Nathan Fake

Nathan Fake (born 1 March 1983) is a British electronic musician. He first gained attention through releases on James Holden's Border Community label, particularly the single "The Sky Was Pink", whose remix by Holden proved influential and attracted sustained attention over two years. Fake has released seven studio albums across four labels—Border Community, Ninja Tune, his own Cambria Instruments, and InFiné—and has remixed artists including Radiohead, Jon Hopkins, and Sasha. He co-founded Cambria Instruments with Wesley Matsell in 2014. His work has been generally well received by critics, with his debut Drowning in a Sea of Love (2006) his most acclaimed release. He received a Casio keyboard as a childhood Christmas gift, which sparked his interest in music-making. He later cited Aphex Twin as a further influence, and has said that reading music magazines about the equipment used in electronic production deepened his interest in the genre.

Fake began making music around the age of fifteen and started producing seriously at seventeen. After a period living in London, he returned to East Anglia. The following year, he released the single "The Sky Was Pink", which became a breakthrough for both Fake and the label. Holden's remix of the track proved unexpectedly successful, continuing to grow in popularity over two years and spawning numerous imitators.

Fake's debut album, Drowning in a Sea of Love, was released in March 2006 as the first full-length on Border Community. It received positive reviews; Pitchfork awarded it 8.4 out of 10 and Rosie Swash of The Observer compared it to the work of Boards of Canada. Remixes of tracks from the album, particularly the FortDax and Four Tet reworkings of "You Are Here", further raised Fake's profile.

His second album, Hard Islands, followed in April 2009. Clash gave the album 8 out of 10, describing Fake as "one of the most interesting and promising electronic talents around" and praising its blend of techno, IDM, and shoegaze influences. In 2011, Fake remixed Radiohead's "Morning Mr Magpie" for the album TKOL RMX 1234567, after being approached by frontman Thom Yorke. while Resident Advisor noted a return to the "fuzzy melodies and subtle, static-laced gleam" of his earlier work.

2014–2018: Cambria Instruments and Ninja Tune In 2014, Fake co-founded the label Cambria Instruments with Wesley Matsell, with their inaugural release being a split single between the two artists. He broke through the creative impasse after purchasing a Korg Prophecy synthesiser from the 1990s, whose limitations as a monophonic instrument forced him to approach composition more intuitively, playing melodies in real time rather than programming sequences.

His fourth album, Providence, was released on Ninja Tune in March 2017. It received generally favourable reviews, with a score of 73 out of 100 on Metacritic based on ten reviews. Resident Advisor gave the album four out of five, praising it as a reinvention, and The Skinny highlighted the layered sound resulting from the Prophecy's constraints. Two remix EPs, Providence Reworks Parts I and II, followed later that year, featuring reworkings by Overmono, Konx Om Pax, and Olga Wojciechowska. The Sunder EP was released on Ninja Tune in 2018.

2019–present: Independent releases In 2019, Fake reissued two of his earliest EPs, Watlington Street and Dinamo, on Cambria Instruments. His fifth studio album, Blizzards, followed in April 2020; most of the album was recorded live in single takes on a stripped-back hardware setup. Resident Advisor described it as potentially "Fake's best LP yet" and his most club-friendly record, noting its "chunky breakbeats and swinging garage drums". The album was followed by the Sanxenxo EP and Blizzards Remixes in 2021.

Fake's sixth album, Crystal Vision, was released on 7 April 2023. The Quietus reviewed the album favourably, and Inverted Audio praised its range. The Guiro EP followed in October 2023. In December 2024, he released Covers (From Memory), an EP of cover versions of tracks by Slam, Orbital, and Industry Standard, recreated from memory without re-listening to the originals.

In March 2025, Fake released the single "Hypercube" on Cambria Instruments; sounds from the track formed the basis of a sample pack he created for Spitfire Audio's LABS+ platform. His seventh album, Evaporator, was released on InFiné in February 2026, his first release on the French label. Written during the summer of 2024, the album was described by Cyclic Defrost as "radiant, physical, and full of air".

Critical reception Fake's work has received generally favourable reviews throughout his career, though critical assessments have varied between albums. His debut, Drowning in a Sea of Love, was his most acclaimed release, with Pitchfork awarding it 8.4 out of 10. and Steam Days scored 67 out of 100 on Metacritic from thirteen reviews. Providence fared better, with a Metacritic score of 73 out of 100. and Resident Advisor described Blizzards as potentially his strongest album. He has expressed a preference for "obsolete, '90s digital synths" over modular setups. He typically records synthesiser parts onto cassette tape before transferring them to computer,

Discography Studio albums + Studio albums Title Year Label Drowning in a Sea of Love 2006 Border Community Hard Islands 2009 Border Community Steam Days 2012 Border Community Providence 2017 Ninja Tune Blizzards 2020 Cambria Instruments Crystal Vision 2023 Cambria Instruments Evaporator 2026 InFiné

