CD – 5 tracks – 56:30
Lasse Marhaug: electronics
Nils Henrik Asheim: organ
Lasse Marhaug and Nils Henrik Asheim started their collaboration in 2004 at the All Ears festival in Oslo, Norway. This turned out as a fruitful meeting between two musicians of very different backgrounds. Marhaug’s feedback to Asheim’s organ sounds in the Oslo concert started to reflect how the work was to develop. Asheim is working with half-stops and subtle playing techniques that create multiple layers of sound with a vibrating or fluctuating character, as well as with the power of the full organ. Marhaug’s tools belong to the world of sine wave oscillators and noise generators. The aim was to set a sonic frame into which they could both gradually tune.
The two musicians met again in June 2006 just before Oslo Cathedral (which contains Asheim’s favourite instrument) closed down for a few years of renovation work. One day of soundcheck and musical work and one night of recording produced an improvised flow of one hour, afterwards structured into five tracks.
The recording was made in a live setup on the organ loft. Nils Henrik Asheim was sitting at the organ console and Lasse Marhaug right behind, playing his electronics through a loudspeaker system in order to make the electronics and the acoustic organ sound blend as close to each other as possible. Sound engineer Thomas Hukkelberg used two custom-built condenser mics for the organ, two Shure KSM 44 for the electronics and two Neumann U87 by the altar for the ambience. He used a Millennia Media HV-3 preamp and an Apogee AD-16X converter. The recordings were made at night to avoid unwanted ambient city sounds. The final mix was made by Marhaug in January 2007.
Track list:
1. Bordunal
2. Phoneuma
3. Magnaton
4. Philomela
5. Clavaeolina
Reviews:
Charles Matthews, the organist from Spire, writes:
This recording marries together newer and older techniques and concepts. The beautiful organ of Oslo Cathedral dates from 1998, but clearly harks back to what might be described as traditional principles of organ construction. Moreover, Nils Henrik Asheim’s expert management of the instrument favours registrations well tried and tested by generations of organists. Many of Lasse Marhaug’s electronically generated sounds provide striking contrast, but he also uses digital and analogue oscillators to blend closely with the organ and so often blurs the boundary between the sound sources. The organ music appears to waver in frequency and a sort of blurring effect is created. Asheim himself also frequently bends pitch by half pulling or pushing stops; this effect can be heard, for example, at 19:30 on ‘Phoneuma’.
Generally the piece uses a tonally based language; rather than exploring the interaction between different harmonies, Asheim tends to settle for a long time on a single chord, with minimal deviations from it. For example, several minutes at the end of the recording are based closely around the chord of A flat, in either its minor or major form. The impression is akin to that of a beautiful view obscured from time to time by swirls of mist: a simple harmony slides in and out of focus, as it is masked by atmospheric electronic sound or as the pitch fluctuates.
The first thirty minutes or so gradually explore different chords; although the general mood is meditative, there are some loud and even energetic passages. Then comes a contrasting section, a sort of conversation between the performers, characterised by aggressive electronic noise, silences and, later on, low notes on reed stops. This more abrasive style appears to have a cathartic effect on the music; when the more harmonic idiom returns, the mood is more restful than before and the electronic sounds merge themselves more closely with those of the organ.
The nature of the harmonies and chord-voicing, as well as a certain modal influence, all recall aspects of some French music, perhaps particularly works by Jean Langlais. This French character is also suggested by Nils Henrik Asheim’s fondness for alternating two different notes or chords, as, for example, just after 03:39 on ‘Bordunal’. The close integration of the organ with the electronic input brings to mind some works of Jonathan Harvey, particularly Tombeau de Messiaen. The strongest parallel, however, seems to me that of the almost hypnotic later music of Giacinto Scelsi, the obvious point of comparison being his organ piece In Nomine Lucis.
