Aidan Baker Explained

Aidan Baker
Birth Date:	1974/1975
Origin:	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genre:	Experimental, ambient, drone doom, post-rock, space rock
Occupation:	musician, writer, poet
Instrument:	Guitar, drums, flute, among others
Years Active:	1999–present
Label:	Beta-lactam Ring Records, Alien8 Recordings, Important Records, Robotic Empire, Somewherecold Records
Associated Acts:	Nadja, ARC, Adoran, B/B/S, Caudal, Infinite Light Ltd., Mnemosyne, Scythling, Whisper Room

Aidan Baker (born 1974) is an electronic musician from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who has released numerous records both as a solo artist and as part of various side projects, including Nadja, ARC, Caudal and Mnemosyne. He has also written several books of poetry.^[1]

He has toured around the world, and has made appearances at the Unsound Festival, MUTEK, and South by Southwest. He is married to Nadja bandmate, Leah Buckareff.

Style

Baker utilizes a very experimental style of playing guitar, influenced by artists such as Caspar Brötzmann, James Plotkin, Steve Albini, and Justin Broadrick.^[2] Influences on his musical structures and sound include Sonic Youth, Swans, Sunn O))), Red House Painters, Godflesh, Codeine, and PJ Harvey.^[3]

Discography

*This section is considered incomplete. You can help by adding to it.

