An Explosion of Music Genres: Rone x London Contemporary Orchestra at Barbican Hall

Image courtesy of Barbican Centre

French electronic music producer Rone performed the UK premiere of his new album L(oo)ping (2023) at Barbican hall, alongside the London Contemporary Orchestra. 

Rone’s latest musical project is not an ordinary one, as it consists of eleven electro-orchestral renditions of some of the artist’s greatest successes. Based on the recording of a concert in collaboration with the Orchestre national de Lyon in December 2022, this album is the perfect mix between the captivating rhythm of the musician's electronic tracks and the seizing sound of a philharmonic orchestra.

From this concert, a film has also been released in 2022, in which dancers accompanied the music, making this project a striking acoustic and visual show.

Rone’s performance featuring the London Contemporary Orchestra left a strong impression on its spectators. If at the beginning, the public behaved like a typical philharmonic orchestra’s audience, appreciating the music calmly, the entire hall was soon impressed by the energy of what was happening in front of their eyes, as the show was not only powerful to hear but also to see.

The cinematic tones of the music, as well as the vision of Rone and a crowd of classical musicians creating this electric atmosphere provoked a strong reaction among the audience. As the people seated in the front rows began to get up from their seats to dance, some spectators could not help but shed a few tears during some of the most lyrical moments. The virtuosity of the orchestra accompanied by Rone’s mixing performance were finally rewarded by no less than three standing ovations, as the artist came back twice on the stage to deliver unreleased orchestral renditions of some of his most famous hits, such as ‘Bye bye macadam’ (2012) and ‘So so so’ (2011).

The final embrace between Rone and London contemporary Orchestra’s conductor Robert Ames moved the crowd even more, as everyone stood up to applaud all the musicians on stage. 

Rone’s fast establishment on the French and International electronic music scene is partly due to his great ability to play with genres. His first EP Bora (2008) already displayed his tendency to find inspiration in other art forms such as literature, as the international hit ‘Bora vocal’ features a sample of French writer Alain Damasio’s self-recorded message in order to encourage himself to write the acclaimed novel La horde du Contrevent (2004). 

On the same note, Rone composed several movies’ soundtracks including Frédéric Farrucci’s La nuit venue (2020) and Jacques Audiard’s Les Olympiades (2021) , which caused the artist to be nominated two years in a row for the French César awards for best original soundtrack. 

Finally, the musician also produced the soundtrack of the show Room with a view,  a dance performance by the collective (La) Horde. When looking at all the collaborations  and various projects Rone has made during his career, it is thus not a surprise to watch a performance that was almost cinematic, given its striking visual elements as well as its highly emotional atmosphere. 

I always thought that everyone should see a philharmonic orchestra live at least once in their life. Based on this exhilarating experience, it’s safe to say that if Rone happens to perform with it, it’s even better. 

Edited by Lucy Blackmur