Erasure announce collaboration with Echo Collective

ERASURE (Andy Bell and Vince Clarke) have announced a collaboration with Echo Collective, the Brussels based collective of post-classical musicians best known for their ongoing collaborative work with A Winged Victory for the Sullen, Johann Johannsson, Dustin O’Halloran and Stars of the Lid.

The collaboration sees the entirety of Erasure’s latest album, 'World Be Gone', given a post-classical rework. World Beyond was recorded over ten days by Andy Bell and seven performers from the Echo Collective: Margaret Hermant (violin, harp), Neil Leiter (viola), Thomas Engelen (cello), Jaroslaw Mroz (double bass), Gary De Cart (piano) and Antoine Dandoy (vibraphone, glockenspiel).

The album was produced by Echo Collective, mixed by Gareth Jones and arranged by the Echo Collective’s Gary De Cart, Margaret Hermant and Neil Leiter. Neil Leiter from the Echo Collective explains, “The process of this project was really deconstruction and re-purposing. We started by listening to each track layer by layer, and then, using the layers that inspired us or we found essential, we reconstructed the tracks instrumentally. Each of the instruments in the band setup were chosen for their inherent capacities and roles. Often choosing which layer to put with each instrument was a question of matching roles and colours. By stripping so much away, we were able to find a new space for Andy to fill. The text of the songs became much more important in the overall construction of the songs, and Andy was free to explore more dynamics and vocal range.”

The tracks featured on 'World Beyond' show award-winning songwriters Vince Clarke and Andy Bell in a more reflective mood, giving the world and recent political upheavals a thoughtful examination. This new collaboration gives a new dimension to the tracks - including fan-favourites ‘Still It’s Not Over’, which tackles the LGBT rights movement post-Stonewall, and ‘Lousy Some Of Nothing’, a ballad for our post-truth age - but the band’s optimism about the future remains clear and bright. Andy Bell explains: “…the reinterpretations have brought such enormous context to the songs, it has created a new place for them.”

The original idea for the album developed from Vince Clarke, who initially suggested that a single from 'World Be Gone' could be given an orchestral reinterpretation, but as the idea expanded and took shape, he spoke at length to the Echo Collective ahead of the recording. “It was great to talk through ideas with Echo Collective and then see how their arrangements took shape. The collaboration has given elements of the album a whole new feel and Andy's vocals remain as powerful and uplifting as ever” says Clarke. 

The collaboration is a natural progression from 1987’s The Two Ring Circus, a companion EP for the band’s second album, The Circus, which included several orchestral interpretations.

Watch a short film, introducing the players, filmed during the recording sessions at Jet Studio in Brussels below:

Erasure embark on a headline tour through Europe in January 2018 with support from Bright Light, Bright Light, starting in Dublin and including two London dates at the Hammersmith Apollo before dates in North and South America later this year – full details below. 

ERASURE HEADLINE TOUR – EUROPE

29 Jan - Dublin Olympia SOLD OUT

30 Jan - Dublin Olympia SOLD OUT

31 Jan - Dublin Olympia SOLD OUT

2 Feb - Dundee Caird Hall SOLD OUT

3 Feb - Edinburgh Usher Hall SOLD OUT

4 Feb - Newcastle City Hall SOLD OUT

6 Feb - Liverpool Philharmonic SOLD OUT

7 Feb - Hull City Hall SOLD OUT

8 Feb - Manchester O2 Apollo SOLD OUT

10 Feb - Cambridge Corn Exchange SOLD OUT

11 Feb - Birmingham O2 Academy SOLD OUT

12 Feb - Nottingham Royal Concert Hall SOLD OUT

14 Feb - Ipswich Regent SOLD OUT

15 Feb - Southampton O2 Guildhall SOLD OUT

16 Feb - Cardiff St David’s Hall SOLD OUT

18 Feb - Aylesbury Friars Waterside Theatre SOLD OUT

19 Feb - Brighton Dome SOLD OUT

20 Feb - Guildford G Live SOLD OUT

22 Feb - Norwich UEA SOLD OUT

23 Feb - London Eventim Apollo – SOLD OUT

24 Feb - London Eventim Apollo – SOLD OUT

27 Feb - Cologne E-Werk SOLD OUT

28 Feb - Hamburg Mehr Theater SOLD OUT

1 March - Berlin Columbiahalle SOLD OUT

3 March - Leipzig Haus Auensee SOLD OUT

4 March - Munich Tonhalle SOLD OUT

5 March - Frankfurt Batschkapp SOLD OUT

7 March - Hanover Capitol SOLD OUT

9 March - Copenhagen Royal Arena

ERASURE HEADLINE TOUR – NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA

21 April - MX, Guadalajara, Roxy Fest

22 April - MX, Tijuana, El Foro

24 April - MX, Nuevo León, Palestino Libanes

25 April - MX, Mexico City, Pepsi Center WTC

27 April - EC, Quito, Agora De La Casa De La Cultura

28 April - CO, Bogota, Chamorro Music Hall

30 April - CO, Medellín, Chamorro City Hall - El Rodeo

2 May - PE, Lima, Anfieteatro Del Parque De La Exposicion

3 May - CL, Santiago, Movistar Arena

5 May - AR, Buenos Aires,Luna Park

6 May - AR, Rosario, Metropolitano  

8 May - PY, Asunción, Paseo La Galeria

10 May - BR, Curitiba, Teatro Positivo

11 May - BR, São Paulo, Espaco Das Americas

12 May - BR, Rio de Janeiro, Vivo Rio

6 July - US, Miami Beach, FL, Fillmore

7 July - US, St. Petersburg, FL, Mahaffey Theater

8 July - US, Orlando, FL, Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts

10 July - US, Atlanta, GA, Tabernacle

15 July - US, New York, NY, Beacon Theater

17 July - US, Boston, MA, House of Blues

18 July - US, Philadelphia, PA, Merriam Theater

20 July - US, Washington, DC, Warner Theater 

22 July - US, Pittsburgh, PA, Byham Theater

24 July - US, Toronto, ON, Queen Elizabeth Theater

25 July - US, Grand Rapids, MI, 20 Monroe Live

27 July - US, Chicago, IL, Chicago Theatre 

29 July - US, Minneapolis, MN, State Theatre

31 July - US, Indianapolis, IN, Murat

1 Aug - US, Kansas City, MO, Uptown Theater

3 Aug - US, Dallas, TX,Toyota Music Factory

4 Aug - US, Houston, TX, Smart Financial Centre

5 Aug - US, San Antonio, TX, Tobin Center for the Performing Arts

7 Aug - US, Austin, TX, Austin City Limits Live  

10 Aug - US, Denver, CO, Opera House  

12 Aug - US, Salt Lake City, UT, Kingsbury Hall

14 Aug - US, Seattle, WA, Moore Theatre

15 Aug - US, Vancouver, BC, Orpheum Theatre 

19 Aug - US, San Francisco, CA, Masonic Auditorium

21 Aug - US, Santa Barbara, CA, Arlington Theatre

22 Aug - US, San Diego, CA, Symphony Hall 

26 Aug - US, Los Angeles, CA, Wiltern Theater

Ticket details at http://po.st/ErasureLive

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