Hidden Orchestra

Hidden Orchestra originated as an "imagined orchestra" devised solely by composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Joe Acheson. Guest musicians drawn from disparate genres contribute separately to recordings, after which Acheson merges the performances in his studio to simulate a unified ensemble. His approach weaves shadowy orchestral layers with field recordings, basses, and dense accumulations of drums and percussion. The project began in Edinburgh during 2009 and later relocated its base to Brighton, where Acheson functions as musical director, recruiting players for concerts; pianist and violinist Poppy Ackroyd along with drummers Tim Lane and Jamie Graham appear regularly in these lineups.

The debut release, Night Walks, earned unanimous critical praise, as reviewers competed to capture its unusual sonic character and quickly spurred the 10" EP Flight plus supporting live dates. The 2012 follow-up Archipelago incorporated modal jazz, Sufi traditions, bird songs, surf and wind elements, Magma-esque prog rock, and electronic abstraction, much of the material remaining danceable. Strong reactions to both the album and its live presentation led to the release of two Archipelago Remixes volumes in 2013 and 2014.

Reorchestrations arrived as a covers collection containing two Ackroyd compositions and one by guest clarinetist Tomas Dvorak, known as Floex. Although Acheson effectively reworked the pieces, he retained their original melodies while introducing new rhythms, his own upright bass, and strata of pitched textures extracted from the source electronics. Wingbeats, issued in 2016, comprised a seven-part suite derived from field-recorded bird songs that Acheson modified through an array of electronic treatments and occasionally ambiguous instrumentation. Dawn Chorus followed in 2017, presenting extended tracks set against deeper sonic backdrops woven from timbres, textures, musical colors, and ambient spaces; it is widely regarded as Hidden Orchestra’s most accomplished recording to date. The project yielded the Dawn Chorus Remix Collection in 2018, which included reworkings by Nostalgia 77, Max Cooper, Floex, Matthew Herbert, and additional contributors.