Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA has announced his latest album ‘A Ballet Through Mud’ – an orchestral soundtrack for the ballet of the same name – for release on August 30 via Platoon.
Last Friday (July 19), record label Platoon shared information about the release with a statement from RZA. Per Rolling Stone, the rapper rediscovered the project during the pandemic while revisiting lyrical songbooks from his teenage years.
These were then transformed into the finalized ballet soundtrack, which scores a coming-of-age story about love and growth. ‘A Ballet Through Mud’ was performed by the Colorado Symphony Orchestra in its 2023 production – the ensemble will perform RZA’s score on the forthcoming album.
“I have been composing my whole life, although I didn’t know initially that was what I was doing. The inspiration for ‘A Ballet Through Mud’ comes from my earliest creative output as a teenager, but its themes are universal – love, exploration, and adventure,” RZA said in the statement.
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“I hope people use it to score their own lives, to transform a drive to the grocery store or sharing a meal with loved ones into something magical, to be inspired and let their imaginations take them into a different chamber, if only for a moment.”
In 2023, the same year as ‘A Ballet Through Mud’, RZA enlisted the same orchestral ensemble for a series of ‘36 Chambers’ symphony performances.
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Last month, it was revealed that Wu-Tang Clan’s infamous ‘Once Upon A Time In Shaolin’ has been turned into an NFT. After years of changing ownership, its current owner Pleasr has made ownership of the album possible via an NFT.
Purchasing an NFT of the album gives buyers access to an album sampler and, as per Pitchfork, increases the record’s release 88 seconds at a time. Its official website features a real-time digital clock, which counts down the years until the album is legally permitted to be sold commercially in 2103.
The tracklist for ‘A Ballet Through Mud’ is (via Rolling Stone):
‘Aeolian Beauty’
‘Clear Sky After Storm’
‘Ballet Through Mud’
‘Divine Intervention’
‘Freedom of Movement’
‘Soft Footsteps’
‘Goodnight’
‘The Night Dances When You Least Expect It’
‘Moving Meditation’
‘The Lotus Arrives’