Singles and EPs + Singles and EPs Title Year Label Outhouse 2003 Border Community Watlington Street EP 2004 Saw Recordings The Sky Was Pink 2004 Border Community Dinamo EP 2005 Traum Schallplatten Silent Night 2005 Border Community Drowning in a Sea of Remixes 2006 Border Community You Are Here 2007 Border Community Iceni Strings 2012 Border Community Paean 2013 Border Community CAMBRIA01 (split with Wesley Matsell) 2014 Cambria Instruments GLAIVE 2015 Cambria Instruments DEGREELESSNESS / Now We Know 2016 Ninja Tune RVK 2017 Ninja Tune Providence Reworks – Part 1 2017 Ninja Tune Providence Reworks – Part 2 2017 Ninja Tune Sunder 2018 Ninja Tune Sanxenxo 2021 Cambria Instruments Sandstone 2021 Cambria Instruments The Grass 2023 Cambria Instruments Vimana 2023 Cambria Instruments Amen 96 (Drumless Version) 2023 Cambria Instruments Guiro EP 2023 Cambria Instruments Outhouse 2023 2023 Cambria Instruments Covers (From Memory) 2024 Cambria Instruments Hypercube 2025 Cambria Instruments

Remixes

Avus – "Real (Nathan Fake Remix)" – Border Community (2004) Perc – "Closer (Nathan Fake Remix)" – Premier Sounds (2004) DJ Remy – "Scrambled (Nathan Fake Remix)" – Additive Records (2004) Steve Lawler – "Out at Night (Nathan's Night In)" – Subversive Records (2004) Tiefschwarz – "Isst (Nathan Fake Remix)" – Fine Records (2005) Shocking Pinks – "Dressed To Please (Nathan Fake Remix)" – DFA Records (2008) Vincent Oliver – "Clouds in The Haeds (Nathan Fake Remix)" – Lo Recordings (2008) Starting Teeth – "Venom (Nathan Fake Remix)" – Creaked Records (2009) Grasscut – "Muppet (Nathan Fake Remix)" – Ninja Tune (2010) Jon Hopkins – "Wire (Nathan Fake Remix)" – Double Six Recordings (2010) Walls – "Gaberdine" – Kompakt (2010) PVT – "Light Up Bright Fires (Nathan Fake Remix)" – Warp Records (2010) Radiohead – "Morning Mr Magpie (Nathan Fake Rmx)" (2011) Neon Jung – "Delirium Tremens (Nathan Fake Remix)" – Magic Wire Recordings (2012) Clark – "Growls Garden (Nathan Fake Remix)" – Warp Records (2013) Dorian Concept – "Draft Culture (Nathan Fake Remix)" – Ninja Tune (2015) Ultraísta – "Party Line (Nathan Fake Remix)" – Partisan Records (2019) Dominik Eulberg – "Dreizehnspecht (Nathan Fake Remix)" – Studio !K7 (2020) Irène Drésel – "Chambre2 (Nathan Fake Remix)" – Room Records (2020) Christian Löffler – "Roth feat. Mohna (Nathan Fake Remix)" – Ki Records (2020) Damian Lazarus – "Into The Sun (Nathan Fake Remix)" – Crosstown Rebels (2020) Sophie Hutchings – "Orange Glow (Nathan Fake Remix)" – Mercury KX (2020) GoGo Penguin – "Open (Nathan Fake Remix)" – Decca Records France (2021) The Micronaut – "Archery (Nathan Fake Remix)" – Ki Records (2021) Field Works – "Station 5 Review (Nathan Fake Remix)" – Temporary Residence (2022) Tennyson – "Slow Dance (Nathan Fake Remix)" – Counter Records (2022) BLOODMOON, Bearcubs – "All In Place (Nathan Fake Remix)" – Eat Your Own Ears (2022) Paradigm Shift – "Force One (Nathan Fake Remix)" – Lone Romantic (2023) bdrmm – "Alps (Nathan Fake Remix)" – Rock Action Records (2024) Hrdvsion – "Captivated Heart (Nathan Fake Remix)" – Creaked Records (2024) The Ocean – "Preboreal (Nathan Fake Rework)" – Pelagic Records (2024) Sasha – "How to Wear Raybans Well (Nathan Fake Remix)" – Last Night on Earth (2024) La Pointe – "Umbra (Nathan Fake Remix)" – Secret Teachings (2025) C. Diab – "Lunar Barge (Nathan Fake Remix)" – Tonal Union (2025) Anzwart – "A step on the horizon (Nathan Fake Remix)" – Anzwart (2025)

Compilation appearances

"The Sky Was Pink" – Fear & Loathing 2, Mixed by Luke Slater – Resist Music (2004) "Numb Chance" – Elektronische Musik: Interkontinental 5 – Traum Schallplatten (2006) "Laluna" – #savefabric – Fabric Records & Houndstooth (2016)

Collaborations "Lava Flow" (collaboration with Milky Globe) (2006) – LoEB