Dorongo: Press release
by June 28, 2023New York artist Nick Marks releases his second single, “Dorongo” on April 28th 2023. This comes off the back of his debut single “Ride The Dragon”, which received support from Huey Morgan on BBC6, Ruth Fisher on JazzFM, Tina Edwards on Worldwide FM, and within its first month, the music video has over 65,000 views on YouTube.
The Australian born modern composer, producer and arranger is best known for his scoring work in feature films, television, podcasts and commercials, as well as being a frequent behind-the-scenes collaborator with New York’s top line of musicians. His approach bends genres and styles, taking a cinematic approach to melding jazz infused themes with orchestral textures, electronica elements and lo-fi beats.
“Dorongo” is futuristic aural metropolis. Driving bass lines, modern jazz rhythm section, stoic horns and evergreen flute fuse with explosive synths, mashed game-boy beats, and flying arpeggios that glide in the air like hover crafts. Underpinning it all is a lush orchestra that invisibly embraces and elevates listeners on a soaring through-composed journey.
The track opens with a sudden ‘jolt’ to awaken listeners in a futuristic jazz-inspired augmented reality. The positive, hyped energy creates the sense of being on a mission, but with chill undercurrents. After the main theme, “Dorongo” takes listeners on organic ‘detours’ through moments of jazztronica, drum’n’bass and a soul/funk-inspired synth groove. Each realm unlocks a new level, after which we return to the main theme bigger and bolder. Musicians trade blazing solos in a manner that could underscore a car chase scene, and later in the track, Nick Marks features with a Juno synth solo backed by the full ensemble. Coming to the climax, the listener enters the final ‘boss level’ with a reprise of the main theme taking an unexpected twist, before conquering the game and finishing with a sense of ‘mission complete’. “Dorongo” was recorded between New York and Budapest with a 21-piece string section (known as the Budapest Art Orchestra).
Nick says about the track: “Dorongo represents a futuristic aural metropolis, written to accompany listeners in our real world. Notwithstanding the dark forces around us each day, there are always things that keep us optimistic and moving forward. ‘Dorongo’ is written to be your uplifting soundtrack: the orchestra is your vehicle to fly; the horns are your armory; the drums, synthesizers and synth basses provide the fuel to drive you forward. We all have our daily missions to accomplish, and this cinematic jazztronica track is designed to awaken listeners to be their fearless self, think outside the box and take on whatever challenges lay in front of them; no matter how ‘dystopian’ the real world can feel at times.”
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