Starship Syncopation

Description

Black 1LP 140g vinyl of Cory Wong’s latest album, "Starship Syncopation," featuring the Metropole Orkest. Collaboration in its purest form is something that highlights both artists involved while drawing something out of each other that they could never have achieved alone. This is why I love collaborating. It gets my creative mind spinning and gives me inspiration. A few years ago, I performed a short series of shows with the Metropole Orkest, and ever since then, we've discussed doing a project together. I’ve never seen an orchestra that is so versatile—able to play classical music and groove. I knew we could create something really special if I utilized them alongside my band. In writing this album, I knew the groove and funk elements needed to be represented, but in a new and unique way that I hadn't been able to explore in my previous projects. Ever the curious type, I wrote and demoed about 25 songs to see what kind of space I could explore with 50 additional musicians in the band. The possibilities seemed endless until I realized that the arrangements could blend into the whole rather than just add to it. Once I started writing and arranging the music in a way that sounded like ONE ensemble, the path forward and how to execute the album became very clear. The recording process was great, as after demoing, I recorded my band and rhythm section in Minneapolis, where I typically record my albums, before moving on to the arrangement phase. The demos contained key lines and moments that I wanted the orchestra to cover, but I worked with other orchestral arrangers to help me bring them to life (and to help with the daunting task of writing all the music for 50+ musicians per song). The additional writers, artists, and arrangers I worked with on this project really helped me hone my vision, as they allowed me to envision all the areas in which the orchestra could be utilized. It has everything from hard-hitting bangers like "Burning" and "Starship Syncopation" to emotional, cinematic-sounding music like "Quotidian Fields (feat. Bruce Hornsby)." My goal with every album I make is to find new ways to discover parts of my art and my voice; to grow and learn through experiences. This album was a tremendous opportunity for me and the Metropole Orkest to explore new territory.