| Leafcutter John

John Burton, aka Leafcutter John, born in West Yorkshire, studied painting at Norwich School Of Art, spending his spare time composing folk songs on a guitar. He bought a PC to type his university assignments and then he discovered the possibilities of electronic music. When asked about his inspirations, Burton cites Chasm, Main or Richard D James, as well as Pierre Henry, Karlheinz Stockhausen or Pierre Schaeffer.

He signed to Mike Paradinas' Planet Mu label to release his very first EP (Concourse). After releasing his first album, Microcontact in 2000, he spent three years with making its successor, The Housebound Spirit. It owes its title to a severe case of agoraphobia Burton developed after being attacked near his home. Suffering from regular panic attacks whilst outside, he found himself a prisoner in his own home, with music as only mean to escape. Built from sounds he recorded in his home, and ranging from abstract compositions to (almost) straightforward folk-pop songs, this album is nevertheless unified by its exceptional emotional content.