Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres reworks Larkhall’s song ‘Vincennes’

Image credit: Paul Blakemore

Enlisting the award-winning classical composer for his upcoming project ‘And You Were: Say You’re With Me Reworked’ (out 26 May), Hamilton-Ayres has provided a remarkable rework of the Larkhall track ‘Vincennes’.

LISTEN: Larkhall – ‘Vincennes’ (Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres Rework)

Profoundly moving in its intimacy and cinematic in its scope, Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres offers her signature stylistics to a track that initially featured on Larkhall’s 2022 album ‘Say You’re With Me’. Stripping back the near ten-minute original to home-in on a particular motif, the rework of “Vincennes” unearths a different kind of beauty in its clipped new form. Adding to its sensory and climactic feel, Jo Quail’s cello playing sits beautifully in the piece.

Speaking about the collaborative rework of “Vincennes” and how it came about, Larkhall says:

“I’m a longtime fan of Alex’s music, so when I made a list of artists I’d like to work with on a remixes album her name was one of the first ones I put down… Thankfully she was really into the track and up for reworking it. I think what she’s done is wonderful. Rather than use the full structure of the piece she found this transitional moment where the cello is doing these layered harmonics and the piano is slowly building up into the piece’s final explosion. And she just zoomed in on that and extended it and brought in these washes of synth and tape delay that are so atmospheric and evocative.”

Still bearing the quietly accomplished piano work of Larkhall’s original, “Vincennes” (Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres Rework) is released for Piano Day 2023 (29/03) and is also featured on the official Piano Day playlist – which you can listen to here.

The rework of “Vincennes” is taken from the upcoming album ‘And You Were: Say You’re With Me Reworked’, a new compilation record that will collect ten radical reinterpretations of songs from Larkhall’s 2022 album ‘Say You’re With Me’. Alongside Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres’ contribution, the record will feature reworks from a cast of creatives, including James Yuill, Ani Glass, Echo Juliet, Neil Gay, Simeon Walker, Jim Cornick, Josh Semans, Harriet Riley, and more; all of whom lend their idiosyncratic stylings and individual talents to this eclectic release.

With James Yuill rework of “Eleven Japanese Streams” and Ani Glass’s “Cascade” already available to hear, ‘And You Were: Say You’re With Me Reworked’ arrives in-full on 26 May 2023. The tracklisting is as follows:

Eleven Japanese Streams (James Yuill Rework)
Cascade (Ani Glass Rework)
On The Morning of the Second Day (Jim Cornick Rework)
In My Mind Are All The Tides (Josh Semans Rework)
Time of Flight (Neil Gay Rework)
Uncertain Times (Echo Juliet Rework)
Uncertain Times (Simeon Walker Rework)
Before We Knew (Harriet Riley Rework)
Between Light and Leaves (Emma Hooper Rework)
Vincennes (Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres Rework)

Larkhall is a prizewinning concert pianist and coder-musician extraordinaire. A self-described “mad scientist”, his innovative live performances see him work in cooperation with Otto, a computer system of his custom design, who creates spectacular live visual projections that respond in real time to his performance.

A composer of elegant electronic-infused piano pieces that share DNA with the neo-classical artists such as Nils Frahm or Max Ritcher and the nu-soul / minimalism of Go Go Penguin, he has released two albums to date, including his 2019 debut ‘The Sea Was Never Blue’ (which reached #2 on the iTunes Classical Chart) and ‘Say You’re With Me’ (2022). Technically complex, yet masterfully understated and laced with a magnetic sense of melody, Larkhall’s most recent album received praise from the likes of Times Radio (”A new exciting voice on the contemporary scene”) and Scala (“Absolutely lovely”). Larkhall pairs the album with a new release in 2023 ‘And You Were: Say You’re With Me Reworked’; nine collaborative reworkings of songs from the project.

Touring in support of the release, Larkhall will be performing live at special ‘Piano Day Celebrations’ at Twigmore Hall Bath and St George’s Bristol, alongside Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres and Simeon Walker on 2nd April. Promising to showcase three very different pianists across three varied performances, Larkhall hints of the shows:

“Alex is bringing some great musicians onstage with her, so as well as her piano, synths, clarinet, and effects, there’s also going to be a string duo. I’ve got a couple of new tunes to unveil which I’m very excited about, along with new visuals. And for the Piano Day shows we also have Simeon Walker on the bill, who is fantastic.”

LARKHALL – 2023 LIVE DATES

1 April – Twigmore Hall Bath (w/ Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres + Simeon Walker)

2 April – St George’s Bristol (w/ Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres + Simeon Walker)

TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE