Orson Hentschel - 20TY4R (2024)

As the prequel to the awaited album in early autumn this year, 20TY4R offers 12 new tracks as the first half of a two-part body. The album title 20TY4R (an encryption of the number 24) can be read as a musical comment and acknowledgement to the futuristic-sounding year, 2024 — an attempt to capture the interface between our modern selves and new technologies. In truth, the present already feels like the future regarding the rapid development of artificial intelligence. Consequently, it’s the first time Orson Hentschel incorporates AI tools, not only into his music but also his cover artwork.
With 20TY4R, Orson outlines his musical journey from the last two years, which is a voyage into his own past catalogue and present influences simultaneously. While his debut album in 2016 heavily featured computer-based sampling, he didn’t emphasize sampling again until now. By shifting to analog sequencers, it inspired him to rethink about sampling and how to treat samples in a deeply deformed and synthesized way. Whether finding sound material through AI generated music, the radio or his own recordings, Orson Hentschel augments his sound palette through a minimalistic and often rough drafted approach.