Photo: Nolis Anderson
We’re over the moon to hear that Chicago-born and Michigan-based composer, multi-instrumentalist and producer Erik Hall has a brand new album on the way, following his 2023 Canto Ostinato, which was one of our Album Picks of the Year and remains an absolute favourite. The eagerly awaited follow-up has been announced, Solo Three, marking the third and final release in his groundbreaking trilogy of reinterpretations of contemporary classical works. Like in previous releases, 2020’s Music for 18 Musicians (Steve Reich) and 2023’s Canto Ostinato (Simeon ten Holt), the upcoming Solo Three finds Hall reimagining iconic pieces from visionary composers, this time expanding to several composers: Glenn Branca, Charlemagne Palestine, Laurie Spiegel, and a return to Steve Reich.
As we’ve come to expect from Hall, his process is inspiring and incredible. He performs and records every part himself, with focus and feeling, layering keyboards, guitars, and synths, with no loops, programming or sequencers. “It’s just so much more compelling to actually play every note,” Hall explains, “Those micro-differences between takes create a sort of living, breathing magic.” And that’s exactly what we hear throughout Solo Three, an utterly rich and evolving sound that feels deeply human, even as it explores complex minimalist structures.
Solo Three will see the light of day on January 23rd through Western Vinyl, and ahead of it Hall has shared the first single, a majestic, dazzling and exuberant reimagining of Reich’s ‘Music for a Large Ensemble’, clocking in at over fifteen minutes. Speaking about it, Hall comments:
“‘Music for a Large Ensemble’ is another treasured composition by Steve Reich and the closing piece on this record. I wanted to conclude this series of albums the way it began, as a sort of bookend and an ode to the process of making them. Beyond the interest of his concept or experiment, Reich’s music also simply imbues a gratifying emotional arc that’s accessible to any ears; something akin to a pop sensibility. The CD of his 1980 recording has lived in my car for years, and it was a total joy to transport this work into the sonic world of my studio.”
January can’t come soon enough. Now lend your ears to ‘Music for a Large Ensemble’.