Spaceheads

Spaceheads are a drum and trumpet duo consisting of percussionist Richard Harrison and trumpeter Andy Diagram. Their music is a curious mix of styles that is at times highly experimental and at other times quite reliable and groove-oriented. Their unique partnership was first formed in 1989, when Diagram and Harrison began to jam together after their rehearsals with other jazz bands in the Manchester area. They did the occasional concerts with one another, but nothing was that official quite yet. They recorded the Pay Me My Money Down EP the following year, a recording based in multi-tracking to create a huge brass section. The album sold out and they followed it up with the Ho! Fat Wallet full-length cassette by the end of the year. Although they continued to play with one another, they wouldn't appear live for the first time until 1993, where they utilized several brass loops to pull off the performances. They continued this way into the next year, where they had a much publicized appearance with Aphex Twin. Their first full-length CD, an eponymous album of various live and studio tracks, was released the following year and followed by a tour. They traveled through Europe and the United States throughout 1996, recording the Round the Outside album at various radio stations during the tour. Their first video, "Shoot the Boss," became a minor hit on MTV Europe while they continued to tour and promote their material. By 1998, they had performed at several improv festivals in Europe and the Terrastock II festival in San Francisco. They also released Ho! Fat Wallet on CD with the Pay Me My Money Down EP attached as bonus tracks. Angel Station came out in 1999, and their continuous touring found them back in the U.S. for more touring. This tour was recorded and eventually edited into a live album, but they decided to slow down their touring schedule in order to start a series of albums called "Universal Head Expansion," which would find them working with guest musicians. The first release, The Time of the Ancient Astronaut, found them working with sound artist Max Eastley. They also worked on a new album featuring just themselves, which eventually became 2002's Low Pressure.