Nathan Fake

Nathan Fake first gained attention with “The Sky Was Pink,” a 2004 single for James Holden’s Border Community label. Holden’s remix of the track drew sustained attention over the following two years, introducing Fake’s work to a wider electronic audience. Born Nathan Paul Fake on 1 March 1983, he is a British electronic musician from Necton, Norfolk, whose productions move between IDM, techno, minimal electronics and progressive-house forms.

Fake began making music while at high school, after hearing artists including Aphex Twin and Orbital on the radio and reading about electronic instruments and production in music magazines. In 2003 he met Holden, who signed him to Border Community. Early releases also appeared through Saw Recordings, Traum Schallplatten and Electrochoc Records, before Fake issued his debut album, Drowning in a Sea of Love, on Border Community in 2006. The record received positive reviews from outlets including Pitchfork, The Guardian and Mixmag, and remains his most acclaimed release.

His subsequent work has included seven studio albums across Border Community, Ninja Tune, Cambria Instruments and InFiné. In 2014, Fake and fellow Border Community artist Wesley Matsell co-founded Cambria Instruments. He joined Ninja Tune in 2016, releasing the Glaive EP that year, followed by his fourth studio album, Providence, in 2017. The album featured contributions from Prurient and Raphaelle Standell-Preston of Braids, and was followed by the two-part Providence Reworks EP, with remixes by Overmono, Huerco S., Olga Wojciechowska and Konx-Om-Pax.

Alongside his own records, Fake has worked as a remixer for artists including Radiohead, Jon Hopkins and Sasha. His releases have continued through Cambria Instruments and other labels, including InFiné, Manjumasi, Tonal Union and Pelagic Records. As a composer, producer and performer, he has maintained a catalogue rooted in electronic studio craft while ranging from detailed, melodic programming to more minimal and techno-focused material.