Deep Dive: Circuit3 & Vince Clarke – The Hope

To tie in with the release of Metanoia: Music From Therapy, Peter Fitzpatrick, AKA Circuit3, has graciously taken us on a Deep Dive of the epic featured track, The Hope.

Clocking in at eleven minutes, The Hope is an incredibly atmospheric electronic/drone crossover. It often refers back not just to Fitzpatrick’s own work but also that of collaborator Vince Clarke. Haunting in tone, this instrumental piece is emotionally moving, as it draws from retrofuturism, the inventive soundscapes of both musicians, and a strong presence of the colour-saturated soundscapes of 80s-era Vangelis.     

Genesis of the song and lyrics

Every few weeks I’d send Mat (Smith, of Mortality Tables, who collaborated on the album), new works in progress as Metanoia developed. Then he messaged me to ask if I’d be interested in collaborating with another artist. It’s important to understand that collaboration doesn’t always work, not because anybody is unwilling or unable, but because the planets have to align if you want to catch lightning in a bottle. I said yes and thought nothing more of it.

A few weeks later, the morning after Kite’s 2024 London show, Mat forwarded a screenshot of a message that said, roughly, “Yes, I’m happy to work with Peter. Have him email me and tell me what he’d like me to do on the track.” Before I could reply, Mat sent another message: “Oh, that’s from Vince, by the way.”

I had to do a double take. Whenever I’m asked about influences and people I’d like to work with, Vince has always been top of the list. We had exchanged emails in the past following a brief meeting in Dublin before an Erasure show. 

Instrumentation and recording

The track started as a minimal drone piece called Hopeless, recorded on the Moog Matriarch with some tape delay. There was no tempo. I used the two envelopes on the Moog to keep it moving. When one finished, it triggered the other, so the drone could keep going for as long as I wanted. It was meant to sound dark and fairly hopeless, with Vince bringing the hope into it. I imagined his part appearing now and then before eventually breaking through.

Vince has written some of the most memorable melodies of our generation, so obviously, I expected him to add a melody. Instead, he worked out a tempo map by hand and used it to add an arpeggio, even though the original had no tempo at all. That became the repeating synth pattern running through the track.

He created a simple theme for ‘hope,’ which bursts through as the track progresses. The tierce de Picardie at the end was his idea as well. I would probably have talked myself out of it, but he was right. It works.

The title, The Hope, was a happy accident. The first time Mat and I talked about making a track together, long before it turned into an album, we were in a bar in Farringdon called The Hope. With the subject of the album, and then Vince becoming involved, the name was sitting there, waiting for us, really.

Making the video

Jackie Hudson-Lalor, the artist who kindly provided the sculptures featured on the album cover and inner sleeve, provided great support for the creation of the video. I had an idea (no spoilers!) but wasn’t quite sure how to execute it to a high standard. We spent two fun Saturdays patiently experimenting with inks, water, lights and cameras before nailing 3 possible versions. The version we decided on is the one now up on YouTube. It really illustrates the ebb and flow of hope and hopelessness while visualising the sounds Vince and I created.

Where does this particular track fit within your wider body of work?

It feels like something I was meant to create one day.

What are you up to in the coming months?

I’ll be playing some live shows, including as part of Culture Night in Dublin on September 18.  I’m scouting for shows to play in the UK later this year. There’s another album of instrumental and drone tracks under way, which I’d like to release before year end. I’ve also started a new collaboration with another Irish artist which uses rare and vintage synths manufactured before 1984. 

Metanoia: Music From Therapy was released in conjunction with UK label Mortality Tables on the 14th of August and can be picked up in digital and a range of physical formats on Bandcamp. You can learn more about the album and Circuit3 over on Instagram and Facebook.  

Header image by Paul Maxwell