It was this pair of gems under the Orchestral Tape Studies title that finally turned my head and earned the well-deserved coverage on Headphone Commute back in 2019. The first record was a homage to minimalist symphonic composers and orchestras, in which fragmented loops were compiled and woven together with oscillating, repetitive strands of textural ambient drone. The result is a wonderful meditative exploration of liminality and tonality. It is one of the most serene and beautiful albums you could hope to enjoy.
The second album is a complete reworking of the first by Chicago-based Nick Turner (aka Tyresta) using a Mellotron, Fender Jazzmaster, delay, and reverb to re-imagine each of the original pieces, preserving their deeply pensive nature, all while adding a new dimension of depth and opacity to create a more vivid melancholy from the same raw material.
Bringing forth pastoral meditations with becalmed, atmospheric intent, Orchestral Tape Studies is a convincing display of beautiful scores primed for the self-reflective moments that are both contemplative and thought-provoking. These delicate repetitions, reticent sound treatments, and recurrent tape-based loops demand focused listening in a quiet environment.
Orchestral Studies Collectanea includes seven previously unreleased movements. Here, each piece unfolds as a series of layered and fragmented symphonic loops, quietly referencing the traditions of minimalist and neoclassical composition.
Through the interplay of subdued drones, environmental textures, and recurring melodic phrases, the album constructs an atmosphere of patient evolution. Every movement is shaped with precision, offering subtle variations that reveal new emotional depth upon repeated listening. Orchestral Studies Collectanea stands as both a continuation and a refinement of zakè’s orchestral sound world, a meditation on repetition, tone, and the quiet persistence of beauty.
Interwoven amongst these tracks, we also find pieces that appear on A Sorrow Unrequited, initially released in 2021 by zakè and City of Dawn (aka Frizzell & Duque). Now, remastered at Ambient Mountain House by James Bernard and at Schwebung Mastering by Stephan Mathieu, this massive collection is yours!
And now, this entire collection can be yours when you join Headphone Community as an Amplifier or above!
