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Shackleton's musical output began in 2004 when Ian Hicks of Mordant Music released an early track called Stalker, which later appeared on Rough Trade's 'Best of 2004' compilation. Soon after this, in 2005, Shackleton started his record label Skull Disco. Skull Disco's releases were idiosyncratic both musically and visually. Often comprising double A-sides from Shackleton and Appleblim, the music was a peculiar mixture of ritual percussion and heavy bass which had as much to do with more experimental and avant forms of music as with their dubstep and techno contemporaries. The label achieved widespread respect in the underground music world and a cult status amongst fans.
In 2009 Shackleton decided to close down Skull Disco. His first release after Skull Disco was a full-length album titled Three EPs on Perlon records. In 2010 Shackleton was invited to re-record one of his live sets from London's famous Fabric nightclub for release as part of their mix-CD series. This served well as a tool to demonstrate that unconventional and demanding music can function on dancefloors. In 2011 Shackleton collaborated with long-term friend Pinch for an album on the Honest Jons label.
Although his previous works were certainly successful, they were topped by the 2012 release of The Drawbar Organ EPs/Music for The Quiet Hour. Released on his new Woe To the Septic Heart label, this record saw Shackleton moving into much more unconventional territory. It was particularly demanding being comprised of one long narrative piece separated into five sections and shared more characteristics with American minimalism, avant drone and serialism.
More recently, Shackleton has consolidated his position as dancefloor destroyer with his Deliverance trilogy whilst also confirming himself to be a maverick avant electronic music pioneer through his work with Ernesto Tomasini. This collaboration has culminated in the universally well-received album, “Devotional Songs”, released on Honest Jon's records in July 2016.
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