Jake is an award winning musician and vinyl junkie who, together with his long standing musical partner, legendary drummer Malcolm Catto, has written two film scores and co-led the respected band, The Heliocentrics. Together they have written over 10 albums and collaborated with some of the best names in music.
This musical pedigree has meant they have provided synchs and been sampled many times including by Nas on the track Everything from his album Nasir and on Freddie Gibbs/Madlib’s Soul Right from the Bandana album.
Egon Alapatt, Now Again Records & Madlib Invazion
“I’ve been working with Jake Ferguson for over 17 years. I knew he had a cinematic scope to match his encyclopedic musical knowledge, and real chops as soon as I heard his work with Malcolm Catto and The Heliocentrics. When I got Kanye West his music, West agreed, sampling Jake’s lumbering bassline on “Space Time Girl” for the excellent Nas song “Everything.”
musical collaborations
Jake has a long and hugely varied musical history which means he brings a vast pallet to his compositional work. As co-founder of The Heliocentrics, he has recorded with Madlib, DJ Shadow, MF Doom, Orlando Julius, Lloyd Miller and The Gaslamp Killer. He was musical director for the Gilles Peterson award winning album ‘Inspiration Information Vol. 3’ by Mulatu Astatke and The Heliocentrics. He has also recorded for pop acts like Jack Penate and Cherry Ghost.
Jake is pictured here playing bass with Archie Shepp at the Jazz a Vilette Festival in Paris when The Heliocentrics played a live version of the album The Last Transmission with Melvin Van Peebles.
the BRKN record
He is also known as The Brkn Record - releasing his first solo album in 2020 - a Black power concept album, ‘The Architecture of Oppression Part 1’ on Mr Bongo records.
'The Architecture of Oppression Part 1 represents Jake's debut as a bandleader and orchestrator, and manifests as a committed and soulful response to ongoing and systemic anti-black racism, social oppression and state violence both at home in London and across the globe. Combining poetry, testimony and song with rich and cinematic backdrops, Ferguson has produced a sui generis sound that conjures flavours of Arthur Verocai, Ennio Morricone, classic library productions, Madlib-style deep-jazz beat science, and psychedelic soul. With bandmate Malcolm Catto on drums, Ferguson draws on their long years of collaborative experience in the Heliocentrics to build an album of striking texture and depth. But the album does not only reflect Ferguson’s full-spectrum musical prowess, experience and vision. It is equally a manifestation of his longstanding and high-profile work as a frontline activist for racial justice and social equity in London and beyond.'
Discography
Jake is an avid vinyl collector. Now branching into the world of film and TV music composition, Jake brings his love of epic Ennio Morricone scores, psychedelic jazz, soul, and music concrete to offer a wide ranging palette of deep, menacing scores and heartfelt guitar based melodies, odd timings and vintage electronica.
the heliocentrics
The Heliocentrics have played with some of the most respected names in music - from Mulatu Astatke, DJ Shadow and Pharoahe Monch to Archie Shepp, Gaslamp Killer and of course, Madlib and afrobeat legend, Orlando Julius. They have released many albums to critical acclaim. They have influenced a raft of new bands and have toured the world with their hypnotic blend of psychedelic funk and jazzy sounds.
Award winning
Jake and The Heliocentrics won Gilles Peterson's Worldwide Award in 2010 with their collaboration with the legendary Ethiopian musician, Mulatu Astatke for the album, Inspiration Information. Jake was musical director on this album bringing together some of London's finest musicians, including a young Shabaka Hutchings, Bryon Wallen and Ethiopian musicians like the Krar Collective.