Dalia Stasevska credits to Matthew Johnson
©Photo: Matthew Johnson

ALBUM RELEASE: Dalia Stasevska releases her debut Platoon album Dalia’s Mixtape

8/3/2024

Dalia’s Mixtape addresses the future of recorded music — the way it sounds, the way we listen to it and the way we access it. ​“The symphony orchestra is one of the greatest instruments ever created,” says conductor Dalia Stasevska. ​“As music keeps evolving, so does the orchestra, and something has happened in the last decade or so — doors have been opened. Composers from wider and more diverse backgrounds than ever before are bringing new ideas and influences to the orchestra.”

The 10 tracks of Dalia’s Mixtape are performed by BBC Symphony Orchestra and present some of the freshest sounds in contemporary music, personally selected by Stasevska. The works will be released individually by Platoon on all streaming platforms, between 8 March and 13 September 2024. At the conclusion of the project, a full album will be released. With this format Stasevska makes a clean break with tradition. 

Dalia's Mixtape Cover Album Platoon

“I notice that I’m listening to music in a completely new way. I’ve been inspired by different mixtapes and playlists, and wanted to create music tailored to the way people listen to music now.”

Dalia Stasevska

Dalia’s Mixtape celebrates the explosion in aesthetics and approaches that have renewed the symphony orchestra for a digital age. ​“This is a golden age for the orchestra,” believes Stasevska. ​“All these composers really listen to what is happening in our world. What unites them is curiosity — their openness to new experiences and influences. They are pushing the boundaries of how the orchestra can communicate.” 

The featured works of Dalia’s Mixtape include music by genre-bending composers Anna Meredith and Caroline Shaw, mesmerizing orchestral tapestries by Andrea Tarrodi and Noriko Koide and a miniature masterpiece by Judith Weir. Each track will open up its own musical world. Taken together, the music will lead the listener on an unparalleled journey in orchestral sound.

Dalia's Mixtape - Trailer ©  PLATOON

“Music is adventure and there are no rules that must be followed. Why stick only to what we’ve been doing for decades? It is also important to explore — and see where the journey takes us.”

Dalia Stasevska

First up, Anna Meredith — an artist who defies categorization. In 2019, her band appeared at the Helsinki Festival and played Nautilus — a bright, pulsating electronic fanfare that alludes to both the joy of gaming and the horror of a dystopia. ​“I loved the industrial, almost teenage energy of the music,” says Dalia, who heard the Helsinki Festival performance and immediately went backstage to ask Meredith to write an orchestral version. Dalia wanted to hear all that energy rendered ​‘not by electronics, but by 90 human beings channeling it together.’ 

Nautilus is released worldwide on all streaming platforms on 8 March.