Planningtorock & Romy – share new collaborative version of “The One”

Planningtorock – the long-running musical project of Tallinn-based artist, producer and composer Jam Rostron – today releases a collaborative version of their 2011 single “The One” with award winning musician Romy (of The xx), released via Human Level.

 
This new version of “The One” sees Romy bring a softer, more luminous approach to the song. Where the original was fuelled by pizzicato strings and Jam’s longing vocals, this collaborative release strips things back then opens them up with euphoric, cascading synths cushioning Romy’s soothing vocals and breathing fresh life into a track that’s 15 years old. The release had already set pulses racing when Romy opened her surprise DJ set at Coachella last month, and the full version more than delivers on that promise.
 
Speaking about the new release, Planningtorock explains “I wrote THE ONE back in 2009 when I was single and not yet able to live as my trans self. I was so lonely back then and the possibility of being in love felt very far away. Romy’s rework of this song is so beautiful. She’s managed to take its original queer longing for love to another level of tenderness and hope and created something deeply moving.”
 
Romy continues “I’ve been a fan of Planningtorock for a long time and have so much admiration and respect for the music they make and the person they are. Over the years we have become close friends and I think there’s an unspoken understanding between us – not just as friends, but through our shared experiences as queer artists. Our connection and friendship made this feel extra special to work on. When I first heard the original track ‘The One’, I was struck by the emotion sitting just beneath the surface – that sense of longing that feels both personal and universal. I wanted to honour the emotion in the original, letting the heart of song breathe whilst taking it’s hand and bringing it into the dancefloor.”

The release is the latest in a series of collaborations that have seen select songs of Planningtorock’s catalogue reframed through a contemporary queer lens – specifically highlighting songs in their vast career that helped them understand their transness. Following I.JORDAN’s work on “Doorway” and ABSOLUTE., and BIMINI’s reworking of “Let’s Talk About Gender Baby,” these new versions revisit songs from earlier in Jam’s career – the majority written before they came to terms with being a transmasc non-binary person – and give them an entirely new dimension.
 
Planningtorock is currently on tour across the UK for a series of special live performances of The Age of Consent, the landmark 1984 debut by synth-pop pioneers Bronski Beat. Across three UK dates this month, Planningtorock is performing songs from the seminal album alongside the likes of Tom Rasmussen and Bishi – revisiting one of queer pop’s most influential records, whose themes of identity, sexuality and liberation remain as vital today as when it was first released. Rostron will also return to the Berlin club circuit in July for a DJ set at Cuddles.
 
Live Dates
17th May — Aviva Studios, Manchester — The Age of Consent
24th May — Royal Festival Hall, London — The Age of Consent
5th July — Cuddles, Berlin — DJ set