Around the time we did this I was experimenting a lot with ways to properly improvise with synths - trying to make my box of wires more spontaneous than these things usually are and testing it in collaborations with musicians I liked. I love Mario's playing, so when I had him over to play support for my band The Animal Spirits' London show we hooked up for a day in my studio. This was the simplest of the 3 things we tried - just the pair of us steering our arpeggios around the other's in free time, but we both love a bit of melodrama and the excitement of hearing us successfully land that in a live take made this our favourite.

02. Lonely Woman
03. Vibraphone Piece
Released on Willkommen Records June 2020
Spotify Bandcamp

02. Sunday
03. Tuesday (feat. Jakub Ziolek)
04. Wednesday (feat. Jakub Ziolek)
Released on Border Community 6th March 2020
Norman Bear Tree Drift

Willkommen Records 2019
Bandcamp Rough Trade Spotify

Bleep Spotify

2. Monk’s Theme Part I
3. Downturn Medley
4. Solidarity Theme (Villagers)
5. Monk’s Theme Part II
6. The Villagers
7. Disintegration Drone I
8. Solidarity Theme (Release) listen
9. Monk’s Theme Part III (Exit)
10. Reprise
11. Disintegration Drone II (Torn Cone)
12. Disintegration Drone III (Death Rattle)
13. Self-Playing Schmaltz
14. Srey Pov’s Theme (End Credits)
Border Community 2018
Listen/Buy: Bleep Bear Tree Norman Resident Spotify itunes
A Cambodian Spring - Documentary film by Chris Kelly, soundtrack by James Holden. Watch Here
I was commissioned to write some music for Lepus Productions' interactive theatre piece The Portal, which explores the idea of trance states in British folk culture and is coming to the Southbank in summer 2020. TICKETS
October 2018/Summer 2020
Three Live Takes

2. Youmala
3. Baba Hamouda
Border Community 2018
Listen/Buy: Bleep Boomkat Norman Spotify
Video shot by Camile Blake at Sacred Walls London September 2016
The Animal Spirits

2. Spinning Dance
3. Pass Through The Fire
4. Each Moment Like The First
5. The Beginning & End Of The World
6. Thunder Moon Gathering
7. The Animal Spirits
8. The Neverending
9. Go Gladly Into The Earth
Listen/Buy: iTunes Apple Music Norman Records Bleep Spotify
The Animal Spirits.
Video by Lucy Suggate (Dance) and Dan Tombs (Camera). 2017

C,D. Luke Abbott - 555Hz

Play
B. Maalem Mahmoud Guinia & James Holden - Bania
Play
3. Maalem Mahmoud Guinia & James Holden - Marhaba
Play 4. Maalem Mahmoud Guinia & James Holden - Tora Tora Torko Lila
Play
I joined the Caribou Vibration Ensemble on modular synth for three shows in 2011. The video above is of the whole performance at ATP with Marshall Allen joining the group, and three highlights from the tour are available on 12" and digital below.
1. Bowls
2. Ahmed, Colin, James, Kieran, Kyle, Rob & Steve
3. Sun

02. ||: A Circle Inside A Circle Inside :||
03. Renata
04. The Caterpillar's Intervention
05. Sky Burial
06. The Illuminations
07. Inter-City 125
08. Delabole
09. Seven Stars
10. Gone Feral
11. The Inheritors
12. Circle Of Fifths
13. Some Respite
14. Blackpool Late Eighties
15. Self-Playing Schmaltz

Play
B1. Circle Of Fifths (Dub)
Play
B2. Circle Of Fifths (Gibbersolo)
Play Border Community 2013
Bleep Boomkat iTunes

Play
B1. The Illuminations (Drumsolo)
Play
B2. The Illuminations (Arpsolo)
Play
Border Community 2013
Spotify Bleep Boomkat iTunes

Play
B1. Gone Feral (Drumtool)
Play
B2. Gone Feral (Synthtool)
Play
Border Community 2013
Spotify Bleep

Performance of mind-altering music with Etienne Jaumet, Tom Page & Camilo Tirado as part of a performance lecture at the Barbican, London with Marcus Du Sautoy.
Hear our performance, as well as excerpts of the lecture on the microsite.

Play
B. Holy Beast (Holden Woolly Beast Edit)
Play Download: mp3 flac
Border Community 2011
Bleep
Appears on 'James Holden DJ Kicks'
(mixed CD/dl, unmixed vinyl)
Spotify Bleep

Play Download: mp3 flac
AA. Triangle Folds Inside Out
Play
!K7 Records 2010
Spotify Bleep iTunes

