One Little Independentwill release the debut album from Laura Misch, the London-based saxophonist and producer.
Sample in the Sky is a departure from Misch’s previous, more isolated bedroom-produced work, like Playground and Lonely City, released in 2017 and 2019 respectively.
Though some songs had been years in the making, the catalyst for the record’s crystallisation was a year-long collaboration with composer and producer William Arcane, whose “synth wizardry” caught Misch’s ears.
Every sound on the record has been played, synthesised, or recorded from scratch, shaping it into its near final form before weaving in performances from Misch’s recently formed live band: Marysia Osu on harp and Tomáš Kašpar on guitar.
The album’s title stems partly from Misch’s journey from studying biomedical sciences at university to becoming a music producer. It’s also a reference to sampling culture in music, and Misch’s musical influences which span from early experimental electronic music pioneers to ’90s pop and R&B.
“My saxophone teacher was in the Kick Horns, a horn section that arranged and played horns on songs like “Green Light” by Beyoncé, and obviously as an 11-year-old that was the coolest thing ever, so as I was discovering music, I was always listening out for the horn sections,” she says. “That’s how I got hooked on the saxophone.”
It wasn’t until much later that Misch became interested in the tape works of Daphne Oram, the wild synthesis of Suzanne Ciani, and the sonic meditations of Pauline Oliveros.
“There was so much experimentation and boundary pushing in each of their practices and that moved me in the same way a lot of ’90s sample-based production did,” she continues. “I wanted to make a record that is a constellation of these influences.”
Alongside the announcement, Misch has shared “Portals,” which you can stream below.
Tracklisting
01. Hide To Seek
02. Light Years
03. Portals
04. Outer Edges
05. Listen To The Sky
06. Widening Circles
07. City Lungs
08. Sax Rise
09. Wild Swim
10. Birdseye
Sample the Sky LP is scheduled for October 13 release. Meanwhile, you can stream “Portals” in full via the player below and pre-order here.