A particular characteristic of organs in general is that they appear to be almost permanent fixtures of buildings in which they are situated. In one sense this can be limiting, but the combination of organ with other instruments can help, as it were, to coax the organ out of its usual setting. Perhaps paradoxically, here it is the electronic contribution that manages to transcend the physical restrictions of the organ, to transport us into wide open spaces and bracing gusts of wind. [Charles Matthews]
Grand Mutation has been nominated for a Qwartz Award in the Qwartz Album category 2007
tinymixtapes (USA):
Best Of 2007 Albums
Two masters of sonic architecture team up on Grand Mutation, Jazzkammer’s Lasse Marhaug and Norwegian composer Nils Henrik Asheim. Utilizing the organ in Norway’s Oslo Cathedral, the duo plays off the sound of the cathedral itself in constructing landscapes of gorgeous, blossoming noise. Asheim’s organ work is epic and glacial with Marhaug ramping up the level of electronic assault over the course of the piece. Presented in five relatively shorter pieces, Grand Mutation was originally recorded in one long improvised take and only slightly edited after the fact. The outcome is one of the most fascinating albums to come from the Touch camp in awhile. Similar in nature to the Spire compilation that featured Fennesz, BJ Nilsen, and Phillip Jeck, Grand Mutation grafts electronic noise onto the frame of an archaic acoustic instrument. This makes it easy enough to tell what’s being contributed by each artist, but the skill and precision with which Marhaug navigates Asheim’s layers of crystalline drone carves out a singular space for both performers. [Joe Davenport]
Neural (IT):
The sounds composed by the Norwegian Nils Henrik Asheim, shooting out from the awesome organ in the seventeenth-century cathedral in Oslo, and those obtained by Lasse Marhaug come together with crystal-like purity, organized around sinusoidal oscillators and other electronic instruments. A single night of recording, then edited in January 2007, an entire day just for the sound check (which included self-built capacitor microphones). All this to adjust the dialog between different instruments and techniques, showing, with non trivial sequences, the equally monolithic nature of these instruments. The fusion of classical music, forged in the symphonic nature of orchestral passages, and full noisy music, alternated to minimal structures, iterated sounds and drones, appears perfectly consequential. This is an extremely coherent and inspired album, which brings Touch back to the levels of excellence it achieved in the past. [Aurelio Cianciotta]
Earlabs (Netherlands):
Lasse Marhaug and Niels Henrik Asheim team up in a wonderful combination. This is a clash between the old and the new. The old being the centuries old church organ of the Oslo Cathedal, the new in the form of a series of hardcore LFO´s.
In order to explain the basic set up I will quote the liner notes: “The recording was made in a live setup on the organ loft. Nils Henrik Asheim was sitting at the organ console and Lasse Marhaug right behind, playing his electronics through a loudspeaker system in order to make the electronics and the acoustic organ sound blend as close to each other as possible. Sound engineer Thomas Hukkelberg used two custom-built condenser mics for the organ, two Shure KSM 44 for the electronics and two Neumann U87 by the altar for the ambience. He used a Millennia Media HV-3 preamp and an Apogee AD-16X converter. The recordings were made at night to avoid unwanted ambient city sounds. The final mix was made by Marhaug in January 2007.”
This allows me to quickly move on to what we are hearing on this disc. The short version: nothing short of a phenomenal recording! Marhaug and Asheim are both experts on their instruments and (a big plus!) they acknowledge and respect each others expertise. The result is a series of five edited live recordings that keep you at the tip of your chair.
Asheim slowly works himself into a frenzy in the first composition. Starting with a single note he gradually adds others so that not only the tone gets richer but also the volume increases. Marhaug keeps quiet for a while and only fills the holes with his oscillators. High pitch, restraint. Asheim takes the lead, Marhaug follows suit. When the organ is at its peak the electronics are as well. The organ starts a series of regular chords in the bass section while the higher ones howl a harmonic chord over it. The oscillators pick up the pitches of the organ, get higher, then lower again. The CD has a lot of these moments where the organ spits out rich harmonic chords while the oscillators blast their own tune. Sometimes ín tune, most times (beautifully) out of tune.
It’s definitely not only rock n roll. There are also moments of quietude where the listener gets a chance to take a breath. Then the organ sticks to one or two notes and the LFO’s mumble a bit in the background.
