Elysian Quartet

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.
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