Always keen to explore new creative avenues, producer, DJ, film scorer, & composer Kate Simko ventures, once again, into unchartered musical terrain. Kate Simko & her London Electronic Orchestra release their self-titled debut LP- a pioneering project that showcases a symbiotic blend of orchestral soundscapes and electronic music.
London Electronic Orchestra is out now on vinyl, CD, and digital download via The Vinyl Factory.
Kate began experimenting with combining classical instruments and electronic music while receiving a Masters at the Royal College of Music.
“Rather than design a synthesizer sound, I worked with players trying different techniques and instrumental combinations, and then we’d make recordings. I was studying Composition for Screen, but ended up on a detour experimenting with orchestral instruments, seeing how I could combine them into electronic backdrops. The tones, ranges, and colour possibilities completely blew me away! Writing for orchestra is definitely the most exciting thing I’ve learned in my adult life.”
A classically trained pianist, the Chicago native is a musical magpie, remixing Philip Glass, collaborating with Jamie Jones, producing for Katy B, touring an audio-visual live set, and captivating audiences from London to Ibiza with her LEO shows and at clubs worldwide as an in-demand house DJ.
A rare feat, Kate composes the orchestral parts and produces the original LEO songs in their entirety. But she is the first to say that collaboration is a key component to the project.
“One of the things that bonds us is that we’re all taking our past experiences as musicians into a slightly new context. LEO is about showcasing these ornate instruments in a new way, letting the players have their own moments to shine, and working with other creative collaborators to make it all happen.”
Fresh from engineering ASAP Rocky’s new LP, Grammy-winner Bea Artola recorded the majority of the album in London. The record was mixed in New York by Dan Bora, who’s worked with artists such as Laurie Anderson, Sufjan Stevens, Nico Mühly and Matmos, and is Philip Glass’ main sound engineer.
Tracklist for London Electronic Orchestra:
Shikoku
A lush delicate song layered with sound recordings from the Iguazu rainforest in Brazil. A warm sine wave bass sits below pulsating rhythmic cellos and bass, with soaring strings above.
Champa (rework of Parra for Cuva)
Emotional violin melodies are interspersed between floating pads and chugging rhythmic string motifs, transforming Kate’s remix of Parra for Cuva.
Waiting Games
Written for flute, vibraphone, baritone sax, harp, strings, and electronics, Waiting Games subtly intertwines one sound world to the next.
Dark Delirium (w. Katy B and Jamie Jones)
The instrumental version of Kate’s recent collaboration with Katy B and Jamie Jones from Katy’s album ‘Honey’.
Tilted
This string trio for harp, violin, and bass features Eastern-influenced melodies over a groovy house track.
Stanchen
Kate’s rework of Franz Schubert ‘Ständchen D957’ transforms the original composition for piano and voice into an uptempo melodic journey for harp, violin, and cello.
Stará
Diminished chords, urgent string melodies, and harp harmonics accentuate hypnotic patterns in this Perlon-influenced tech-house track.
One Time Game (w. Jamie Jones ft. Jem Cooke)
Originally released on Jamie Jones and Lee Foss’ Emerald City label in summer 2015, this track’s delicate electronics and theramin melody interweave with classic Roland 909 drums and lush strings.
XX Intro
This LEO cover of The xx ‘Intro’ was orchestrated by Italian composer Enzo Bellomo. Lush string harmonies are set against a deep Roland 808 kick drum and sparse beats, recreating the track with a classic electronic feel.
Cairo
Cairo features Egyptian-inspired melodies juxtaposed with eerie string swells and sinister chords weaving around harp improvisations by LEO harpist Valeria Kurbatova.
Violin Duet No. 1
This composition for two violins and sub bass written for London-based duo Mainly Two (Marie Schreer and John Garner).
Purchase the album HERE.
Connect via:
katesimko.com
thevinylfactory.com
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