With a penchant for drama and a wicked sense of humour, Laurence Osborn is one of the most original composers currently working in the UK. He thinks in terms many would consider alien: he wonders what pop music can do for composition, or how quickly he can destroy the formalities found in his industry. He’s called his style ‘extreme’, before, but it’s not chaotic. It uses sounds and subtext to shift the conversation, far beyond what we’ve come to accept.
At hcmf// 2017, the Riot Ensemble premiered Osborn’s new work CTRL. Disturbing and explosive, it sounded like nothing else you will hear at a contemporary festival. In composing the piece, Osborn drew on the mutating landscape of modern rap music, referencing auto-tune’s dominance of our culture – from the expressive tunes of Young Thug to the mumblecore rappers who’ve put every second of their vocal through the tool. He’s named his upcoming piece Essential Relaxing Classical Hits – while signalling that performances should be as loud as the venue can possibly allow.