Pete Josef

Musician

Despite his soul boy roots, Pete Josef’s melodic journey has taken him on a number of diverse musical stops along the way. From playing live drum & bass with Roni Size to producing lo-fi house as White Lamp with Darren Emmerson of Underworld fame, his mellifluous migration between styles reflects his open-minded attitude to creating sound.
Having travelled the globe as bass player and guitarist for the likes of Kelis, playing festivals as far afield as Fuji Rock in Japan, Splendour In The Grass in Australia and the UK’s legendary Glastonbury Festival, Pete finally came home when he signed to Berlin’s Sonar Kollektiv imprint with whom he released the 2015 LP Colour, and the follow up album I Rise With The Birds five years later.
His subsequent work with Rory 'Rag n Bone Man' Graham saw Pete drawn back into the familiar world of the session musician - finding himself separated from the pressure to write, produce, record and deliver in isolation. The experience also inspired him to create something of his own - somewhere to welcome collaborators, and to take this new voyage of creation outside the bedroom and into a space purposed for his own productions. And so was born 'The Orchard' - a large mezzanine cabin made all of gnarled wood and set in the green of the Somerset hills. The rural retreat - an idyll to inspire and escape to, became the enabling foundation of his new creations, as well as the source-space for other new productions, such as Hollysseus Fly and new 2023 project Supalung – a collaboration between Josef and the extraordinary singer Sam Brookes.
‘The Orchard’ reflects Pete’s social conscience and inherent need to create, build, share and protect as well as educate himself about issues regarding the environment, society, politics, race and gender. All of these vital and increasingly urgent concerns have permeated into his musical output, and along with a bold new sound imbued by a subtle southern country flavour, have formed the bedrock of Pete’s forthcoming third album in 2024.