The Elysian Quartet is a contemporary string ensemble founded in 1999 by violinists Emma Smith and
Jennymay Logan, violist
Vincent Sipprell, and cellist
Laura Moody. All four musicians studied at the Trinity College of Music in London. Dedicated to playing 20th century compositions, modern classical, and experimental music, the group has toured and collaborated with numerous rock and electronic musicians, including
Hot Chip,
Mystery Jets, and
Nina Nastasia. They were the first act signed to Nonclassical, a British label devoted to combining contemporary classical with forward-thinking electronic music. The quartet's first release was a recording of
Gabriel Prokofiev's String Quartet No. 1, which included remixes by
Max de Wardener, David Schweitzer, and
Prokofiev himself. This was followed in 2007 by
Prokofiev's String Quartet No. 2, which included remixes by
Hot Chip as well as dubstep producers such as
Vex'd and
Starkey, gaining the quartet a following amongst dance music fans and leading to collaborations with artists ranging from
the Black Ghosts to
Charlie Alex March. The quartet played strings on
Simon Fisher Turner's score to the silent film
The Great White Silence, which was released by Soleilmoon in 2011. They also contributed to
Radiohead drummer
Philip Selway's 2014 solo album,
Weatherhouse, and worked with Scottish trio
Lau on their 2015 album,
The Bell That Never Rang. In early 2015,
Sipprell was found dead in his home of an apparent suicide. The remaining members of the group raised money for CALM, a charity that works to prevent male suicide. In 2016, Purple Pyramid released Floating Element, a recording of
the Elysian Quartet's 2007 London concert with
Damo Suzuki's Network. ~ Paul Simpson