Adem Ilhan (born 20 November 1977) is an English composer, producer and singer-songwriter. He has released many albums: his solo music project released under the name Adem, in the acclaimed
post-rock
Post-rock is a form of experimental rock characterized by a focus on exploring textures and timbre over traditional rock song structures, chords, or riffs. Post-rock artists are often instrumental, typically combining rock instrumentation with ...
band
Fridge
A refrigerator, colloquially fridge, is a commercial and home appliance consisting of a thermally insulated compartment and a heat pump (mechanical, electronic or chemical) that transfers heat from its inside to its external environment so th ...
, alongside
Kieran Hebden
Kieran Hebden (born September 1977), known as Four Tet, is an English electronic musician. He came to prominence as a member of the post-rock band Fridge before establishing himself as a solo artist with charting UK albums such as '' Rounds'' ( ...
, and as part of the electronic duo
Silver Columns with
Johnny Lynch
Johnny Lynch (born 28 September 1981) is a Scottish musician who performs under the pseudonym The Pictish Trail. After graduation from the University of St Andrews, Lynch ran Fence Records from 2003 until 2013 and has since been running Lost M ...
. He has scored several feature films and television series and numerous documentaries.
Recording history
Ilhan's debut solo album, ''
Homesongs'', appeared on
Domino Records in 2004. Mixed by
Kieran Hebden
Kieran Hebden (born September 1977), known as Four Tet, is an English electronic musician. He came to prominence as a member of the post-rock band Fridge before establishing himself as a solo artist with charting UK albums such as '' Rounds'' ( ...
, the album found critical acclaim with limited commercial success. The album includes the song "Statued", which featured on the soundtrack of the film ''
Dead Man's Shoes''.
A second album, ''
Love and Other Planets
''Love and Other Planets'' is the second album by British singer/songwriter Adem Ilhan
Adem Ilhan (born 20 November 1977) is an English composer, producer and singer-songwriter. He has released many albums: his solo music project released ...
'', was released on 24 April 2006 to generally favourable reviews.
In May 2008 Ilhan released a collection of cover songs called ''Takes''. The album includes tracks originally written and performed by
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo (YLT; Spanish for "I have her") is an American indie rock band formed in Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1984. Since 1992, the lineup has consisted of Ira Kaplan (guitars, piano, vocals), Georgia Hubley (drums, piano, vocals), and James McNew ...
,
The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins (also referred to as simply Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band from Chicago. Formed in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, bassist D'arcy Wretzky, guitarist James Iha and drummer Jimmy Chamb ...
,
Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct three-octave vocal range and eccentric persona, she has de ...
,
dEUS
''Deus'' (, ) is the Latin word for "god" or "deity".
Latin ''deus'' and ''dīvus'' ("divine") are in turn descended from Proto-Indo-European *'' deiwos'', "celestial" or "shining", from the same root as '' *Dyēus'', the reconstructed chief g ...
, and
Bedhead
BedHead is a comedy web series created by Jon Dalgaard, Claire Phillips, Tom Keele, Reece A. Jones & Benjamin Mathews. Filmed in Sydney, Australia, the series allows the audience to hear the thoughts of two old friends, Paul and Sarah, who end up ...
, among others.
In 2008 Ilhan along with
Jeremy Warmsley
Jeremy Warmsley is a London-based musician and composer.
Biography
From 2005 to 2009, he worked as a solo artist, recording two albums for Transgressive Records and touring with Regina Spektor and The Shins. Since 2009 he has worked with his wi ...
&
Mystery Jets
Mystery Jets are an English indie rock band, formerly based on Eel Pie Island in Twickenham, London. The band consists of Blaine Harrison (vocals, guitar and keyboards), Jack Flanagan (bass and vocals), Kapil Trivedi (drums) and Henry Harriso ...
contributed the song "Grains of Sand" to the
Survival International
Survival International is a human rights organisation formed in 1969, a London based charity that campaigns for the rights of indigenous and/or tribal peoples and uncontacted peoples.
The organisation's campaigns generally focus on tribal peopl ...
charity album ''
Songs for Survival
Bruce Parry Presents ''Amazon - Tribe - Songs for Survival'' is a double album released by Kensaltown Records in support of a tribal peoples charity.
