Photo: Traianos Pakioufakis

We’re thrilled to know that Laurence Pike is back with a new album entitled The Undreamt-of Centre. A relentless drummer, phenomenal improviser and inventive composer, he has been dazzling us for the last two decades, both with his solo projects and various bands and collaborations, and the upcoming album is no exception. We are actually totally blown away by this one. Described as his most ambitious project to date, The Undreamt-of Centre is a contemporary reimagining of the requiem mass and features the VOX Sydney Philharmonia Choir, a 12-piece chamber choir conducted by Pike’s childhood friend, composer Sam Lipman. Recorded in a 19th century Gothic church in Sydney, the album draws influences spanning from the sounds of modern classical music, Japanese environmental ambient music, fourth world electronics and free jazz through to the choral traditions of Estonia, particularly from Tallinn-based composer Tonu Korvits.

On the forthcoming The Undreamt-of Centre, Pike noted:

“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.”

We´ll have to wait untl September 6th for the album to be out through The Leaf Label but we can already hear the moving and majestic first single, ‘Introit’.