Laurel Halo announces new album, ‘Atlas’, shares single featuring Coby Sey

Laurel Halo has announced a new album, ‘Atlas’, set for release via her new label, Awe. Listen to the lead single, 'Bellville', featuring Coby Sey, below.

Set for release on 22nd September, ‘Atlas’ will be the LA-based DJ, composer and producer’s first full-length album in five years, following 2018’s ‘Raw Silk’ Uncut Wood for Parisian label, Latency.

The 10-track album – described as a “set of sensual ambient jazz collages” – also includes acoustic instrumentation from friends and collaborators including saxophonist Bendik Giske, violinist James Underwood, and cellist Lucy Railton.

News of the album came alongside the release of first single, ‘Belleville’, featuring vocals from London musician, Coby Sey. Sey has previously worked as a co-producer alongside Mica Levi on Tirzah’s landmark album, ‘Colourgrade’, as well as collaborating with the likes of Cosha, Leifur James, Kelly Lee Owens, and Lafawndah. Revisit his contribution to DJ Mag’s Selections series here.

‘Atlas’ began to take shape back in 2020 after Halo, who had recently rediscovered her love for the piano, was invited to take up a residency at the legendary Ina-GRM Studios in Paris. She spent the following year experimenting with the simple piano sketches she’d recorded over the prior months – adding electronic flourishes and acoustic instrumentation – which would form the heart of the album.

Halo will debut her new ‘Atlas’ live show at Berlin Atonal, followed by performances at the National Concert Hall in Dublin, London’s Barbican, and the Musikgebouw in Amsterdam. Check out the full list of live and DJ dates below.

In 2020, Laurel Halo made her first foray into composing for the screen with ‘Possessed’, which was later released on wax through The Vinyl Factory. The score spans live, acoustic instrumentation and synthetic production and was produced by Dutch Mountain Film.

Halo has previously released music extensively through the Hyberdub label, including her 2012 debut album, ‘Quarantine’, and 2017’s ‘Dust’. Revisit DJ Mag’s cover story on Hyperdub, which featured Laurel Halo, here.

‘Atlas’ is available for pre-order via Bandcamp. Listen to ‘Belleville’ below.

Laurel Halo Tour Dates:

12/07 – Elsewhere, NYC *
22/07 – Smart Bar, Chicago *
04/08 – Panorama Bar, Berlin *
05/08 – C12, Brussels *
19/08 – Blå, Oslo *
25/08 – Lux, Lisbon *
26/08 – Venue MOT, London *
07/09 – Berlin Atonal, Berlin (Atlas World Premiere) º
08/09 – National Hall, Dublin º
10/09 – Barbican (Milton Court), London º
13/09 – Muziekgebouw (Bimhuis), Amsterdam º
16/09 – Ruhrtriennale, Bochum º
22/09 – Making Time Festival, Philadelphia*
03/11 – FEaST Festival, Iowa City º
05/11 – Bond Chapel (pres. by Renaissance Society), Chicago º
08/11 – Sanctuary of the First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia º
09/11 – Le Poisson Rouge, NYC º
11/11 – Public Records, NYC *
19/11 – Lodge Room, Los Angeles º
* = DJ
º = Laurel Halo presents Atlas LIVE