Background
The album was released in support of Survival International, the human rights organi ...
''.
In 2011, Adem collaborated with folk music group
Lau
Lau or LAU may refer to:
People
* Lau (surname)
* Liu (劉/刘), a common Chinese family name transliterated Lau in Cantonese and Hokkien
* Lau clan, one of the Saraswat Brahmin clans of Punjab
* LAU (musician): Laura Fares
Places
* Lebane ...
to create the ''Ghosts'' EP under the name Lau vs Adem.
Since 2014, Ilhan has been performing with
Philip Selway
Philip James Selway (born 23 May 1967) is an English musician and the drummer of the English rock band Radiohead. Along with the other members of Radiohead, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.
Selway released his debut ...
's band and opened for Selway on his 2015 US tour.
After years of collaborations by production and session-playing, Adem released a new solo album, ''seconds are acorns'', in October 2015. The first single from it, "Snow in April", received its first radio airplay on
BBC 6 Music in August.
Ilhan has also been involved in film and television soundtracks. He was musical director and co-wrote the original tracks for the 2019 film ''
Yesterday'', and soundtracked several productions, including ''
In the Loop'' (2009) and ''
Avenue 5
''Avenue 5'' is a science fiction comedy television series created by Armando Iannucci that premiered on HBO in the United States on January 19, 2020. It stars Hugh Laurie and Josh Gad in lead roles as captain and owner of a fictional interpl ...
'' (2020) (both by
Armando Iannucci
Armando Giovanni Iannucci (; born 28 November 1963) is a Scottish satirist, writer, director, producer, performer, and panellist. Born in Glasgow to Italian parents, Iannucci studied at the University of Glasgow followed by the University of ...
), and
David Farr's film ''
The Ones Below
''The Ones Below'' is a 2015 British thriller directed by David Farr in his feature debut. It was shown in the Panorama section at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival and released on 11 March 2016 in the United Kingdom.
Plot
Kate (Clà ...
'' (2015).
Discography
Solo albums
*''
Homesongs'' (29 March 2004)
*''
Love and Other Planets
''Love and Other Planets'' is the second album by British singer/songwriter Adem Ilhan
Adem Ilhan (born 20 November 1977) is an English composer, producer and singer-songwriter. He has released many albums: his solo music project released ...
'' (24 April 2006)
*''
Takes'' (12 May 2008)
*''seconds are acorns'' (16 October 2015)
Singles
*"These Are Your Friends" (17 May 2004) (CD/10")
*"Ringing in My Ear" (13 September 2004) (CD/7")
*"Waves" (19 June 2006) (only as a download on iTunes 'Free Single of The Week')
*"Launch Yourself" (2007) (CD/7") UK No. 157
Other work
*Ilhan contributed a cover of
Jeff Buckley
Jeffrey Scott Buckley (November 17, 1966 – May 29, 1997), raised as Scott Moorhead, was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. After a decade as a session guitarist in Los Angeles, Buckley amassed a following in the early 1990s by ...
's "
Mojo Pin
"Mojo Pin" is the first song on Jeff Buckley's 1994 album ''Grace''. It was written by Jeff Buckley and Gary Lucas, and was first introduced on his EP, ''Live at Sin-é''. Buckley stated that the song was about a dream of a black woman. Through a ...
" for the 2005 tribute album ''
Dream Brother: The Songs of Tim and Jeff Buckley''.
*Ilhan plays the bass and sings on English folk supergroup
The Memory Band
The Memory Band is an English folk group founded by Stephen Cracknell. The Memory Band has a rolling cast of collaborators from across the musical spectrum. They made their name with their eponymous debut album released on their own Hungry Hill ...
's 2006 album ''Apron Strings''.
*Ilhan is the founder and organiser of the Homefires Festival, which takes place at the
Conway Hall
The Conway Hall Ethical Society, formerly the South Place Ethical Society, based in London at Conway Hall, is thought to be the oldest surviving freethought organisation in the world and is the only remaining ethical society in the United Kin ...
in London, UK.
