After the success of the Pan Machine album that saw the Ebony Steel Band cover Kraftwerk, OM Swagger’s Ian Shirley was desperate to work again with the talented Delphina James who arranged the tracks on that critically acclaimed LP.

Shirley had the idea of interpreting the works of famed contemporary composer and pianist Ludovicio Einaudi through the prism of the steel pan. 

Delphina James wrote out arrangements for classic tracks like I Giorni, Passaggio and Samba as well as lesser-known works like Moto and Respiro. She then formed a trio comprising of Tara Baptise (three pan cello), Nadine McCleary (bass) with herself on Tenor and set to work rehearsing the material. Once the trio mastered the tracks, James took it upon herself to write and arrange the track Siempre Conmigo as a tribute to the Italian piano master.

Produced by Ian Shirley, Plays Ludo was recorded at the internationally famous The Pool studio in Elephant and Castle. 

Anyone who enjoyed Pan Machine will love this album. Fans of Ludovicio Einaudi around the world will rejoice in hearing the master’s work interpreted in a totally different musical setting. Respiro, for example, takes Einaudi into ambient electronic territory even though the instrumentation used is acoustic.

Like Kraftwerk, Einaudi’s music sounds like it was written specifically for the steel pan.