Author: Loula Yorke

Volta released to critical acclaim

“Volta lifts you up. It transcends time … You cannot leave the musical space of Yorke’s album without at least 70% more hope or joy than you started with”
The Quietus ‘Album of the Week’

“Utterly absorbing … a landmark moment in Yorke’s career” 
Electronic Sound ‘Lead Review’

“Such skill on show and such beauty”
Moonbuilding ‘Album of the Week’

“The best thing in modular synths right now”
DJ Mag print review

“Volta is absolutely gorgeous” Tom Ravenscroft, BBC 6Music

Across Volta’s 41 minutes we are spun across a galaxy: revolving and rotating, swelling and contracting, waxing and waning. The loop is the symbol of infinity, a connection between human pattern-making and cosmic cycles unknown; just as a tilt in Earth’s axis gives us the seasons, the smallest shift in Yorke’s sequences expands a single sound into a musical universe.

Volta was released on January 23rd to critical acclaim in the UK

 ‘Volta’ was chosen as ‘Album of the Week’ by The Quietus magazine, lead review for the January print edition of Electronic Sound, as well as being reviewed in print in DJ Mag and Moonbuilding, and digital editions of First Floor, Foxy Digitalis, A Closer Listen and more. 

Yorke launched the album live on BBC Music Introducing UK on 25th January followed by a live date at East London’s cult music venue Cafe Oto and the release of a video for the third single from the album ‘Staying with the Trouble’ 

Pieces from Volta have had BBC R3 and BBC 6Music radio play, including: Mary Ann Hobbes inviting Loula to speak about the record for her Hit Reset feature; Hannah Peel’s Night Tracks; Tom Ravenscroft and Deb Grant’s New Music Fix; Stuart Maconie’s Freak Zone; Elizabeth Alker’s Unclassified, and Jennifer Lucy Allan’s Late Junction show.

1st and 2nd Limited Edition copies of Volta sold out within a week of its release

The album has now been now reissued on CD, cassette (choice of orange or blue) and digital, plus A6 postcards of the artwork via Truxalis Records

Biography

Yorke’s musical universe has been expansive over the past decade. She spent six years in live rave duo TR-33N, which took her from playing underground warehouse parties to the all-night area of Glastonbury, before her debut solo release on techno veteran Marshall Applewhite’s Detroit label Junted in 2019.

In 2020 her work was recognised with a Special Commendation from the Oram Awards. Yorke has played live in support of the likes of Talvin Singh, The Orb, Rival Consoles, Imaginary Softwoods, Hiro Kone, Container and Mary Ocher, as well as putting out a string of well-received releases including LDOLS and Florescence. Volta is her fifth album.

‘In the Studio’ with Headphone Commute

I am honoured to have been asked to contribute thoughts and images of my music workspace to the blog Headphone Commute, joining the ranks of some stellar recent contributors like Hania Rani, Brian Eno and Lisa Bella Donna – all of whose insights I’ve found really helpful in analysing my own practice.

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Let’s start at the very beginning. Can you tell us how you got involved in composing, and what was your very first piece of gear?

My first piece of gear was the Korg Electribe ESX-1. It was my entryway into making music. I bought it around 2010, and it served me really well for 5 years.

Read on!

Winter 2023 Live Dates

Just back from Belfast and Derry with OULAN thanks to the Northern Lights Project. There will be a YouTube video of our performance going up at some point soon I can share with you.

Then back in January with some solo performances of material from Volta mixed with processed vocals, textures and syncopated rhythms for…

Hope to catch you at one of those!

There are more dates in Spring 2024 TBA.

Loop.cl feature

During the process of ‘doing press’ for Volta I’ve been looking far and wide for souls who like experimental or interesting contemporary music to share the album with. Amazingly, last week I had a chat with someone all the way over in Chile!

Loop.cl started in March 2000 and is a web zine based in Santiago de Chile dedicated to spreading the word about cutting-edge artists from across the globe. The blog is run by Editor, Guillermo Escudero. Over the years Guillermo has caught up with artists such as Valance Drakes, David Toop, and The Necks. The pieces appear translated side-by-side in both Spanish and English.

Guillermo sent over some questions by email and you can read my interview here.