headline = ''Scene Memory'' {{nobold|(2006)}}
* ''Searching 1906'' (2006)
* ''December Songs'' (2009)
| title1 = A Different Light
* ''Zero Sum'' (2013)
| length1 = 3:48
* ''Yield'' (2022)
| title2 =Below Ground
| length2 = 3:33
| title3 = Anemone
| length3 = 2:40
| title4 = Route 11
| length4 = 4:13
| title5 = Scene Memory
| length5 = 3:52
| title6 = Soon
| length6 = 4:57
| title7 = Pendulum
| length7 = 6:13
| title8 = Signal
| length8 = 2:51
| title9 = Rings
| length9 = 4:01
| title10 =Love Unknown
| length10 = 1:52
| title11 = Gone
| length11 = 5:27
| title12 = Empty Shell
| length12 =3:12
}}
{{tracklist
| collapsed = yes
| headline = ''EP1'' {{nobold|(2006)}}
| title1 = Skyline
| length1 = 4:40
| title2 =Imagined Conversation
| length2 = 4:20
| title3 = Footprints
| length3 = 3:59
| title4 = Spider ([[Jon Hopkins]] [[remix]])
| length4 = 9:01
}}
{{tracklist
| collapsed = yes
| headline = ''Searching 1906'' {{nobold|(2006)}}
| title1 = Sundown
| length1 = 2:08
| title2 =Detective
| length2 = 2:31
| title3 = Open Road
| length3 = 1:22
| title4 = Pursuit
| length4 = 2:01
| title5 = The Death Lady
| length5 = 2:31
| title6 = Writing Time
| length6 = 1:52
| title7 = In the Basement
| length7 = 2:30
}}
{{tracklist
| collapsed = yes
| headline = ''The Unrest Cure'' {{nobold|(2007)}}
| title1 = Fragile Mind
| note1 = with Kari Kleiv
| length1 =
| title2 = 2000 Years From Now
| length2 =
| note2 = with [[poet]] [[Bingo Gazingo]]
| title3 = City Machine
| length3 =
| note3 =with [[KT Tunstall]]
| title4 = Banks of Kyoto
| length4 =
| note4 = with [[Pati Yang]]
| title5 = Remote
| length5 =
| note5 =with Conrad Merz
| title6 = No Frame
| note6 = with [[Brian Eno]]
| length6 =
| title7 = Ultra-Romantic Parallel Universe
| length7 =
| note7 = with [[Phoebe Legere]]
| title8 = Below Ground Pt. II
| length8 =
| title9 = Devil's Mouth
| length9 =
| note9 = with [[Ed Harcourt]]
| title10 = Error on Green
| length10 =
| title11 = All Along
| length11 =
| title12 = Epilogue
| length12 =
|note12 = with [[Foy Vance]]
|note
}}
{{tracklist
| collapsed = yes
| headline = ''The Grape and the Grain'' {{nobold|(2008)}}
| title1 = Masquerade
| length1 = 3:14
| title2 = Come the Morning
| length2 = 4:02
| title3 = From Here
| length3 = 5:02
| title4 = Spring Snow
| length4 = 6:18
| title5 = Blind
| length5 = 4:30
| title6 = The Grape and the Grain
| length6 = 3:09
| title7 = New Wine
| length7 = 4:13
