Bio
Learning violin from age 7, Asher grew up in a musical family.
Taught some blues piano by his father, he expanded this exploration
of keyboards into a passion for improvisation and composition.
Also drawn strongly to drums, he learned to play kit in his early teens.
Fascinated by recording he trained as a recording engineer, a skill that would prove
extremely useful for the production of his future albums. Pete Townshend of the Who
enjoyed Asher`s work, and produced his first single – Peppermint Lump.
Asher played drums on Townshend`s Empty Glass album.
This helped open the door to publishers, from whom he learned much about the
language of music, especially in relation to visuals.
Learning much from writing 25 library albums, his first commercial album -
The Great Wheel - was released by Music West. Then came Globalarium for Silverwave,
where he enjoyed fusing diverse world elements to form a cohesive whole.
His next album Feet in the Soil, released by New Earth Records became a bestseller,
and established his natural affinity for drummy,tribal, and worldbeat material.
Several collaborations followed with Irish harpist Madeleine Doherty, Indian masterdrummer
Sivamani, virtuosic singer Mahesh Vinayakram , and drumcircle facilitator visionary Arthur Hull amongst others.
There have always been two strands to Asher`s compositions – the drummy tribal side, and
the more gentle reflective and meditative side.
Working alongside the personal growth system Aura-Soma, whose primary focus is colour,
gave Asher the chance to develop both these aspects, supported by the energy and spirit of
seekers on their path.
Asher`s library recordings have been sampled by the Chemical Brothers, U.N.K.L.E.,
and most recently by Tyler the Creator. The latter`s use of one of his tracks appeared
on the album Call Me if you Get Lost, which won grammy for best hiphop album 2021,
and has been twice number one in the USA.
Asher runs a label and studio, both bearing the name Starfield, named after a road in which he lived in London. He now enjoys running these in Eastbourne, Sussex, where he finds it simpler to park
and easier to breathe!
Discography
The Great Wheel
Globalarium
Dance of the Light
Feet in the Soil
Feet in the Soil 2
Tigers of the Raj
Tigers of the Remix
Shaman Drums
Atlantean Chants
Colors of Trance
Lotus Path
Raising the Rhythms
Sounding the Stones
Raising the Rhythms
Abstracts
Bravado Masala
Renewal
Mutable Music
Ocean of Stars
Alchemists` Almanac
Drums on Fire
Rivers of life
Starfield Studio Snapshots
Drum Travel
Global Village Percussion
Decade 20
Balance and Beyond
Angel Attunements
Shaman`s Almanac:Drums
Shaman`s Almanac: Didge
From Bud to Bloom
Treasures of the Isles
Flash Music
On the Good Foot
Drum Distillery
Global Spice
Return of the Tiger
Rhythmical Alchemy
The James Asher Anthology
Inner Spaces
Time for Space
Towards the Moon
Keystar House
Universal Grooves (Playalong)
Energised by Stars
