Friday, November 12, 2021

The Motion Orchestra - All One (November 12, 2021 Bathurst)

Bathurst is pleased to announce the debut album 'All One' by The Motion Orchestra.

The group formed in 2017 in Hamburg as a studio project and outlet for lead writer and bandleader - David Hanke (Keno, Renegades Of Jazz) to explore his Neo-Classical and Jazz sensibilities in a new setting.

Comprising of the US-based Andy Sells on Drums, with Germans Alexander Bednasch on Double-Bass, Mark Matthes on Violins, and David Hanke on electronics and production, as well as a one-off guest appearance from other long term Hanke collaborators - Tristan de Liege on clarinet (for the track 'Maylight'), David Nesselhauf on electronics (for the track 'All One') and Ingo Möll on additional Bass (for the track 'Everything We Are').

Strangely, when considering the intimacy of the album the group has never actually fully met in person, with live recordings taking place over 4 years across studios in Seattle, Los Angeles and Hamburg. With Hanke and Matthes contributing the majority of the writing and arranging, the wonderful musicianship of the group as a whole is obvious to hear in the record, which expertly showcases the performers rare understanding of musical space and compositional balance, yet still allowing for flashes of individual brilliance.

As the first tracks were arranged it became clear that The Motion Orchestra occupy a musical space that sits aside from their obvious stylistic influences, instead bearing a compositional style that deftly fuses the orchestral and electronic worlds more akin to that of modern cinematic composition than most commercial releases. Matthes' lush string arrangements are a beauty to behold, layered elegantly upon the muscular and oftentimes swinging rhythm section low end, all the while Hanke's cerebral sound design and production elements interplay with all throughout, providing an eclectic array of wonderful foils and musical partners to the palette.

With only a small clutch of singles and tracks being released so far they have already turned the heads of Huey Morgan on BBC 6Music and Bandcamp Weekly, as well as closing in on 500,000 streams on Spotify. Exploring themes as time and space, transience, life and death – their music is delightfully relevant, timeless and contemplative in comparison to much of today's disposable music culture.

''All One' is a collection inspired by the notion that everything comes from the same source, the same starting point. And throughout its play time it builds out this concept from the reserved, poignant strings and ambience beginnings of opener 'From Dust', through to the delicate pitter-patter rhythm and memorable melodies of 'Threadspin', before picking up in tempo and dynamics ahead of the epic penultimate track - Sonorous' and its piano chord harmonics, tasteful bass notes, and swirling jazz drum patterns. Indeed by the last notes of title track 'All One' there is a real sense of having mentally journeyed some distance to arrive exactly where you are for the listener. It's a truly atmospheric audio experience that is constantly engaging and inspiring both feelings and thought throughout. 

1. From Dust
2. Everything We Are
3. Aurora
4. The Windsleeper
5. Koon
6. Threadspin
7. Maylight
8. Imber
9. Laniakea
10. Prelude Sonorous
11. Sonorous (Album Version)
12. All One (Album Version)

Drums by Andy Sells
Violins and Violas by Mark Matthes
Double-Bass by Alexander Bednasch
Electronics and arrangements by David Hanke
All tracks written by David Hanke and Mark Matthes
except 'Aurora', 'Prelude Sonorous' and 'All One'
written by David Hanke
Strings written and arranged by Mark Matthes
Clarinet on 'Maylight' by Tristan de Liège
Electronics on 'All One' by David Nesselhauf
Electric Bass on 'Everything We Are' by Ingo Möll
Produced and mixed by David Hanke
Special thanks to Norman Müller
Mastered by Pauler Acoustics
Cover design by chrispop
Text by Alex McCall