| title8 = Ends Meet
| length8 = 3:56
| title9 = A Ghost on Every Corner
| length9 = 4:34
| title10 = The Northern Jane
| length10 = 3:45
| title11 = Daughter of Persuasion
| length11 = 5:38
}}
{{tracklist
| collapsed = yes
| headline = ''December Songs'' {{nobold|(2009)}}
| title1 =
| length1 =
| title2 =
| length2 =
| title3 =
| length3 =
| title4 =
| length4 =
| title5 =
| length5 =
| title6 =
| length6 =
| title7 =
| length7 =
| title8 =
| length8 =
| title9 =
| length9 =
| title10 =
| length10 =
| title11 =
| length11 =
| title12 =
| length12 =
}}
{{tracklist
| collapsed = yes
| headline = ''Zero Sum'' {{nobold|(2013)}}
| title1 = That's What You Do
| length1 = 4:15
| title2 = Winter Kiss
| length2 = 4:14
| title3 = No More Unto Silence
| length3 = 5:00
| title4 = Sleep Here
| length4 = 3:15
| title5 = A Different Kind of Wrong
| length5 = 3:54
| title6 = Time Take Me Back
| length6 = 4:28
}}
{{tracklist
| collapsed = yes
| headline = ''Daylight'' {{nobold|(2015)}}
| title1 = Halo Effect
| length1 = 2:58
| title2 = Into the Wild
| length2 = 4:30
| title3 = Dual
| length3 = 4:10
| title4 = Steal Time
| length4 = 3:56
| title5 = Chain
| length5 = 3:30
| title6 = Daylight
| length6 = 3:46
| title7 = Mosaic
| length7 = 3:30
| title8 = Wythe & 1st
| length8 = 4:18
| title9 = Stutter
| length9 = 3:37
| title10 = De Milo
| length10 = 4:33
| title11 = From the Shadows
| length11 = 5:40
| title12 = Theory of Large Molecules
| note12 = Deluxe Edition
| length12 = 3:35
| title13 = Wish Wait
| note13 = Deluxe Edition
| length13 = 3:42
| title14 = Chain – CFCF Remix
| note14 = Deluxe Edition, feat. Brian Eno
| length14 = 4:59
| title15 = Daylight – Grasscut Mix
| note15 = Deluxe Edition
| length15 = 4:59
| title16 = Steal Time – Eno/Abrahams Remix
| note16 = Deluxe Edition, feat. Brian Eno
| length16 = 3:57
| title17 = Into the Wild – Emmy The Great Remix
| note17 = Deluxe Edition
| length17 = 3:07
| title18 = Halo Effect – Crewdson Remix
| note18 = Deluxe Edition
| length18 = 4:12
| title19 = Wythe & 1st – Burevo Remix
| note19 = Deluxe Edition
| length19 = 3:54
| title20 = Daylight – Ambidextrous Remix
| note20 = Deluxe Edition
| length20 = 5:34
| title21 = Halo Effect – EM Remix
| note21 = Deluxe Edition
| length21 = 4:01
| title22 = Steal Time – Zammuto Remix
| note22 = Deluxe Edition
| length22 = 4:05
| title23 = Wythe & 1st – Burevo Scape Remix
| note23 = Deluxe Edition
| length23 = 3:59
}}


