Date of Birth:

14 February 1980, UK

Birth Name:

James Edward Barker

Mini Biography:

James Edward Barker, a relation of the film composer Benjamin Frankel, began composing for film in his early twenties. As well as being a self-taught musician from a young age, he was classically trained at Newcastle University in the UK. Influenced by an eclectic mix of genres, James has composed for Jazz and Blues, Rock, Classical and more contemporary styles of Electronica and Dance. He is a multi-instrumentalist, performing as a guitarist, percussionist, pianist and vocalist, as well as working with a variety of alternative instruments from all around the world. He is also highly skilled and has a passion for designing his own electronic equipment, this includes modifying and adapting vintage guitar pedals and synths to enhance his contemporary edge on his work.

His late teens were spent touring the UK in a highly acclaimed Big Band as lead guitarist and producing a number of tracks with Abbey Road engineer - Charlie Andrew. After honing his production techniques at one of the UK's leading studio environments, he moved to Newcastle Upon-Tyne University, in the North of England, where he received his classical training in music composition, performance, orchestration and technology.

After receiving his BA Honours Degree in Music, he joined rock outfit, Revere, as manager and lead guitarist and toured the UK's top venues supporting acts such as The Futureheads, Maximo Park, Simple Kid and Martin Grech. He also moved to London and formed his current dance collective, Liberation Jumpsuit, who secured a residency at Ginglik Club, Shepherd's Bush, in west London (UK). They continue to perform around Europe and have played with dance acts such as Andy C, Four Tet, Shut Up and Dance!, Alex Paterson (The Orb), Aphrodite, Cylob and Nicky Blackmarket.

In 2005, James started Veneration Music Ltd, a UK based company that coordinates and produces scores for film. James has worked on a wide range of scores and handles everything from Quartets to large orchestras.

He also continues to work on diverse projects outside of film and has worked for established global clients including: Coca Cola, Sony Ericsson, HSBC, Relentless & Shell, as well as many more. In 2008 he also mixed and mastered the video for the Utah Saints' 'Something Good '08' smash hit - the most requested song on Radio 1 during the same year.

In 2010 he is continuing to produce scores for a diverse range of projects with a number of US and UK projects in development.

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