Will Gregory – Lost In The Forest released

The album is released today, Friday 8 August, on all digital platforms, via Real World X.

The RSC production, directed by Eleanor Rhode and starring Matthew Baynton, Katherine Pearce, Sirine Saba, Boadicea Ricketts, Andrew Richardson and Dawn Sievewright, garnered many plaudits as ‘a ravishing fusion of flamboyancy, surrealism and raucous fun’ (The Guardian), and ‘a glorious production of Shakespeare’s most spellbinding comedy…this truly is a night of fantasy’ (London Theatre).

“What you’re hearing on these ten tracks is very much the initial phase before it got chopped and chopped and chopped down, to fit the needs of the production,” says Will Gregory. “Director Eleanor Rhode wanted pre-show music, so the band came on ten minutes before the play started and played some music while everyone’s getting to their seats and chatting. It allowed people to accept the idea that music was going to happen during the play and it also meant that we were able to develop some longer pieces, which you’ll hear. I’m so glad that it’s ended up having a second life as a record, it’s lovely.”

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Will Gregory is an award-winning multi-instrumentalist, composer, record producer and one half of the electro-pop duo Goldfrapp. He is also the founding member of Will Gregory’s Moog Ensemble, who last year released their debut album Heat Ray: The Archimedes Project.

Having previously worked with the RSC on their production of King John, also directed by Eleanor Rhode, Gregory was shown early set designs for AMSND, with plans to make the fairies exist as light sources or light beams; ethereal, neon and a bit disconnected. This visual approach gave Gregory “a kind-of carte blanche to think about using synths and electronic sounds. We were on a pathway to using synths and making some sounds that reflected this tingling, fleeting electricity.”

“The thing about synths is they don’t come with as much baggage, I think, depending how you use them, as ‘conventional’ instruments. They have a kind of drone-y quality because they can play sustains, so I think there’s a link between synths and medieval music and hurdy-gurdies. Those very bald, unsophisticated sounds that you get from bombards and crumb horns and sack butts and vials played without any vibrato. In some ways I think there is an affinity between the period that Shakespeare is in and synthesizers. I mean, that might be pushing my luck a bit to say that, but I do think there is something raw about them that can be can be useful to set up a mood that isn’t a million miles away from some of the early music.”