===Collaborations===
===Collaborations===
;Albums
*2000: "Last of England" by [[Sex Gang Children]] – composer, producer, all instruments
*2000: "Last of England" by [[Sex Gang Children]] – composer, producer, all instruments
*2001: ''[[Here Be Monsters]]'' by [[Ed Harcourt]] – guitar/string arrangements, guitar
*2001: ''[[Here Be Monsters]]'' by [[Ed Harcourt]] – guitar/string arrangements, guitar
Line 444: Line 183:
*2008: ''[[Everything That Happens Will Happen Today]]'' with [[David Byrne]]/[[Brian Eno]] (#1 ''[[CMJ]]'') – production, various instrumentals
*2008: ''[[Everything That Happens Will Happen Today]]'' with [[David Byrne]]/[[Brian Eno]] (#1 ''[[CMJ]]'') – production, various instrumentals
*2008: [[The Redcastle Sessions (DVD)|''The Redcastle Sessions'']] with [[Cara Dillon]] – co-production, guitars, piano, percussion
*2008: [[The Redcastle Sessions (DVD)|''The Redcastle Sessions'']] with [[Cara Dillon]] – co-production, guitars, piano, percussion
*2008: [[The Holy Pictures]] with [[David Holmes (musician)|David Holmes]] – guitar, bass, various keyboards, marxophone and hurdy gurdy
*2009: ''[[Slow Attack]]'' by [[Brett Anderson]] – co-writer, producer
*2009: ''[[Slow Attack]]'' by [[Brett Anderson]] – co-writer, producer
*2009: ''[[Come to Life]]'' by [[Natalie Imbruglia]] – additional production, guitar
*2009: ''[[Come to Life (Natalie Imbruglia album)|Come to Life]]'' by [[Natalie Imbruglia]] – additional production, guitar
*2009: ''[[Frozen Heart]]'' by [[Smoke Fairies]] – production, keys
*2009: ''[[Frozen Heart]]'' by [[Smoke Fairies]] – production, keys
*2009: ''Portraits of the Artists'' by [[Foy Vance]] – producer, co-writer, arranger, guitar, piano
*2009: ''Portraits of the Artists'' by [[Foy Vance]] – producer, co-writer, arranger, guitar, piano
Line 452: Line 192:
*2010: ''[[Carl Barât (album)|Carl Barât]]'' by [[Carl Barât]] – co-writer, technical, guitar, mini-piano, [[omnichord]], [[guitorgan]], bass
*2010: ''[[Carl Barât (album)|Carl Barât]]'' by [[Carl Barât]] – co-writer, technical, guitar, mini-piano, [[omnichord]], [[guitorgan]], bass
*2011: ''Death Fires'' by Carl Barât – producer, co-writer, arranger, guitar, piano
*2011: ''Death Fires'' by Carl Barât – producer, co-writer, arranger, guitar, piano
*2011: ''Black Rainbows'' by [[Brett Anderson]] – co-writer, producer, guitar
*2011: ''[[Black Rainbows (Brett Anderson album)|Black Rainbows]]'' by [[Brett Anderson]] – co-writer, producer, guitar
*2011: ''John Martyn Tribute'' by [[Paolo Nutini]] – producer, arranger, guitar, piano
*2011: ''John Martyn Tribute'' by [[Paolo Nutini]] – producer, arranger, guitar, piano
*2011: ''Cashmere If You Can'' by [[Chris Difford]] – producer, co-writer, arranger, guitar, piano
*2011: ''Cashmere If You Can'' by [[Chris Difford]] – producer, co-writer, arranger, guitar, piano
Line 481: Line 221:
*2019: ''[[Diviner (Hayden Thorpe album)|Diviner]]'' by [[Hayden Thorpe]] - producer, guitar, keyboards
*2019: ''[[Diviner (Hayden Thorpe album)|Diviner]]'' by [[Hayden Thorpe]] - producer, guitar, keyboards
*2020: ''[[Album No. 8]]'' by [[Katie Melua]] - producer, instruments
*2020: ''[[Album No. 8]]'' by [[Katie Melua]] - producer, instruments
*2020: ''Visitations'' with [[Shahzad Ismaily]] - producer, guitar, mixing, composer
*2020: ''Krononaut'' by Krononaut (with [[Martin France]]) - producer, guitar, mixing, composer