There are several ingredients that make this an exceptional recording: first it’s the combination of instruments. But that would never have resulted in this excellent performance without the craftmanship of Marhaug and Asheim, and their ability to listen to each other and capture the moment. It wás an exceptional situation and they exploited that to the fullest. Listen to this record!! This will certainly top the list of 2007 for me. [Ios Smolders]
Chain D.L.K. (USA):
The Spire series on Touch (www.spire.org.uk) has already given space to an impressive number of creative and unorthodox performers (from Z’EV to field recording master Toshiya Tsunoda) working with church organs, with often amazing results. This full-length by Norwegian performers Lasse Marhaug (electronics) and Nils Henrik Asheim (organ) is possibly the most daring and successful of the whole lot, and immediately ranks among the best fringe recordings of 2007. The two, collaborating since the 2004 All Ears festival, met again in 2006 to improvise in Oslo Cathedral, and recorded one hour worth of material, which was then structured into five pieces and mixed down by Marhaug last January. Both must have been in a state of grace, because the interplay and the power of these 56’35” are incredible. In “Bordunal”, a suspended drone fills the air, with floating high frequencies and ebbing low tones. If you close your eyes, you can almost imagine it as smoke or fog layers. Then, Asheim starts emitting higher wails, like whale calls, soon pierced by Marhaug’s noise bursts; then, the latter’s interventions drown everything in an electric storm. “Phoneuma” is equally varied, with airy, slowly modulated tones made thicker by electronic throbs, then ground by darker frequencies and mechanical loops, up to an epic crescendo; Asheim eventually breaks loose accumulating exhilarating clusters, and Marhaug tries to fight back, tooth and nail, with his devices. At the end, you start feeling dizzy. “Magnaton” is a short touch&go piece where abrupt organ notes battle with the screeching chaos of the oscillators, and such a tempest is followed by the two quietest tracks, “Philomela” and “Claveolina”. The former is a static quicksand puddle of low-end tones and sinewaves, streaked by Asheim with menacing higher tones. Any intemperance is finally quenched in the lulling drones of “Claveolina”, closing the often physical ambience of “Grand Mutation” with a dreamy catalepsy. [Eugenio Maggi]
Exclaim (Canada):
Organs have figured prominently in the Touch catalogue over the last couple of years, most notably with the release of the two Spire compilations featuring artists exploring the intersection of acoustic tradition and electronic innovation. Grand Mutation places this intersection dead centre in the Oslo Cathedral, where noise artist Lasse Marhaug and organist Nils Henrik Asheim first crossed paths, during the 2004 All Ears Festival.
Returning to the cathedral in June 2006, they brought along engineer Thomas Hukkelberg to capture their monolithic improvisations. Starting with “Bordunal,” the drone elements and resonant space serve to soothe and seduce the listener before eventually terrifying. Marhaug’s electronics were played live through a loudspeaker to share the space more naturally with Asheim’s organ, which initially led the way. By the bridge into “Phoneuma,” the distinction between the duo’s tonal palates blurs, with Marhaug exhibiting a great patience for gradual change that’s not always evident in his Jazzkammer work, or recent collaborations with Maya Ratkje and Testicle Hazard. “Philomela” illustrates the denuded sound of air forced through fluttering stops before interjecting tones and notes. Taken as a whole, the work transits from pure tone through unadulterated noise and eventually into “Clavaeolina,” something closely resembling the devotional grandeur the space must usually host. After fire and brimstone returns a more benevolent deity, theoretically. [Eric Hill]
Earlabs (USA):
In order to explain the basic set up I will quote the liner notes: “The recording was made in a live setup on the organ loft. Nils Henrik Asheim was sitting at the organ console and Lasse Marhaug right behind, playing his electronics through a loudspeaker system in order to make the electronics and the acoustic organ sound blend as close to each other as possible. Sound engineer Thomas Hukkelberg used two custom-built condenser mics for the organ, two Shure KSM 44 for the electronics and two Neumann U87 by the altar for the ambience. He used a Millennia Media HV-3 preamp and an Apogee AD-16X converter. Therecordings were made at night to avoid unwanted ambient city sounds. The final mix was made by Marhaug in January 2007.”
This allows me to quickly move on to what we are hearing on this disc. The short version: nothing short of a phenomenal recording! Marhaug and Asheim are both experts on their instruments and (a big plus!) they acknowledge and respect each others expertise. The result is a series of five edited live recordings that keep you at the tip of your chair.
