Cory Wong, Metropole Orkest & Jules Buckley - Starship Syncopation (2024) [Hi-Res]

Collaboration in its purest form is something that features the two artists involved while drawing something out of each other that they never would have been able to pull off on their own. This is why I love doing it. It keeps my creative mind spinning and inspired. I did a short run of concerts a few years back that featured the Metropole Orkest, and we've discussed working on a project together ever since. I've never seen an orchestra who is so versatile in being able to play classical and also groove based music. I knew that we'd be able to capture something really special if I utilized them alongside my band.

When writing this album I knew that the hard hitting groove and funk elements needed to be represented, but in a new and unique way that I've not been able to explore on past projects. As someone who's eternally curious, I wrote and demoed about 25 songs to see what kind of space I could explore with 50 extra musicians in the band.

The possibilities seemed endless until I realized that the arrangements could just weave in rather than being alongside. Once I started to write and arrange the music in a way that made it feel like ONE ensemble, it made itself very clear how to move forward and make the album.

The recording process was great because after putting demos together I recorded my band and rhythm section in Minneapolis where I typically make my albums, then took it to the arranging phase. The demos had key lines and moments that I wanted the orchestra to cover, but I worked with other orchestral arrangers to help bring it to life (and to help me with the daunting task of writing out all of the music for 50+ musicians per song). The additional writers/featured artists/arrangers I worked with on this project really helped me hone in the vision further because it helped me further imagine all of the areas that the orchestra could be utilized. There's everything from hard hitting bangers like "Burning" and "Starship Syncopation" to emotional filmic sounding music like "Quotidian Fields (feat. Bruce Hornsby)". My goal with every album I make is to find new ways to discover parts of my artistry and voice; to grow and learn through the experiences. This album was an amazing opportunity to explore new territory for both Metropole Orkest and I.