Poppy Ackroyd reworked by Anne Müller

Poppy Ackroyd   EP ‘Pause Reimagined’ out August 24th via One Little Independent Records   Single ‘Suspended (Reimagined by Anne Müller)’ out now   Smartlink Spotify Soundcloud

Artwork Press images   “A force to be reckoned with” – Electronic Sound   “On par with neo-classical giants Nils Frahm, Max Richter and Hauschka” – MOJO   “Poppy Ackroyd can conjure whole worlds of sound out of the barest essentials” – Stereogum   In 2021, Poppy Ackroyd returned with her fourth full length album 'Pause' which saw acclaim from the likes of The Times, Stereogum, Clash Magazine, The Line Of Best Fit, The Arts Desk, The Independent, Composer Magazine and more, praising the album’s intimacy and its effectiveness as a representation of the time it was written. She followed it with a four track EP of gorgeous reworks where she built layers of interactive melodies and countermelodies, as well as percussive elements from the piano, to put emphasis on the dramatic tension of her soundscapes and further the narratives of her sonic adventures.   On August 24th Poppy Ackroyd will release a series of reworks by some of the most innovative modern composition artists working today, including Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, Hinako Omori, Isobel Waller-Bridge, Anne Müller and more.   On her version of ‘Suspended’, Erased Tapes signee and Berlin based cellist/composer Anne Müller has incorporated her trademark strings, adding a subtle but flowing undercurrent of ambient ethereality.   Anne Müller says; “What a beautiful piano piece. Suspended really moved me especially in its original version for solo piano. And her own reworked version has a real drive to it. I wanted to bring out all the elements that struck me as I listened to it and, with my cello orchestra, take it into my own, rather darker musical world.  A musical walk through a looking glass”.   Poppy continues; “Such a beautiful reimagining of Suspended. Leaving the track structurally as is, Anne has flooded the mix with her unique sound world. The cello layers are gorgeous, and you can hear it is her work immediately as her tone and playing style are so distinctive. Having not added any of my own string arrangements to the tracks on Pause (or Pause Reworked) it is wonderful to hear someone else’s interpretation of what that could have sounded like. I love it”.   A profound believer in the power of artistic collaboration, Anne Müller has worked with a wide variety of artists, including Nils Frahm, Ben Lukas Boysen, Agnes Obel, and Markus Sieber (aka Aukai). Anne co-founded the live project Solo Collective. She has released two tracks on Erased Tapes’ 5th and 10th anniversary boxsets, ‘Walzer für Robert’ and ‘Bel Tono’, and her debut solo record, ‘Heliopause’ in November 2019. She’s performed on a number of film scores, including Nils Frahm’s score for Victoria, and her music has been heard across numerous dance pieces, commercials and films. In 2021, Anne scored Ruth Platt’s feature Martyr’s Lane and most recently worked with the director Ursula Macfarlane on a new feature set for release in 2023.   Poppy Ackroyd is a performer, composer and producer from London, currently based in Brighton. Classically trained on piano and violin, she fell in love with the piano beyond the keyboard, discovering the world of sound that can be made from other parts of the instrument. As well as conventional playing styles she employs extended techniques, utilizing the piano's strings and frame as well as the keyboard, and the body of the violin as well as the strings. By manipulating and multi-tracking recordings of these sounds, the resulting compositions build into a cohesive, expressive and unique sonic space.   Across her back catalogue, from 2012’s ‘Escapement’ to 2021’s ‘Pause’ she explores themes both personal and abstract, and drives all aspects of the creative process herself down to making etchings for the album covers. This commitment to her craft is felt clearly in her inimitable and intimate live shows.   Ackroyd signed to One Little Independent in 2017 and she is published by Manners McDade. Performing on violin, piano and keyboards, her work with Joe Acheson's live project Hidden Orchestra has taken her all over the world. Her collaborations with animators and filmmakers have been multi-award-winning and her music has been used extensively in TV, radio, documentaries and films, as well as by leading dance companies.   Art credit: Poppy Ackroyd, Norman Ackroyd and Ruth Keating   Photo credit: Jesse Williams & Andrea Huyoff   Follow Poppy Ackroyd   Website Twitter Facebook Instagram Spotify