• Element (CD-R, Arcolepsy Records, 2000)
• I Fall into You (CD-R, Public Eyesore, 2002)
  • Re-released (CD, Basses Frequences, 2008)
• Letters (CD-R, Arcolepsy Records, 2002)
  • Re-released (LP, Basses Frequences, 2008)
• Pretending to Be Fearless (CD-R, Fleshmadeword, 2002)
• Repercussion (CD-R, Piehead Records, 2002)
• Rural (CD-R, Blade Records, 2002)
• Wound Culture (CD-R, Unbound Books, 2002) (soundtrack to his book of the same name)
• At the Fountain of Thirst (CD-R, Mystery Sea, 2003)
• Black Flowers Blossom (CD-R, Sonic Syrup, 2003)
• Cicatrice (CD-R, Dreamland Recordings, 2003)
• Concretion (CD-R, DTA Records, 2003)
  • Re-released (MP3, .Angle.Rec., 2007)
• Corpus Callosum (CD-R, Kolorform Records, 2003)
• Dreammares (CD-R, Mechanoise Labs, 2003)
• Eye of Day (CD-R, Foreign Lands, 2003)
• Loop Studies One (CD-R, Laub Records, 2003)
• Loop Studies Remixed (CD-R, Arcolepsy Records, 2003)
• Métamorphose (En Sept Étages) (CD-R, S'agita Recordings, 2003)
• Terza Rima (CD-R, Public Eyesore, 2003)
• Threnody One: Lamentation (CD-R, Nulll, 2003)
• An Intricate Course of Deception (CD, .Angle.Rec., 2004)
• Antithesis (CD-R, petite sono], 2004)
• At the Base of the Mind Is Coiled a Serpent (CD, Le Cri de la Harpe, 2004)
• Blauserk (CD-R, The Locus of Assemblage, 2004)
• Butterfly Bones (CD, Between Existence Productions, 2004)
• Field of Drones (CD-R, Arcolepsy Records, 2004)
• Ice Against My Skin (CD-R, Arrêt Arrêt Recordings, 2004)
• Ichneumon (MP3, TIBProd, 2004)
• Same River Twice (7", Drone Records, 2004)
• Scouring Thin Bones (MP3, Noiseusse, 2004)
• Tense Surfaces (MP3, Panospria, 2004)
• The Taste of Summer on Your Skin (CD-R, taâlem, 2004)
• 24.2.24.4. (MP3, Dark Winter, 2005)
• At Home With… (CD, Infraction, 2005)
• Candescence (CD-R, Verato Project, 2005)
• Figures (CD-R, Transient Frequency, 2005)
  • Re-released (CD, Volubilis Records, 2007)
• Periodic (CD-R, Crucial Bliss, 2005)
• Remixes (CD-R, Arcolepsy Records, 2005)
• Skein of Veins (MP3, Phoniq, 2005)
• Songs of Flowers & Skin (CD-R, Zunior Records, 2005)
  • Re-released (CD, Beta-lactam Ring Records, 2010)
• Still My Beating Heart Beats (CD-R, Pertin_nce, 2005)
• The Taste of Summer on Your Skin (CD-R, taâlem, 2004/2005)
  • 1st & 2nd editions released in 2004 & 2005 respectively
• Traumerei (CD-R, Evelyn Records, 2005)
• Undercurrents (CD/MP3, Zenapolae https://www.zenapolae.com/zen007 (free download), 2005)
• Within the Final Circle (MP3, Mirakelmusik, 2005)
• 030706 (MP3, City of Glass, 2006)
• Dog Fox Gone to Ground (CD-R, Afe Records, 2006)
• Oneiromancer (CD, 2xCD, Die Stadt, 2006)
  • 2CD version contains a second disc with an Untitled Live Performance
• Peau Sensible (MP3, Zenapolæ https://www.zenapolae.com/zen021 (free download), 2006)
• Pendulum (CD-R, Gears of Sand, 2006)
• Still My Beating Heart Beats (MP3, Pertin_nce, 2006)
• The Sea Swells a Bit… (CD, A Silent Place, 2006)
• Broken & Remade (CD, Volubilis Records, 2007)
• Concretion (MP3, .Angle.Rec., 2007)
• Convs. w/ Myself (CD-R, Evelyn Records, 2007)
• Dance of Lonely Molecules (CD-R, Blade Records, 2007)
• Exoskeleton Heart (CD-R, Crucial Bliss, 2007)
• Figures (CD, Volubilis Records, 2007)
• Green & Cold (CD-R, Gears of Sand, 2007)
  • Re-released (CD, Beta-lactam Ring Records, 2008)
• I Will Always and Forever Hold You in My Heart and Mind (CD-R, Small Doses, 2007)
  • Limited 2nd Edition was released in 2008 with slightly different artwork
  • Re-released (CD, Basses Frequences/Small Doses, 2010)
• Noise of Silence (CD-R, Hyperblasted, 2007)
• Scalpel (CD, The Kora Records, 2007)
• Second Week of the Second Month (MP3, Kikapu Net.Label, 2007)
• Thoughtspan (CD-R, Tosom, 2007)
  • Re-released (LP, Blackest Rainbow, 2009)
• Fragile Movements in Slow Motion (CD-R, Universal Tongue, 2008)
• Suchness #1 (CD-R, Gears of Sand, 2008)
• 20080307 (3"CD-R, Walnut + locust, 2009)
• Blue Figures (CD, Basses Frequences, 2009)
• Dry (CD, Install, 2009)
• Gathering Blue (2LP, Equation Records, 2009)
• Live in Montreal (MP3, Blocks Recording Club, 2009)
• PMT#60 Playmytape @ Dom Club (MP3, Play MY Tape, 2009)
• Liminoid | Lifeforms (CD, Alien8 Recordings, 2010)
• Rictus (CD, OHM Records, 2011) – compilation of the 3" CD-R releases Cicatrice (2003), Blauserk (2004), The Taste of Summer on Your Skin (2004) and Fragile Movements in Slow Motion (2008)
• Passing Thru (CD/Book, Beta-lactam Ring Records, forthcoming)
• Only Stories (CD, The Kora Records, forthcoming)
• Lost in the Rat Maze (CD, ConSouling Sounds, 2011)
• Pure Drone (Drone Compendium vol 1) (LP, Beta-Lactam Ring Records, 2011)
• The Spectrum of Distraction (2xCD, Robotic Empire, 2012) – Comes with download card containing over 6 hours of extra material / full mixes.
• Already Drowning (LP, CD, Gizeh Records, 2013)
• Objekts (Cassette, DV, 2016)
• Aberration (CD, Cassette, Digital, Somewherecold Records, 2017)

Collaborations

• Aidan Baker vs. Straiph Wilson– Scouring Thin Bones(3×File, MP3, 192 kbps)

Noiseusse N12.2004

• Approaching a Black Hole with DD3 (CD-R, Fargone Records, 2006)
• An Open Letter to Franz Kafka with Beta Cloud (CD-R, Laughing Bride Media, 2007)
• Nagual with Todd Merrell & Patrick Jordan (CD, aRCHIVE, 2007)
• Orange with thisquietarmy (CD-R, thisquietarmy Records, 2007)
• Live Collaboration with Leah Buckareff & Datashock (12", Meudiademorte/Hlava Temple, 2007)
• Fantasma Parastasie with Tim Hecker (Alien8 Recordings, 2008)
• Live 2008-14-11 with Brandon Valdivia (CD, Universal Tongue, 2009)
• A Picture of a Picture with thisquietarmy (CD, Album, Killer Pimp, 2009)
• White Nights / Drone Fields / DOM with Nadja (2xDVD, 2xCD, Beta-Lactam Ring Records, 2009) – 1 DVD & 1 CD each for Nadja / Aidan Baker solo
• Infinite Light Ltd. with Nathan Amundson of Rivulets and Mat Sweet of Boduf Songs. (CD, LP Denovali Records, 2011)^[4]
• Werl with Tomas Järmyr (Consouling Sounds, 2016)
• Noplace with Simon Goff/Thor Harris (CD/LP, Album, Gizeh Records, 2017)
• Invisible Cities with Gareth Davis (LP/CDr, Album, Carlrecords, 2018)

