Tyondai Braxton‘s debut album, Central Market, came out six long years ago to widespread acclaim. The prodigious composer and musician may not have released any effort since then but he’s been busy composing solo and collaboratively. Other than performing Central Market with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, London Sinfonietta, BBC Symphony Orchestra, and New York’s Wordless Music Orchestra, Braxton has also composed commissioned pieces for ensembles like The Bang on a Can All Stars, Kronos Quartet, Alarm Will Sound, and Brooklyn Rider.

Following an invitation from New York’s Guggenheim Museum, and after leaving Battles in 2010, Braxton focused on HIVE, a live multimedia performance that was part architectural installation and part ensemble performance. Premiered in 2013, HIVE featured five musicians, each performing atop an space-age oval pods designed by Danish architect Uffe Surland Van Tams. HIVE has evolved into an album, HIVE1, featuring eight pieces composed originally for the live performance. HIVE1 will be out on May 12th via Nonesuch.
Braxton is giving us a tantalizing taste of it, with the quirky first single, ‘Scout1’.