Asheim slowly works himself into a frenzy in the first composition. Starting with a single note he gradually adds others so that not only the tone gets richer but also the volume increases. Marhaug keeps quiet for a while and only fills the holes with his oscillators. High pitch, restraint. Asheim takes the lead, Marhaug follows suit. When the organ is at its peak the electronics are as well. The organ starts a series of regular chords in the bass section while the higher ones howl a harmonic chord over it. The oscillators pick up the pitches of the organ, get higher, then lower again. The CD has a lot of these moments where the organ spits out rich harmonic chords while the oscillators blast their own tune. Sometimes ín tune, most times (beautifully) out of tune.
It’s definitely not only rock n roll. There are also moments of quietude where the listener gets a chance to take a breath. Then the organ sticks to one or two notes and the LFO’s mumble a bit in the background.
There are several ingredients that make this an exceptional recording: first it’s the combination of instruments. But that would never have resulted in this excellent performance without the craftmanship of Marhaug and Asheim, and their ability to listen to each other and capture the moment. It wás an exceptional situation and they exploited that to the fullest. Listen to this record!! This will certainly top the list of 2007 for me.
The Wire (UK):
In the June 2007 edition there is a full page roundup on Lasse Marhaug’s latest work. A 3.9Mb pdf file can be downloaded here
Brainwashed (USA):
Part instrumental and part field recording in feel, the two musicians set up in the organ loft of a soon to be renovated cathedral in Oslo, Norway late one night and improvised for an hour. Rather than using any direct to tape or digital recording methods, the room was instead mic;d (which is discussed in pure audiophile detail within the liner notes) to ensure an optimum meshing of Asheim’s pipe organ and Marhaug’s electronics. This strategy was extremely effective, as “Phoneuma” seamlessly combines the chime-like electronic tones from Marhaug’s laptop with the mid and high end sustained organ that slowly and dramatically builds from a gentle, calm opening to a massive, chaotic roar that concludes in a wall of buzzing and dissonance.
The two not only show their instrumental proficiency, but their ability to improvise and compose in the improvisational context as well. Given the nature of the session, one of limited instrumentation and completed in a very brief window of time, it would be easy to assume that the tracks would blend together in uniformity, but that is far from the case. Each of the five pieces have their own distinct feel and mood, from the aforementioned filmic “Phoneuma” to the mechanical, electronics focused “Philomela,” which seems like a boiler on its last legs somewhere deep within the bowels of the church as the center point, the clangs and rattles form the basis of the track before a piercing organ shrieks over the din at the end. Even the less than two minute span of “Magnaton” has its own unique ambience: focused bursts of harsh electronics, organ noise, and stuttering machine tones.
Both the opening and the ending tracks effectively bookend this album, from the massive tonal organ walls and electronic grinds of “Bordunal” which convey a sense of grandeur to the closer “Clavaeolina,” where all sustained passages of ringing organ (reminiscent of Hermann Nitsch’s Harmoniumwerk releases) eventually mesh into a soft, gentle melody of organ, and later a subtle, quiet electronic ending.
For all its basic structure, Grand Mutation is a complex, powerful work that reveals new textures and facets on each listen. What seems like an odd proposition at first is instead a fascinating meeting that surpasses any expectations that may have been held (though who only knows what the expectations could have been). I only wish they would take this show on the road. I’m sure this would be the best way to get most of us up early and in a church on a Sunday morning.
VITAL (Netherlands):
Church organs play an important role in the catalogue of Touch. They organize events called ‘Spire’ in which ‘old’ composed pieces of organ music meet up with ‘new’ pieces of church organ music, often in combination with electronics. Perhaps it might be odd to see the name of Lasse Marhaug popping up in that respect (organs? Touch?), but in 2004 he first played with one Nils Henrik Asheim, an organist. In 2006 they met up again in the Oslo Cathedral to play an evening together. Asheim playing cluster like sounds and something that is called ‘half-stops’ and Marhaug on his sine wave oscillators, noise generators and feedback. Hold on. Feedback? Are we to expect a full hour blast of noise, a common trick of trade for Marhaug? Hold your breath, since the answer is no. Marhaug is, surprise, surprise, able to play subtle music. It’s the kind of subtle music that is subtle in these areas. If you expect Marhaug going ambient, then this is not the case. Asheim plays clustered tones to which Marhaug his electronic part which go wonderfully well together. Most of the times it’s hard to see who is doing what. Only when Asheim hits a solo key, it becomes apparent what it is. Apparently this was all made during an improvisation, which was later on edited by Marhaug. Maybe in that final stay he added or subtracted a few things, but it’s hard to believe it’s improvisation. These guys seem to go pretty much a well-worked out scheme (or dare I say composition?) here. Things are that coherent here. If the ‘Spire’ CDs aren’t enough or you want to hear Marhaug doing something out of the ordinary: this is grand mutation! (FdW)
musiquemachine (UK):
Grand Mutation is a gothic-tinged sound-strewn collaboration between Norwegian noisemaster Lasse Marhaug and fellow Norwegian Composer Nils Henrik Asheim. The album conjures up a heady world of improvised church organ, noise and electronic treatments.
