Louis Cole recently dropped “These Dreams are Killing Me” following singles “Things Will Fall Apart” and “Life,” all the tracks are off his forthcoming album nothing, available August 9th via Brainfeeder, a collaboration with the Dutch Metropole Orkest conducted by Jules Buckley. Taken from Cole’s live performances with the Orkest, nothing fuses breath-taking classical orchestration with dance music, pop, and jazz sensibilities. Cole will return to Germany and the Netherlands this fall to perform nothing alongside the Orkest and Buckley. Cole’s nothing is released on August 9th 2024 via Brainfeeder Records

“These Dreams are Killing Me” – a song that, according to Louis “sits in that perfect phantom zone between sad and happy” – is the third track to be shared from Louis Cole’s forthcoming collaborative album with Metropole Orkest and Jules Buckley, humbly titled nothing. This self-effacing title raises a smile not least because nothing is a truly epic record in scope and sound. Bigger, bolder, and more expansive than ever, Cole wrote, produced and arranged the record from top to bottom, rejecting the well-trodden path to orchestral renditions of his greatest hits and instead opting to compose a suite of brand new music for this project. The 17 tracks are derived from a sold-out European tour that he embarked on with his band and the 50-piece orchestra conducted by Jules Buckley. With the exception of a few vocal re-recordings and instrumental overdubs, everything you’ll hear on nothing was culled from these ecstatic live dates.

The Metropole Orkest proved to be the ideal partner for this endeavor. Over the course of its 80 year history, it has worked with legends like Ella Fitzgerald, Pat Metheny, and Herbie Hancock – exactly the kind of border-crossing mentality Cole was looking for. Add into the equation the conductor, arranger, curator and composer Jules Buckley and this really is a triple threat of epic proportions. Buckley is a unique and rare breed of artist – a GRAMMY winner who has redefined the rulebook of orchestral music and the role of a conductor.

Together, the ensemble embarked on a multi-date sold-out tour through Europe with the 50-piece orchestra, Cole’s band, as well as guest stars like his long-time creative partner Genevieve Artadi. With the exception of a few vocal re-recordings and instrumental overdubs, everything you’ll hear on nothing was culled from the live dates.

Having already written and arranged the suite, Cole is also very proud of the mixing, an epic task in its own right. For a full nine months, he selected the best takes, tweaked the sonic balance and adjusted frequencies until the orchestral parts really shone. “I was sad when the mixing was over,” he laughs, “Sometimes, when I’m mixing my own solo stuff, I’ll feel like a song needs a little magical dust. But mixing an entire orchestra and your own rhythm section, there’s so much human energy! You don’t have to add any magic. It was there the whole time.”

Louis Cole
nothing
Brainfeeder
Tracklisting

1. Ludovici Cole Est Frigus
2. Things Will Fall Apart
3. Life
4. It All Passes
5. Cruisin’ for P
6. A Pill in the Sea
7. nothing
8. Who Cares 1
9. Who Cares 2
10. Wizard Funk
11. Weird Moments
12. High Five
13. These Dreams are Killing Me
14. Shallow Laughter : Bitches (orchestral version)
15. Let it Happen (orchestral version)
16. Doesn’t Matter
17. You Belonged

Louis Cole & Metropole Orkest conducted by Jules Buckley

06 Oct – Philharmonie Essen, DE
07 Oct – TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht (Ronda), NL
08 Oct – Muziekgebouw Eindhoven, NL
09 Oct – SPOT, Grote Zaal, Groningen, NL
10 Oct – Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, NL

Pre-order Nothing by Louis Cole HERE