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Francine Perry from London and Jens L. Thomsen from the Faroe Islands aka ORKA first crossed paths in the vibrant club scene of London more than a decade ago and since have become one of the most revered underground techno acts in Europe. Twice nominated for the Nordic Council Music Prize as ORKA, they also have a string of accolades as individuals. 

Francine is Mute Studios’ Head Engineer and cofounder of the Omnii Collective, an organisation based in London that supports and empowers women, non-binary individuals, and trans sound enthusiasts. She was winner of an Oram Award in 2018, Music Producers Guild Rising Star Award in 2023 and is currently musical director on tour for Romy from The XX.

Jens boasts an impressive discography with credits on nearly a hundred releases. In 2022 he was Faroese Music Awards Producer of the Year, is an integral part of Yann Tiersen’s live band, and his innovative sound art has been commissioned by esteemed institutions such as the Southbank Centre and the European Researcher’s Night.Recently, he made history by creating the first-ever subsea tunnel soundscape for the Eysturoy tunnel.

With such combined talent, their ORKA project never fails to deliver extremely special sonic goods. Drawing inspiration from the Hardcore Continuum and UK sound system culture and blending it with elements of minimal techno, progressive electro, and ambient music, the result is a diverse range of stylistic influences and a uniquely ORKA sound.

On ‘Bird’ we see the duo soar to delicious new heights, signposting yet another remarkable leap forward in their artistic evolution ahead of their first album in six years. Inspired by their industrial studio surroundings in South London and avian field recordings that never made the final cut, the track is a ‘disjointed avant garde take on Gqom’ that blisters through bass and techno references. Complex and percussive, the duo enlisted long-time collaborators Will and Si from LV (Hyperdub, Keysound, Brownswood) to help finesse the final touches, the result is a compelling and unrelenting sonic landscape that will blow minds both at live shows and in the club.

Following Francine’s recent performance at Skrapt Festival earlier this month and ahead of the band’s appearance at Newcastle Curated Place Festival on the 13th of August, ‘Bird’ is just a small taste of the immersive auditory and sensory experience that awaits the listener on ‘All At Once’. A very welcome return from this singular production duo.

“Bird” is out now!

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– @MitchDodge

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