Recording Sessions

Urban Soul Orchestra: Your Perfect String Session Musicians

Top name professionals regularly book the Urban Soul Orchestra to provide quality string session players for studio album recordings, film scores, music for adverts and computer game soundtracks.
With an industry track record of 20 years, the Urban Soul Orchestra have a regular and loyal client base of artists, producers, arrangers and record companies, who consistently book us for our excellent work.

A String Section, not a Selection of String Players

The Urban Soul Orchestra only book the best UK session musicians, who all perform on top quality instruments, love music, are a joy to work with, and have that unique ‘USO groove’. Because our players also play live gigs together on a regular basis, they understand each other, cutting down on wasted studio time spent explaining and producing a polished take each and every time.
• Click on the white speaker beside the track images below to hear examples of USO's work in the studio.

Top Clients, Top Studios

Urban Soul Orchestra have worked with some of the biggest international names in music, including:
Amy Studt, Alesha Dixon, Barth, Beverly Knight, Cast, Cliff Richard, Darius Danesh, Destiny's Child, D-Influence, Errol Brown, Express 2/David Byrne, Gabrielle, Groove Armada, Grace Jones, Keane, Kano, Heather Small, Leona Lewis, Mansun, Maxi Priest, Mick Jagger, Natlie Imbruglia, Nitin Sawhney, Octave One, Peter Andre, Peter Grant, Reel People, Robert Miles, Shola Ama, Smoke City, Steve Brookstein, Take That!, The Jinks, The Script, The Spice Girls, Tyler James, Ultra Nate, Weekend Players, Z Star
Our status as a top session string orchestra also ensures we have good relationships with the best studios, who provide us with the perfect sound at discounted rates.

Why Professionals Choose Urban Soul Orchestra for Session Strings

Sam Duckworth, Lead Singer of Get Cape Wear Cape Fly explains;
“Recording with the Urban Soul Orchestra felt like being a kid in a candy shop. It's like a super group orchestra, it was quite phenomenal the pedigree of the musicians. You play it on a computer with the fake strings and you can understand it then you see it getting played out its something quite special. I loved it.”

Music for Media

Our versatility and skills in a variety of styles has made us indispensible for a range of studio music projects including:
• film scores
• tv soundtracks
• music for commercials and advertising
• computer/pc game music, including Playstation soundtracks

Professional Arranger, Orchestrator and Conductor

Our director, Stephen Hussey, also offers a professional string arrangements service - for more details see our String Arrangements page.

Stephen is also available to work with other composers and orchestras, as a conductor or arranger. Stephen has worked with some of the world's best musicians on some of the most exciting and innovative music to picture projects, from film to video game soundtracks.

See Making the Music of Heavenly Sword to see Stephen working with Nitin Sawhney on the soundtrack for Playstation's Heavenly Sword with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.

See Philharmonia Orchestra: The Sound Exchange: Backstage: On Film: The Namesake to read an interview with Stephen Hussey on his role in the recording session for the soundtrack to Mira Nair's The Namesake.

See BBC-New Talent-Music to watch an interview with Stephen on his role in the recording session for the soundtrack to the BBC natural history programme Natural World with the BBC Concert Orchestra.

Download Documents

Discography31kb

Easy
Groove Armada
I Can Build You A Tower
Get Cape, Wear Cape. Fly
Until You Come Back To Me
Peter Grant

Urban Soul Orchestra