Splits

• Untitled with Z'EV, John Duncan & Fear Falls Burning (2x7", Die Stadt, 2005)
• Colorful Disturbances with Noveller (LP, Divorce, 2009)
• The Sun is Bleeding & Has Black Hands with ARC (2CD, Kokeshidisk, 2009)

With Nadja

• Touched (Deserted Factory Records, 2003)
• Skin Turns to Glass (Nothingness Records, 2003)
• Corrasion (Foreshadow Productions, 2003)
• split with Moss (2003)
• I Have Tasted the Fire Inside Your Mouth (Deserted Factory Records, 2004)
• Bodycage (Nothingness Records, 2005)
• Bliss Torn from Emptiness (Fargone Records, 2005)
• Truth Becomes Death (Alien8 Recordings, 2005)
• Absorption Split with Methadrone (2005)
• Trembled (Profound Lore Recordings, 2006)
• We Have Departed the Circle Blissfully with Fear Falls Burning (Conspiracy Records, 2006)
• Thaumogenesis (Archive Records, 2007)
• Guilted by the Sun (Roadburn Records, 2007)
• Radiance of Shadows (Alien8 Recordings, 2007)
• 12012291920/1414101 with Atavist (Invada Records, 2007)
• Nadja with Fear Falls Burning (Conspiracy Records, 2007)
• Desire in Uneasiness (Crucial Blast Records, 2008)
• Long Dark Twenties 7" (Anthem Records, 2008)
• Trinity (Die Stadt Musik, 2008)
• The Bungled & the Botched (ConSouling Sounds, 2008)
• Autopergamene (Essence Music, 2010)
• Cystema Solari with Uochi Toki (CORPOC, 2014)

With ARC

• Untitled (CD-R, Arcolepsy Records, 2000)
• Two (CD-R, Arcolepsy Records/Mathbat Records, 2001)
• 13th (CD-R, taâlem, 2002
• 2 Songs (MP3, Subverseco, 2002)
• Repercussion (CD-R, Piehead Records, 2002)
• Feral (CD-R, Arcolepsy Records/Worthy Records, 2003)
• Eyes in the Back of Our Heads (CD-R, Worthy Records, 2004)
• The Circle Is Not Round (CD, A Silent Place, 2005)
• Periodical II (CD-R, The Ceiling, 2006)

Tracks Appear On

• [Track titled 'Eitttlane'](a tribute to Ulver, MP3, CD-R, Aspherical Asphyxia Prod., 2007)
• Resistance Compilation II: In Support of the ACLU (Somewherecold Records, 2020)

With Mnemosyne

• Spiritsized (CD-R, Arcolepsy Records, 2003)
• The Air Grows Small Fingers (CD-R, Piehead Records, 2004)

Bibliography

• Fingerspelling (Penumbra Press)
• Wound Culture (Unbound Books)
• The Adventures of Me & You (Eraserhead Press)
• Place Name (Wingate Press)
• Passing Through (Wounded Wolf Press, forthcoming)

External links

• -Any sound can be music- Interview with Aidan Baker (in Spanish)
• Free download of Peau Sensible album (Zenapolæ Netlabel)
• Free download of Undercurrents album (Zenapolæ Netlabel)

Notes and References

1. Adian Baker on discogs.com
2. Web site: Thorn . Malahki . Aidan Baker Interview; Butterfly Bones . Heathen Harvest . 16 October 2004 . 3 February 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080225054858/http://www.heathenharvest.com/article.php?story=20041016153736179 . 25 February 2008 . dead .
3. Web site: Hörner . James . Aidan Baker: DIY . Canadian Content . 3 February 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080202204649/http://www.canadiancontent.ca/interviews/050104baker.html. 2 February 2008 . live.
4. http://www.denovali.com/infinitelightltd Infinite Light Ltd.