An Act of both Madness and Love
South African multi-instrumentalist Guy Buttery will be releasing his new album 'Orchestrations' in February 2025
South African multi-instrumentalist Guy Buttery (born 1983) is set to unveil Orchestrations, his new album born from over a decade of meticulous crafting, global collaborations and artistic exploration. The album, which has been described as his magnum opus, will be available on 20 February 2025 across all major streaming platforms and select physical formats.
The seeds of Orchestrations were planted in 2012 when Buttery joined the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra to perform three of his compositions arranged for the fifty-two-piece ensemble. The exhilarating experience ignited a deep dive into orchestral composition, launching a transformative twelve-year journey. With Buttery's guitar at the core, Orchestrations unfolds into a lush, layered soundscape, where global influences and collaborations intertwine seamlessly with expansive orchestral arrangements by South African film composer, singer and songwriter Chris Letcher.
The fourteen-track album reflects Buttery's insatiable curiosity and acute attention to detail. Recorded across ten countries, it features contributions from an impressive lineup of international and South African artists, including Kaki King (New York), Derek Gripper (Cape Town), Julian Sartorius (Berne), Madala Kunene (Durban) and Mudassir Khan (New Delhi).
Orchestrations opens with the evocative 'Two Chords and the Truth', a track that epitomizes the album's essence. Layering sounds like geological strata, the song evolves with hypnotic rises and falls, inviting listeners into an intricate network of sounds. Each composition shows Buttery's ability to push the boundaries of musical storytelling, blending complexity and intimacy to create a profound listening experience.
This album is a testament to the perseverance and passion required to bring such a grand vision to life. Buttery comments:
While creating something of this magnitude is often romanticized, the process is as much about moments of elation as it is about facing the drudgery of refinement. Returning again and again to these compositions has been an act of both madness and love.
With an extensive performance history and discography that have earned him accolades like the Standard Bank Young Artist Award - the first given outside the classical music genre - Orchestrations is the latest milestone in a career defined by bold experimentation and global resonance. The album promises to captivate audiences, holding them within a sonic 'bowl' where each note, layer, and collaboration tells its own story while contributing to the larger, interconnected whole.
From intimate house concerts to performing at New York's prestigious Lincoln Center, Guy Buttery is a multi-instrumentalist known for his genre-crossing artistry and innovative approach to music. Known for blending traditional South African sounds with global influences, Buttery's work continues to push boundaries, earning him recognition both at home and abroad.
In celebration of the release of Orchestrations, Buttery will be planting indigenous trees as well as removing invasive plant species in a personal endeavour to rehabilitate a local riverbed. Members of the public can support this project via his Bandcamp page: guybuttery.bandcamp.com
Posted 5 December 2024 by Keith Bramich
