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John Talabot announces new album Music for Empty Stadiums under new alias, OR

16 September 2026, 12:00 | Written by Kayla Sandiford

OR — the project of Catalan producer, electronic musician, and DJ John Talabot — has announced his anti-ambient album Music for Empty Stadiums, and shared new single, "Nokik Messiah".

Music for Empty Stadiums is described as John Talabot's — the alias of Oriol Riverola — most "substantial" work yet, running across seventeen tracks and ninety-five minutes. "Nokik Messiah" arrives as the first preview of Riverola's first release as OR, introducing a "diaristic document of a uniquely distressing time".

Music For Empty Stadiums came out of lockdown, when Riverola found himself lost without touring. The idea of producing dance music felt pointless, and as much of the music sphere pivoted toward homebound ambient, he felt uninspired. "What might the most euphoric possible variant of ambient sound like?" he asked himself.

He cocooned himself in the studio, working to string together dozens of ideas over a few months that were and almost entirely beatless, built around an anti-ambient sound. The album's tracks are arranged in the chronological order they were created, serving as a diaristic document and one of the most personal things Riverola has ever done.

Music for Empty Stadiums artwork

LP Front Cover

Music for Empty Stadiums tracklist

"The Cortisol Arena"
"Barroque"
"Terrace Continuum"
"Ginger & Miyake"
"Where's The Melody?"
"Ombra de Ninja (Balearika Mix)"
"Preset Symphony"
"Supper Bowl"
"=^.^= (ANTHEM4U)"
"Nokik Messiah"
"Reflex Amnesia"
"Maracaná"
"Fractal Love Odyssey"
"CROWDPLEASER"
"Strings of Death (Dtunin' version)"
"Trancient"
"Serotonin Bliss Blues"

Music for Empty Stadiums is released on 30 October via AD 93

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