Pike Laurence
The Undreamt-of Centre
Label: Leaf
Genre: Electronica / Ambient / Experimental
Availability
- LP €27.99 In Stock
The album will be released on limited edition Forest Green vinyl LP (700 copies for the world), in a stunning gatefold sleeve which features neoclassical painting 'Orphée et Eurydice' by Michel Martin Drolling (1820).
The album draws on the sounds of modern classical music, Japanese environmental ambient music, fourth world electronics, free jazz and the choral traditions of Estonia, with particular influence from Tallinn-based composer Tonu Korvits.
Produced in collaboration with the Vox Sydney Philharmonia Choir, conducted by Pike’s childhood friend, composer Sam Lipman and recorded in a 19th century Gothic church.
Laurence Pike on The Undreamt-of Centre:
I first had the thought of working with voices a number of years ago. I had the strange notion of making a requiem mass for drums, electronics and choir. It sat with me since then, until it felt the time was right to realise the idea.
Why a requiem? Initially I simply liked the idea of a structural format that had existed and been reimagined again and again over hundreds of years. Ultimately, it’s a ritual set to music. The processes and ecstatic outcomes of rituals, were something I had explored in making the Holy Spring album in 2019. I became interested in subverting the religious musical construct of a requiem into something far more contemporary, using language and sounds not readily associated with it. It also seemed a ready-made vehicle to explore the sound of a choir with my electro -acoustic drum kit performances. I had begun searching for a narrative structure or text that I might set a choir to, while not adhering to the text of a Latin mass. I began reading the poems of Rainer Maria Rilke, in particular his ‘Sonnets to Orpheus’, inspired by the classical Greek myth of Orpheus.
On Laurence Pike:
“His solo work is a marvel, radiating the absolute confidence of a man in command of his instruments and making very difficult things seems inevitable. He creates a hyper-aware universe of constant, new, undefinable sound, that only he could make. He expresses himself through performance with a commitment that goes far beyond energy and will... Holy Spring is a mature and enthralling work that gives us real ritual. Ceremonies taken seriously that generate real power” the Quietus
“Full of morphing grooves and moods of imminent revelation, it’s a quicksilver delight” 4/5 The Observer
“A sumptuous, sonic world… rich with spiritual under-tones”4/5 Mojo
“Celestial minimalism… A puzzle that has endless permutations” 8/10 Uncut
“Holy Spring is an intoxicating gem” 8/10 The Line Of Best Fit
“Specialising in improvisation, he pushes the boundaries of jazz, post-rock, ambient and electronica with a cosmic freedom” Electronic Sound
“The wonder of Pike’s work has nothing to do with the brilliance of playing per se, but that, in real time, he heard and realised six complete musical experiences that keep the listener transfixed for 40 minutes” 4.5/5 Sydney Morning Herald
"Pike... is living proof that drummers need not dictate or dominate the pace. They can add feelings and flavours akin to any euphonic instrument in the right context. With his innovation and fluidity, Pike could be a modern Jon Christensen, the great Norwegian percussionist who was considered ECM's house drummer” All About Jazz
Contemporary Album of the Month 4/5 The Guardian