Maps, aka recording artist and producer James Chapman, released his debut, the Mercury Music Prize shortlisted album, We Can Create, in 2007. His exploratory multi-layered electronica emerged from years locked away in his bedroom, and over five albums each album release – Turning the Mind (2009), Vicissitude (2013), Colours. Reflect. Time. Loss (2019) and Counter Melodies (2022) – has built upon Chapman’s foundational concept: transportation through sound. Dreams of distant destinations and exotic landscapes led him to initially release music under the name Short Break Operator, but the name Maps became a more concise way of expressing the idea of exploring and finding a path from one place to another; a trip from the here and now to somewhere else.

His most recent work, the Counter Melodies series, started with the release of his fifth studio album, Counter Melodies – one of the fastest, most intensely euphoric pieces Maps has ever produced – and expanded to include remixes from the likes of Plaid and GLOK (Ride’s Andy Bell), expanding the original’s uplifting escapism. Counter Mixes followed, a collection of tracks from his original album, reworked by Chapman to explore the sounds, structures and tempos of the originals, bending them into new and undiscovered areas.

As well as his solo recorded work, Chapman recently produced Emma Anderson (Lush)’s debut solo album, and has recently remixed Depeche Mode, TVAM, Moby, and A Certain Ratio.