02. Grackle - Disco (Musiccargo Remix)
03. Mordant Music - Olde Wobbly
04. Maserati - No More Sages
05. Caribou - Lemon Yoghourt
06. Luke Abbott - Soft Attacks
07. Mogwai - The Sun Smells Too Loud (Holden Remix)
08. Kieran Hebden / Steve Reid - Departure
09. Ursula Bogner - Punkte
10. Eric Copeland - Auto Dimmer
11. Mit - Rauch (Luke Abbott Remix)
12. ARP - Potentialities
13. Lucky Dragons - Open Melody
14. Holden - Triangle Folds (DJ-KiCKS)
15. James Ruskin - Definition Of
16. Legowelt - Flight Of The Jupiter
17. Walls - Gaberdine
18. Lukas Nystrand - Never Fail (Vocal)
19. Didier Pacquette - Arwen, Namarie
20. SS Pyramid Snake - Catacomb City
EMI 2008 / www.radioheadremix.com

02. Quiet Drumming Interlude
03. 10101
04. Corduroy
05. Flute
06. Idiot
07. Lumpette
08. Intentionally Left Blank
09. Idiot Clapsolo
10. Quiet Drumming
Originally released on Border Community 2006. Limited splatter vinyl repress out 11th October 2019
Norman Boomkat Spotify Bleep iTunes

01. Apparat - Wooden
02. Plastikman - Cor Ten
03. Massive Attack vs. Mad Professor - Trinity Dub (Three)
04. Kate Wax - Angel Blues
05. Death In Vegas - Anita Berber
06. Petter - Some Polyphony
07. Vox Sola - Metro Pop
08. Issakidis - Hotter Now (Stripped Down Mix)
09. Holden - Lump
10. Midi Miliz - Trace Function
11. Harmonia - Watussi
12. Holden - 10101
13. Skugge + Stavostrand - Medean
14. Nathan Fake - Charlies House (Apparat Remix)
15. Lucky Pierre - Angels On Your Body
16. Christ. - Perlandine Friday
17. Fennesz - Rivers Of Sand
Disc 2
01. Meta.83 - Opening Titles
02. Paul Kalkbrenner - Gebrunn Gebrunn
03. Motiivi:Tuntematon - 1939
04. Malcolm Middleton - Solemn Thirsty
05. Aphex Twin - Xtal
06. Milky Globe vs. Holden - Sun Spots
07. Kalabrese - Aufm Klo
08. Lazy Fat People - Big City
09. Water Lilly - Lottotron Reboot
10. Trans Am - Cold War (War Is Stupid Mix)
11. Slag Boom Van Loon - Poppy Seed (Boards Of Canada Reprise)
12. Egoexpress - Live At Sirius Prime
13. Black Strobe - Nazi Trance Fuck Off! (Holden Remix)
14. Plastikman - Cor Ten
15. AFX - Every Day
Resist 2006
Spotify iTunes
Crosstown Rebels 2005
Play Download: mp3 flac
xx. Vocal
Play Download: mp3 flac
Jive 2004 (never released)

A2. A Break In The Clouds (Fluffapella)
B1. A Break In The Clouds (Beats Tool)
B2. A Break In The Clouds (Ambient Version)
Border Community 2003
Spotify Bleep iTunes
23 Jul | Visions Festival, London, UK with
James Holden & Waclaw Zimpel![]() |
04 Aug | Dekmantel Festival, Amsterdam, The Netherlands with
James Holden & Waclaw Zimpel![]() |
28 Aug | Whisper, Antwerp, Belgium with
James Holden & Waclaw Zimpel![]() |
Bookings:
Naomi @ Earth Agency
The Animal Spirits - Thunder Moon Gathering live at Field Day London 2018 [VIDEO]
The Animal Spirits live at Festival BBMix Paris 2017 [VIDEO]
The Animal Spirits in session on Gilles Peterson's BBC 6 Music show
The Animal Spirits Live @ Le Guess Who 2017
Church of Sound / NTS 2016 - Outdoor Museum Of Fractals live in a church [VIDEO]/[AUDIO]
Nuits Sonores 2016 / ARTE - Outdoor Museum of Fractals (with Camilo Tirado) [VIDEO]
Late Junction Session for BBC Radio 3 (with Marcus Hamblett, Mark Holub)
Invada Studios Session for Crack magazine [VIDEO]
Sonic City 2014 - Blackpool Late Eighties [VIDEO]
Sonic City 2014 - Gone Feral [VIDEO]
Sonic City 2014 - The Inheritors [VIDEO]
Sonic City 2014 - The Caterpillar's Intervention [VIDEO]
Talking to Sarathy Korwar on the BBC World Service's Music Life show
Long retrospective chat with Andy Thompson on Rinse FM
Talking to Kate Hutchinson about Gnawa music on Worldwide FM
Spotify playlist for Project Revolver
Winter Solstice mini-mix for Tom Ravenscroft's BBC 6 Music show
Bird On The Wire 'What's in your ears' Spotify Playlist
BBC Radio 3 Late Junction September 2018 - 'Trance' mixtape & interview
Radio Raheem Milan (with The Animal Spirits) November 2017
NTS May 2016 with Camilo Tirado and Luke Abbott
Playground Mix for Studio Brussel March 2016
Red Bull Radio: Encounters, with Michael Rother
Sonic City 2014 Mixtape for Texture
Biography
Management: talk to Border Community.
Publishing: Warp Publishing.
UK Press: Dog Day Press.
Code: James Holden