Loraine James shares new single, ‘Choose To Be Gay (Femenine)’: Listen

Loraine James has shared a new single, ‘Choose To Be Gay (Femenine)’.

Taken from the artist’s forthcoming album, ‘Building Something Beautiful For Me’,  on Phantom Limb,  ‘Choose To Be Gay (Femenine)’ is the second track to be shared from the LP, and riffs off late American composer Julius Eastman’s meditative ‘Femenine’.

The entire eight-track LP which will land on 7th October, and pays homage to Eastman, who died aged 49 in 1990 in relative obscurity and has seen a resurgence of recognition in recent years. Not all of Eastman’s music has survived the passage of time, but a surviving zip drive of Eastman original files from his brother Gerry Eastman, Renee Levine-Packer & Mary Jane Leach’s 2015 biography of Eastman, Gay Guerilla, and transcribed MIDI stems — courtesy of Phantom Limb founder & A&R James Vella — have been reframed and reimagined by James for the project.

Before the LP’s release, James will perform live renditions with the London Contemporary Orchestra at Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall on 2nd October. 

You can listen to ‘Choose To Be Gay (Femenine)’ below, and pre-order ‘Building Something Beautiful For Me’ here.

Ahead of her 2021 Hyperdub album, titled ‘Reflection’, Christian Eede interviewed James about creating in the pandemic, collaboration and more — revisit the feature here.