Here’s the thing about orchestral takes on electronic tracks: they’re often terrible. Mostly because the opposing forces of clubs and concert halls never quite sync up. They’re in an eternal struggle instead, with no clear winner… or leader for that matter.
Thys was determined to break that chain with the Noordpool Orchestra collab he recently cut alongside conductor Reinout Douma. A stirring version of a standout track from Thys’ recent Ithaca EP — his second spot-on session with Amon Tobin — it kinda makes us wonder why the two sides didn’t do an entire record together.
After all, the Noord Orchestra already put their own poignant spin on Radiohead; why not more of this? Take it away, Thys….
This feels like coming home: an orchestral version of one of the tracks from the ‘Ithaca’ EP. An EP that was written with a lot of orchestral instruments, and with a sound design / mixdown aesthetic that almost has more in common with the dynamic sound of the orchestra than some of our music in other genres that are more focused on drums and impact.
Reinout Douma and I have been discussing how to mix orchestra and electronics for years now, kind of unsatisfied with most attempts we’ve heard and seen. In most cases, the orchestra and electronics were disconnected, or one of the elements would completely lose out versus the other. It was a matter of time before we tried to record something together with the Noordpool Orchestra, of which he’s the founder, artistic director and conductor.
We chose “Turning Point” because the original gave us some wide open doors to bring the orchestra in, as well as some nice space to explore textures the orchestra could add to the original. I think the outcome speaks for itself!