===Soundtracks===
===Soundtracks===
;Composer
*2007: ''Searching 1906'' – writer, performer
*2007: ''Searching 1906'' – writer, performer
*2009: ''[[Five Minutes of Heaven]]'' – co-writer with [[David Holmes (musician)|David Holmes]]
*2009: ''[[Five Minutes of Heaven]]'' – co-writer with [[David Holmes (musician)|David Holmes]]
Line 507: Line 248:
[[Category:1977 births]]
[[Category:1977 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from the London Borough of Camden]]
[[Category:Musicians from the London Borough of Camden]]
[[Category:English record producers]]
[[Category:English record producers]]
[[Category:English folk guitarists]]
[[Category:English folk guitarists]]

Latest revision as of 11:00, 22 November 2024

Leo Abrahams
Abrahams in his London studio in 2010
Background information
Born (1977-11-28) 28 November 1977 (age 46)
Camden, London
Genres
Occupations
  • Composer
  • musician
  • songwriter
  • producer
  • arranger
Instruments
Years active2000–present
Labels
  • Just Music
  • Bip-Hop
Websitewww.LeoAbrahams.com

Leo Matthew Abrahams (born 28 November 1977) is an English musician, composer and producer. He has collaborated with Brian Eno,[1][2] Katie Melua, Imogen Heap, Jarvis Cocker, Carl Barât, Regina Spektor, Jon Hopkins and Paul Simon.[3] After attending the Royal Academy of Music in England, he started his musical career by touring as lead guitarist with Imogen Heap.[4]

Since 2005, he has released five solo albums, largely in an ambient style involving complex arrangements and a use of guitar-generated textures.[5] He has also co-written or arranged a variety of film soundtracks, including Peter Jackson's 2009 release The Lovely Bones and Steve McQueen's Hunger.[6] Abrahams has produced Regina Spektor's album Remember Us to Life. Hayden Thorpe's Diviner, Editors' Violence and Ghostpoet's Dark Days + Canapés.

Career

[edit]

Early years

[edit]

Abrahams attended the Royal Academy of Music.[7] He studied under Steve Martland and Nick Ingman.[8] During his studies, Abrahams was invited to join Imogen Heap's touring band.[7] He left the Royal Academy of Music[4] to tour England for several months.[7]

Collaborative work

[edit]

Through Heap, Abrahams was introduced to alternative folk artist Ed Harcourt, who Abrahams joined as a guitarist, playing lead guitar and scoring the instrumental parts on Harcourt's 2001 album Here Be Monsters,[4][7] as well as Harcourt's subsequent albums.[7]

A couple of years later, Abrahams had a fortuitous meeting with producer and ambient music pioneer Brian Eno in a Notting Hill[9] guitar shop. Eno stated, "I spotted him trying out a guitar, the first I've ever seen in a guitar shop who wasn't playing 'Stairway to Heaven', so I thought he must be good."[4][6] Eno invited Abrahams to his studio, and Abrahams contributed guitar to Eno's album with J. Peter Schwalm, Drawn From Life, which was released in 2001. Abrahams went on to contribute instrumentals to a number of musicians produced by Eno, including Grace Jones, Seun Kuti, Nick Cave, and Paul Simon's 2006 album Surprise.[6][10]

In 2010, Abrahams joined with long-time collaborators Jon Hopkins and Brian Eno[11] to create the album Small Craft on a Milk Sea. The album is based largely on a two-week period of joint improvisation,[4] as well as "several years of jams between the three of us", and is officially described as "a Brian Eno album featuring Leo Abrahams and Jon Hopkins."[1]

As a guitarist he has played on over 100 records by artists including Florence and the Machine, Annie Lennox, Marianne Faithfull and Badly Drawn Boy. With David Holmes he contributed several instruments and co-wrote several tracks on Holmes' release The Holy Pictures.

Abrahams has written with and produced for a variety of musicians.[7] He contributed additional production to David Byrne and Brian Eno's Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, co-writing the lead single "Strange Overtones". His production credits include Katie Melua, Wild Beasts, Paolo Nutini, Frightened Rabbit, Oscar and the Wolf, Hotei, Karl Hyde solo album, Diagrams, Josephine Oniyama, Carl Barât (of The Libertines), Chris Difford (of Squeeze), Brett Anderson (of Suede), Iarla O'Lionaird, Sparrow and the Workshop and Kill It Kid. He arranged the string sections for the 2003 album Silence is Easy by Starsailor, also conducting the orchestra at Abbey Road Studios.[7][9]

He has played guitar for Pulp on their 2011–2012 reunion dates, although he was not an official member of the band.

