{"product_id":"robert-laidlow-reality-eaters","title":"Robert Laidlow: Reality Eaters","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRelease date: 17 July 2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNMC is proud to release \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReality Eaters\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e, the debut album by “gigantically imaginative” (BBC Radio 3) composer \u003cstrong\u003eRobert Laidlow\u003c\/strong\u003e. Bringing together three major works, the album explores “latent spaces”: hidden fields of possibility that underpin everything from artificial intelligence to the physical universe. Written between 2018 and 2022, the music reflects a formative period in Laidlow’s career, shaped by his doctoral research and collaborations with leading UK ensembles. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA long-standing relationship with the BBC Philharmonic was central to the album’s development, enabling sustained experimentation and access to the ensemble’s archive. In piano concerto Warp, the orchestra becomes a shifting fabric, stretched and twisted as the soloist moves through conflicting temporal worlds. \u003cem\u003eGravity\u003c\/em\u003e, for string quartet, traces humanity’s evolving understanding of the force - from myth and early science to Einstein’s warped spacetime - culminating in a collapsing singularity rendered as a striking “active silence.” \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe album’s centrepiece, \u003cem\u003eSilicon\u003c\/em\u003e, engages directly with machine learning and AI. It has been featured in the New York Times, the New Scientist, Sky News, BBC Radio, and international television. Across its three movements, the orchestra encounters distorted reflections of itself: uncanny repetitions, invented musical behaviours and a spectral double generated from archival recordings. The result is a work that celebrates orchestral sound while questioning ideas of authenticity and control in an age of intelligent machines. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe title \u003cem\u003eReality Eaters\u003c\/em\u003e reflects the album’s central metaphor. Black holes and artificial intelligence are imagined as forces that consume reality - whether physical or cultural - offffering fertile ground for musical exploration. Rather than a purely technical response, Laidlow’s music captures the emotional impact of these ideas, balancing precision with instability and structure with disruption. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith \u003cem\u003eReality Eaters\u003c\/em\u003e, Laidlow presents a vivid body of work that probes the boundaries of music, science and technology, inviting listeners into spaces where the familiar begins to dissolve and new forms emerge. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRobert Laidlow’s work has been performed and recorded by leading musicians in the UK, including the Riot Ensemble, the Britten Sinfonia, the Elias Quartet, the Piatti Quartet, Chineke!, Joseph Havlat and David Zucchi. He has been commissioned by the Royal Philharmonic Society Composer’s Prize, awarded an Ivan Juritz Prize, and been nominated for two Ivor Novello Composers Awards along with the RMA Tippett Medal.\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRobert Laidlow\u003cbr\u003eVimbayi Kaziboni, Joseph Havlat, BBC Philharmonic, Piatti Quartet\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat: CD, download, streaming\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eFUNDERS\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNMC Recordings would like to thank: \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0424\/6870\/4411\/files\/HinrichsenFoundationLogo.png?v=1708531647\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003cimg height=\"91\" width=\"289\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0424\/6870\/4411\/files\/ACE_grant_jpeg_black_f973d32b-344e-4098-a72d-567aaa9f4360.jpg?v=1741022575\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg height=\"75\" width=\"216\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0424\/6870\/4411\/files\/VWF_black_14a50d9a-9d68-46b4-8d46-3fd3d595452d.png?v=1741022574\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0424\/6870\/4411\/files\/Delius_Trust_Logo.png?v=1741022747\" width=\"202\" height=\"88\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0424\/6870\/4411\/files\/FrancisRouthFullLogo.webp?v=1776074303\" alt=\"\" width=\"148\" height=\"75\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0424\/6870\/4411\/files\/DORICO-Logo-pure-RGB-1200x385-1.webp?v=1776074314\" alt=\"\" width=\"224\" height=\"72\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eRECORDING CREDITS\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"rec-record-details\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"inside\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"panel-pane pane-entity-field pane-node-field-recording-publishing-info\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"field field-name-field-recording-publishing-info field-type-text-long field-label-hidden\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"field-items\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"field-item even\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWarp\u003c\/em\u003e was recorded at the BBC Philharmonic Studio, MediaCity UK, Salford on 11 November 2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSTEPHEN RINKER\u003c\/strong\u003e Recording Engineer\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMIKE GEORGE \u003c\/strong\u003eProducer\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eGravity \u003c\/em\u003ewas recorded at St Silas Church, Kentish Town, London on 26 March 2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eADAQ KHAN\u003c\/strong\u003e Recording Engineer\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJIM UNWIN \u003c\/strong\u003eProducer and Editor\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eSilicon\u003c\/em\u003e was recorded at the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester on 29 October 2022\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSTEPHEN RINKER\u003c\/strong\u003e Recording Engineer\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eROBERT LAIDLOW\u003c\/strong\u003e Editor\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMATTHEW BENNETT \u003c\/strong\u003eProducer\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJIM UNWIN\u003c\/strong\u003e Album Mastering\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNMC Recordings is a charitable company (reg. no. 328052) established for the recording of contemporary music by The Holst Foundation; it is grateful for funding from Arts Council England and The Delius Trust.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e© NMC Recordings Ltd 2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCatalogue number: NMC D292\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"NMC Recordings","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":55524139794808,"sku":"NMCD292","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"MP3","offer_id":55524139827576,"sku":"NMCD292_DL","price":7.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"FLAC16","offer_id":55524139860344,"sku":"NMCD292_DL","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"FLAC24","offer_id":55524139893112,"sku":"NMCD292_DL","price":13.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"Booklet PDF","offer_id":55529844834680,"sku":"NMCD292_PDF","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0424\/6870\/4411\/files\/Reality_Eaters_Robert_Laidlow_DIGITAL_3000px.jpg?v=1775656644","url":"https:\/\/nmc-recordings.myshopify.com\/products\/robert-laidlow-reality-eaters","provider":"NMC Recordings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}