Ochre

Ochre is Newcastle/England-based phonographer, artist and fledgling mastering engineer, Christopher Leary. Since winning a remix contest held by Rephlex artist Global Goon in 2002, Leary quickly rose to prominence, establishing himself as a promising new talent within the electronica milieu. The following year, Leary won another remix contest, co-hosted by Nintendo and Computer and Video Games Magazine, taking first place with his playful Zelda remix medley.

2004 saw the release of Ochre’s debut album, A Midsummer Nice Dream, released on London’s prestigious Toytronic Records to critical acclaim. 100% synthesised, featuring pristine production, analogue synths and crystalline beats, Midsummer showcased Leary’s expressive musicality, from moody dark ambience to melancholic melodies and upbeat playfulness, resulting in a perfect balance of harmonic beauty and intricacy.

Ochre’s sophomore album, Lemodie, was released in 2006 on Edinburgh’s Benbecula Records, displaying a maturing, classically-infused approach to melodic composition. Combining clean analogue synthesis with sampled acoustic instruments and a grittier, noisier sound palette, Lemodie made for a subtler, more cohesive and focused release.

In 2008, keen to branch out into installation work, Leary composed Reception for the 2008 AV Festival in Newcastle, hosted by the Culture Lab. A 4.1 surround installation, Reception was written using archived recordings of French playwright and poet Antonin Artaud as the sole source material, processed, warped and convolved to create a hauntingly atmospheric piece, befitting the ‘Haunted Broadcast’ theme. The title plays both on the broadcasting theme and the Culture Lab venue for the installation.

Following the recent release of Ochre’s Petl EP at the start of the year on Baselogic Records, this summer sees the release of Ochre’s long-awaited third album, entitled Like Dust of the Balance. Featuring guest writer and performer Benet Walsh (Plaid, Leila), it promises to be the most stylistically and timbrally varied Ochre release so far.