Astronaut

Four years on from his explorative third full-length ‘Aquamarine,’ Londoner Ash Walker returns with an equally ambitious follow-up, set for release via Night Time Stories on 2nd June. Alongside a plethora of award-winning collaborators and combining a dizzying array of sounds, ‘Astronaut’ hears Walker push his astral shower of rhythm and vibes to new heights. If 'Aquamarine’ was the take-off of his audial spaceship, ‘Astronaut’ is the cosmic voyage reaching terminal velocity; a rocket-powered masterclass spanning jazz, blues, soul, funk, and reggae.

An avid record collector, Walker has DJed far and wide... from the infamous Royal Mail squat party to the canals of Venice, spinning vinyl in Brixton with The Specials to scattering dub across San Francisco and LA. His own production output is similarly exploratory: his journeys have taken him far and wide, from tunnels under the river Thames to recording local percussionists in the Atlas mountains of Morocco. Inspired by a deep dive of sounds from artists including Duke Ellington, Quincy Jones, King Tubby, Bo Diddley, 4Hero, J Dilla, Pete Rock, Curtis Mayfield, Philip Glass, and Steve Reich; his first two albums, ‘Augmented 7th’ (2015) and ‘Echo Chamber’ (2016) gained attention from the likes of BBC 6 Music DJs Gilles Peterson, Don Letts and Gideon Coe.

TRACKLIST

1. Only Love feat. Lou Rhodes
2. Letting Go feat. Andrew Ashong
3. Afronaut feat. Amp Fiddler & Laville
4. Babylonian Triangle of Captivity feat. Ebi Soda
5. Time Gets Wasted feat. Sly5thAve & Denitia
6. Automation feat. Oscar Jerome & Joe Armon-Jones
7. Running Away feat. Jazz Ahmed & Laville
8. Petrol Head feat. Laville
9. Detroit Velvet Smooth feat. Yazz Ahmed
10. Jupiter feat. Kennebec