Acid Brass

Acid Brass

Acid Brass is a musical collaboration between artist Jeremy Deller and The Williams Fairey Brass Band. It begins in 1997 as a project between Deller and the Stockport-based Fairey Brass Band, with the idea of bringing together a traditional brass band sound and acid house and Detroit techno. Deller describes the two styles as related forms of folk art rooted in specific communities.

Background and concept

The project centres on brass-band versions of club music rather than original acid house or techno compositions. Its repertoire includes a cover of The KLF’s “What Time Is Love?”, which becomes part of the group’s wider performance history.

Notable collaboration

In 1997, Bill Drummond of The KLF hears Acid Brass perform “What Time Is Love?” as part of an encore. This leads to a collaboration with The KLF on “Fuck the Millennium”, a track that incorporates Acid Brass’s version of the song. The recording is released as a single under the name 2K.

Performance history

The music travels internationally and is performed by the Fairey Band before an audience of 25,000 in London in July 2005. The Fairey Brass Band continues to play Acid Brass sets occasionally by 2009.