Dance music is often closely tied to its ergonomic use, to the physical impact it can create in a club.
But on another level, it's simply organised noise, with electronic music simply offering another outlet for composers.
Kate Simko echoes this. Hailing from Chicago, she began combining electronic music and modern classical while studying at the Royal College of Music in London.
Forming the London Electronic Orchestra as a vehicle for her ideas, the composer began matching club influences to a left field classical setting.
Releasing a full studio album through the Vinyl Factory earlier this year, the London Electronic Orchestra is one of the most inventive, unpredictable ensembles in the country.
Clash invited Kate Simko to name a few of her Influences.
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Philip Glass – 'Metamorphosis'
Without a doubt, Philip Glass is the biggest influence behind the LEO album. As a composer, I don’t know what my sound would be like without his music. Unlike most classical compositions, Glass’ music is centred on repetition and slight variation, which is paralleled in dance music too, of course. As Glass says in this clip, ‘the emphasis of the music is about directness and simplicity,’ and that he retains a sense of lyricism and Romanticism. Most new music from 20th and 21st century is less melodic and more abstract. Personally I love the Romantic era, and beauty for beauty’s sake. For me, Philip Glass’ music epitomizes taking a small cellular idea and reworking it, and using repetition and harmony in a powerful way.
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Autechre – 'Nil'
Autechre, Plaid, Black Dog, basically all of Warp Records, Skam, and the Miami labels like Schematic and Beta Bodega literally changed my life. Coming from Chicago I thought of electronic music as sample-based house and techno for the dancefloor. I got into dance music going to raves, so this was my background. When I moved to Miami to go to university, I was exposed to IDM for the first time, which have such intricate linear arrangements and electronic orchestrations. IDM is what pushed me over the edge from studying classical piano into composing my own music.
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Derrick May – 'Strings of Life'
This is an obvious choice, but the list wouldn’t be complete without it. I remember hearing ‘Strings of Life’ played in Chicago at underground parties quite a bit, at a time when I was studying classical piano and figuring out what I wanted to to with music. It struck me as a few music worlds colliding, with strings, funky stab keyboards, and classic Detroit techno beats all colliding into this pretty perfect track. When adding later tracks on the album, like Standchen and Dark Delirium, I listened this as a reference point for string hooks and and keeping the Midwest house and techno vibe.
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Max Richter – 'Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi, The Four Seasons'
My composition professor at the Royal College of Music, Howard Davidson, showed me this exact video of Max Richter performing this piece with the LPR ensemble during one of our tutor sessions. The beginning of the piece is mesmerizing! I’ve watched it so many times. It was awe-inspiring to watch Max Richter play simple chords whose harmony added so much depth and emotion to the song against the delicate string orchestration. Again it’s a lesson in minimalism. He’s not doing that much, but what he is doing is so tasteful. I’m very excited that LEO will perform at Le Poisson Rouge in New York in July!
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Four Tet – 'My Angel Rocks Back and Forth'
Another one I have listened to hundreds of times. This is the first electronic track I’d heard that featured a harp riff so prominently. I’ve always loved the harp (am a big fan of Dorothy Ashby and Joanna Newsom), but this was the first time I heard it against thoughtful electronic textures, sound design, and tasteful beats. This tune definitely triggered my curiosity for exploring how harp can be featured in electronic music. It’s not the easiest instrument to write for, but I absolutely love it.
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'London Electronic Orchestra' is out now.