*Ilhan remixed the track "Welcome, Ghosts" for a special edition release of
Explosions in the Sky
Explosions in the Sky is an American post-rock band from Texas. The quartet originally played under the name Breaker Morant, then changed to the current name in 1999. The band has garnered popularity beyond the post-rock scene for their elabor ...
's 2007 album ''
All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone''.
*Ilhan plays on
Vashti Bunyan
Vashti Bunyan (born Jennifer Vashti Bunyan, 1945) is an English singer-songwriter. Beginning her career in the mid-1960s, she released her debut album, ''Just Another Diamond Day'', in 1970. The album sold very few copies and Bunyan, discourage ...
's 2006 album ''
Lookaftering
''Lookaftering'' is the second studio album by Vashti Bunyan. It was released via FatCat Records on October 17, 2005. It is the follow-up to 1970's '' Just Another Diamond Day''.
Reception
At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score ou ...
''
*Ilhan sang a cover of Johnny Cash's "
I Walk the Line
"I Walk the Line" is a song written and recorded in 1956 by Johnny Cash. After three attempts with moderate chart ratings, it became Cash's first #1 hit on the Billboard charts, ''Billboard'' charts, eventually reaching #17 on the US pop charts. ...
" for a 2006 Levi's "Slim Straight" Jeans commercial.
*Vocals by Ilhan are featured on two tracks from the
Emma Pollock
Emma Pollock (born 20 December 1972) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, musician, and a founding member of the bands the Delgados and the Burns Unit. She is also one of the founders of The Fruit Tree Foundation project and a regular contributor t ...
album, ''The Law of Large Numbers''; ''Letters To Strangers'' and ''Chemistry Will Find Me''.
*Ilhan mastered the single version of "You Only Went Out to Get Drunk Last Night" by
Kid Canaveral
Kid Canaveral was a Scottish alternative pop band that formed in St Andrews in Fife, Scotland, but are now based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Since 2007 the band have released a number of well received singles, an E.P. and an album on their own lab ...
, released in May 2010.
*Ilhan collaborated with
Lau
Lau or LAU may refer to:
People
* Lau (surname)
* Liu (劉/刘), a common Chinese family name transliterated Lau in Cantonese and Hokkien
* Lau clan, one of the Saraswat Brahmin clans of Punjab
* LAU (musician): Laura Fares
Places
* Lebane ...
on the EP ''Ghosts'' (credited to Lau vs Adem, 2011).
*Ilhan participated in the recording of
Philip Selway
Philip James Selway (born 23 May 1967) is an English musician and the drummer of the English rock band Radiohead. Along with the other members of Radiohead, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.
Selway released his debut ...
's 2014 solo album ''
Weatherhouse''.
Personal life
Ilhan grew up in London; his father had emigrated from Turkey. He attended the
Elliott School in Putney, which had gained a reputation of nurturing talented musicians, with Ilhan being the contemporary of artists including Kieran Hebden, members of
Hot Chip
Hot Chip are an English synthpop band formed in London in 1995. The group consists of multi-instrumentalists Alexis Taylor, Joe Goddard, Al Doyle, Owen Clarke, and Felix Martin. They are occasionally joined by former member Rob Smoughton for ...
and members of the Elysian Quartet, all of whom he has later collaborated with. He also attended the
University of Warwick
The University of Warwick ( ; abbreviated as ''Warw.'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands (county), West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The university was founded i ...
. In December 2006 Ilhan played a free concert in Barrhead Community Library, commenting: "I love libraries.
..The existence of public libraries is one of my favourite achievements of human kind".
Ilhan is deaf in one ear.
After many years in London, he and his family now live in
Margate
Margate is a seaside resort, seaside town on the north coast of Kent in south-east England. The town is estimated to be 1.5 miles long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay, UK, Palm Bay and Westbrook, Kent, ...
.
References
External links
*
The Memory Band*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ilhan, Adem
English bass guitarists
English male guitarists
Male bass guitarists
English songwriters
English male singers
Alumni of the University of Warwick
English people of Turkish descent
Living people
1977 births
Place of birth missing (living people)
Domino Recording Company artists
British male songwriters