Solo albums and film scores

[edit]

Inspired by his work on the film score to the 2003 film Code 46, Abrahams created his first solo album in 2005:[6] Honeytrap, released on Just Music. It relies primarily on ambient sounds generated exclusively by guitars, rejecting keyboard effects, sampling, computer effects, or keyboards.[4] The BBC referred to the album as "subtle, imaginative and sometimes intoxicatingly lovely."[10] Scene Memory (2006), his second solo album, was also in an ambient style, with sounds created entirely by playing electric guitars through chains of laptop effects.[12] A Boomkat review stated "Abrahams blends piano, guitar, and electronics to an almost euphoric effect – the record feels like you are walking in a dream."[13] Sea of Tranquility reviewed the album saying "he respects a certain level of restraint – the solo guitar- putting into sharp relief the...limitless opportunities for the resultant sounds and form. This work is thoughtful, adventurous, and the result of a high degree of artistic integrity."[14]

His third album, the 2007 The Unrest Cure, was initially built out of sessions in New York with David Holmes' rhythm section. Brian Eno, KT Turnstall, Ed Harcourt, Foy Vance, Pati Yang, Merz, Phoebe Legere, Kari Kleiv, and poet Bingo Gazingo also contributed to the album.[7] It involves heavier guitar lines than the previous two albums.[15] On his 2008 album Grape and the Grain, Abrahams continued to use English Folk themes,[9] mainly with pieces featuring guitar, added instrumentation such as cello and medieval lute,[6] and occasionally a hurdy-gurdy, which he learnt to play for the record.[4][16][17]

He has released two further EPs on the Just Music label, and also released a vocal-based record on One Little Indian in 2011.

He has co-written or arranged a variety of film soundtracks, including Peter Jackson's 2009 release The Lovely Bones with Brian Eno, Steve McQueen's award-winning Hunger with David Holmes, Seeking 1906 with Simon Winchester, Gardens of Paradise, The Graduates, After Happily Ever After, and also on the Oceans series with David Holmes.

Discography

[edit]

Solo albums

[edit]
  • Honeytrap (2005)
  • Scene Memory (2006)
  • The Unrest Cure (2007)
  • The Grape and the Grain (2008)
  • Daylight (2015)
  • Scene Memory II (2021)

EPs and singles

[edit]
  • EP1 (2006)
  • Searching 1906 (2006)
  • December Songs (2009)
  • Zero Sum (2013)
  • Yield (2022)

Collaborations

[edit]

Soundtracks

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Van Buskirk, Eliot (23 August 2010). "Exclusive: Track List From Brian Eno's Upcoming Album, Small Craft on a Milk Sea". Wired. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  2. ^ Mr. P (2 August 2010). "Brian Eno to release collaborative album with Jon Hopkins and Leo Abrahams on Warp". TinyMixTapes. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  3. ^ "Leo Abrahams: Producer, Writer, Composer, Arranger". Solar Management. Archived from the original on 1 September 2011. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Artists: Leo Abrahams". JustMusic.com. Archived from the original on 17 July 2010. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  5. ^ Hectic, Garry (1 February 2009). "Reviews: The Grape and the Grain". Fly Global Music. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  6. ^ a b c d e Dilibrito, John (May 2009). "Leo Abrahams May CD of the Month". The Echoes Blog. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h "Biography". LeoAbrahams.com. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  8. ^ "Leo Abrahams: Brian Eno, David Byrne, Wild Beasts". tapeop.com. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  9. ^ a b c "Track of the Day: Leo Abrahams". QTheMusic. 3 October 2009. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  10. ^ a b Marsh, Peter (8 August 2005). "Review: Honeytrap". BBC. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  11. ^ Beta, Andy. "Brian Eno: Small Craft on a Milk Sea". SPIN. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  12. ^ Burden, Andrew (31 July 2006). "Reviews: Scene Memory". Glasswerk. Archived from the original on 25 March 2012. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
  13. ^ "Product Review: Scene Memory". Boomkat. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
  14. ^ Leimer, Kerry (3 August 2006). "Review: Scene Memory". Sea of Tranquility. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
  15. ^ Hayden, Guy (14 February 2008). "Review: The Unrest Cure". BBC. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  16. ^ "Leo Abrahams – The Grape and The Grain". The 405. 1 April 2009. Archived from the original on 14 September 2010. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  17. ^ Roffey, Pablo (17 April 2009). "Review of Leo Abrahams' album 'The Grape and the Grain'". ContactMusic. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
[edit]
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