ORKA is a duo comprising Francine Perry from London and Jens L. Thomsen from the Faroe Islands. They crossed paths in the vibrant club scene of London, an immersive world that had a profound impact on their creative journey. ORKA's music draws inspiration from the Hardcore Continuum and UK sound system culture, blending it with elements of minimal techno, progressive electro, and ambient music, resulting in a diverse range of stylistic influences. Now ORKA emerges with their long-awaited new album. Once again, they greet us with their distinct blend of earthy tones and a bold, adventurous spirit, taking us to a realm bursting with neon-lit hues, pulsating club beats, and an abundance of sensory stimulation. Aptly named "All At Once," the album title provides a clue to the auditory and sensory experience that awaits the listener in this immersive record. ORKA has continuously evolved as a project over many years and iterations, embracing fluidity and a relentless quest for fresh sonic amalgamations. Their journey has been marked by a gradual refinement, stripping away layers to reach the core essentials. This transformative process has unfolded over the years, reaching from their site-specific, cowshed sampling and band-based expedition in "Livandi oyða" (2007) to the bold, innovative exploration of minimalist techno in "Vað" (2016). However, their latest release, "All At Once," signifies yet another remarkable leap forward in their artistic evolution. The seeds of this artistic progression were already planted in previous releases like the <13 EP (2017) and the hard-hitting techno single "Juno" (2018). However, it is with the arrival of the album "All At Once" that ORKA's vision fully blossoms, unveiling a vivid and expansive sonic landscape. This latest offering presents a glorious and vibrant tapestry, showcasing a maximalist approach to techno that pulsates with energy coupled with their signature meticulous attention to sound design, reflecting a deep awareness and intentionality in their creative process. If this album was to be thought of as a place, it would be a shimmering, futuristic, buzzing kind of city with vibrating night-time drizzle from above and endless glowing lights in the distance. Several of the tracks are built around cut-up vocal samples that are divided from their semiotic meanings and reconfigured as loops, and thus mined for their timbral and percussive qualities. Recurring collaborators South London duo LV (Hyperdub, Keysound, Brownswood) are featured on a handful of these tracks, mixing in their complex cocktail of grime and bliss. The result is a sort of queer erotic dance-floor mysticism, and the closest to a full-blown dance record that ORKA have ever made. There must be a club in that shimmering futurist city of the night.. and it is a collective, inclusive and alluring place. There is no need to fear any dancefloor exhaustion by listening to this album though, as there are also moments of floating cyber beauty and pure enveloping warmth to be found among its tracks. As always, following the artistic journey of ORKA is a joyous experience, filled with unexpected twists and turns that keep us captivated. The album also features collaborators Yann Tiersen, Quinquis, Ólavur Jákupsson and Kári Sverrisson, who performed live improvised overdubs at Eskal the remote island studio in Ushant. Using their voices, percussion, ORKA’s original self-built instruments, and modular synths, these recordings add to the album the drive, depth and sense of space that comes from ORKA’s live performances. Both Francine and Jens have established themselves as prolific producers and accomplished sound artists. Francine, in addition to her recent position as Mute Studios’ Head Engineer, is the cofounder of the Omnii Collective, an organisation based in London that supports and empowers women, non-binary individuals, and trans sound enthusiasts. She has been recognised with multiple award wins, including the Oram Award in 2018 and most recently landing the Music Producer's Guild Rising Star Award in 2023. Currently, Francine is the musical director on tour with Romy from the band The xx. Jens, on the other hand, boasts an impressive discography with credits on nearly a hundred releases. He was also named as the Faroese Music Awards Producer of the Year in 2022. Jens is an integral part of Yann Tiersen's live band, and his innovative sound art has been commissioned by esteemed institutions such as the Southbank Centre and the European Researcher's Night. Recently, he made history by creating the first-ever subsea tunnel soundscape for the Eysturoy tunnel. As ORKA, Jens and Francine have twice been nominated for the Nordic Council Music Prize. They are both tech enthusiast, sharing a passion for physically playing their live sets using hardware only. This makes ORKA’s concerts intensely focused and adds a unique organic touch to their performances. Francine and Jens have built a partnership spanning the Atlantic Ocean, crossing genres, and across identities. The body is clearly the place they want to inhabit. By the sound of it, they are building the audible world they want to live in - and in “All At Once”, we are lucky enough to share in it with them. “A unique force in music” Complete Music Update “One of the most individual and exciting acts to appear in a long time” Clash Music “ORKA are hard. They produce industrial vibes and possess a menacing intensity” The Quietus “Mesmerizing” Record of the Day “Music with brains, heart and balls” Dimmalætting 13th Aug – Novum Newcastle Festival 5th Oct - Iklectik, London release show