Sonic Tradition are a seven piece English band. We play our own original music influenced by who we are - an eclectic mix of characters with a world of experience under our belts.
We have all travelled to other parts of the world and played with musicians from other cultures. We fuse traditional acoustic music and electronic dance culture. Ear, heart and soul.
Good music speaks for itself and is not bound by pigeonholes.
Fiddler and clog dancer
Bastion of traditional Cumbrian music and Dance. He assists folk music to reach its true place, with the people, and pushes it into the realms of modern dance music with Sonic Tradition and extreme silliness with the Wierdstring Band. Wal promotes live acoustic music of all genres by hosting Acoustic music sessions at festivals.
Vocals and guitar
Ali was born and raised in the northern industrial town of Barrow-in-Furness and left formal education as soon as possible. Daydreaming had yet to be embraced as a positive attribute.
"I take up my guitar and song-write to exorcise the beasts of my mind and still find singing to be the best form of therapy!
How do I satisfy my rebel? I sing from my core.
What do I believe in? Honesty, love and embracing the power of my shadow”."
Ali can be found in the duo Tongue Tide and in the bands Sonic Tradition and Tongue Tide & Twisted
Drums. Percussion. Beats.
Aid is a drummer, percussionist, programmer and DJ, who is as happy getting beats from his kit, as he is from his computer.
Truly embracing the old with the new, Aid lives for the grooves to be found in all the different cultures from around the world and spends most of his time combining them with his passion for electronic music. Preferring as he does the unusual.
Founder member and resident DJ at the A.R.T.L.A.B. He has his own company, Big Tree, that teaches and records musicians of all ages. And conducts one branch of the world famous Mundo Batala Samba Reggae Project.
Oscillators
Musician/filmaker/programmer with a Masters in Creative Technology. Currently Associate Artist for Lanternhouse International
Guitar
Matt brings a wealth of experience to the band. Equally at home with jazz, classical, blues, rock, Latin American and African styles as well as folk musics from this country and gypsy styles from mainland europe.
Originally from Hertfordshire, Matt settled in Cumbria in 2001 after living and studying in London. He has a 1st class honours degree in music from Middlesex University and has toured extensively with many Gypsy Jazz style bands, including such luminaries as John Etheridge, Fapi Lafertin and Christian Garrick. Alongside playing with Sonic Tradition, Matt is also a Music Arranger for Musicsales and a well respected local guitar teacher. He is also involved with local Western Swing band Cowlicks.
Trombone, percussion, sampler and vocals
Dan is a musician, inventor, performer and teacher. Having grown up with Welfare State International and toured the world by the age of ten, his pallette of musical experience is very broad. He directs his own company Hands On Rhythm , plays with Dutch band Salt and has a studio where he spends his time practising the skills of D-Arts and Crafts.
Bass
Durring daylight, the Blacksmith can be found, in a dark, dirty, workshop, hitting hot bits of metal and playing with fire. By night, (if he still has all his fingers,) you may find him in a dark corner, rocking gently backwards and forwards, as he hammers out tunes on the strings of his bass guitar.