Joe Bates

Joe Bates is a composer and curator making music at the edge of genres. His first musical love was for the orchestral classics of the Twentieth Century; he spent his teenage years aping Bartók (he even has a Bartók tattoo). At university, he became involved in drag, pop, and a mixed-genre music night, Filthy Lucre.

Joe’s music is born in the collision of these influences, embracing both orchestral music and synth-heavy electronics. He writes for himself, as a solo electronic performer, and for others, using classical notation. His music is inspired by composers from Kaija Saariaho to Giacinto Scelsi, songwriters like Fiona Apple and D’Angelo, writers like Ursula Le Guin and Derek Parfait, and artists like Hilma Af Klint and Abu Al-Hasan.

His music blends the riffs and harmonies of rock with structures and instrumentation drawn from contemporary classical music. It combines intense riffs, drifting synth sounds and notes outside of the traditional Western scale.

Joe’s recent recordings include his EP, Flim Flam, and Sparrow, for the bassist Marianne Schofield. Upcoming projects include a chamber work for the Riot Ensemble and a suit of detuned harp music.