The pair got together on several occasions to plan the work, then in June 2006 recorded an hour-long improvised piece for church organ and electronic/noise in Oslo Cathedral, while it was shut down for renovation. Recorded at night to cut down on outside sound elements, though goodness knows what any poor passers-by must have thought of the sound been emitted from the cathedral innards!
The hour long improvised piece was then cut into five tracks and received a final mix in January 2007 to create the finished album. I think the thing that hits you straight away is the way the often doomy and droning church organ is mixed so subtley with Marhaug’s noisecraft. For the most part he never truly lets rip his noise matter, he just add slight shades and rich sonic details to the organ playing, giving the already haunted church organ sound an almost supernatural edge. Latter tracks show Marhaug manipulating and stretching the organs gloomy textures in the great ominous wells of grim sound, or great curtains of droning blood red sound that start to boil and seethe with whistling noise craft at the edges.
An rewarding collaboration that manageds to be darkly gothic & beautiful, but at the same time alive with surprising and clever sonic details. [Roger Batty]
Sound of Music (Sweden):
Med ”Grand Mutation” vecklar norske Lasse Marhaug ut sin ljudande elektronik över ytterligare ett musikaliskt fält. Denna gång med organisten Nils Henrik Asheim under en natt i juni 2006 i Oslos katedral. Resultatet är överväldigande! Ett fysiskt väsen av fulländning på jämbördig fot med ett bokstavligt oväsen. Tillsammans träder de in på stigar i riktning mot saligheten.
Även om det inte är första gången elektronik möter det som ofta kallas för instrumentens konung – lyssna på Spireutgåvorna på Touch med orgel och bland annat Fennesz, Philip Jeck och BJ Nilsen – så är det både bländande och oerhört mäktigt. Egentligen är det lite märkligt hur två så olika musikaliska världar kan mötas på lika villkor och intervenera till en sammansatt, och givande, helhet.
Inspelningen handlar om en lång improvisation som är uppdelad i fem låtar, eller avsnitt. Orgelns spännvidd är enorm, så också djupet och storheten i ljudbilden. Jag känner inte till Nils Henrik Asheim sedan tidigare, men det framgår med stor tydlighet att han har förmågan att nyttja instrumentets möjligheter. Från det storslagna och färgrika, till det smått ljudande. Varierat, där tyngdpunkten ligger på det utdragna och föränderliga.
Marhaug å sin sida använder oscillatorer för sinustoner och brusgeneratorer. Ofta befinner han sig jämsides eller till och med något bakom Asheim. Orgeln tycks locka fram subtiliteten hos Marhaug och han glider sällan ut i excesser av oväsen.
Möjligtvis formar Marhaug sitt spel i en respektfull ödmjukhet. I den bemärkelsen är det inte någon skillnad på detta projekt jämfört med andra Marhaug deltar i. Och det är väl också här någonstans jag finner Marhaugs storhet, hans öppna musikaliska sinne och skicklighet i att anpassa sig till den rådande situationen, utan att han för den skull ger avkall på sin integritet och musikalitet. Han smälter in och ger avtryck i så olika fält som death metal, noise och frijazz.
Skivan släpps på det brittiska skivbolaget Touch. Det borgar för den ljudkvalitet som krävs för projektet. Och ljudteknikern Thomas Hukkelberg har lyckats fånga kyrkans fina akustik genom att också spela in de atmosfäriska ljuden.
”Grand Mutation” är en skiva jag verkligen rekommenderar. Det är en upplevelse utöver det vanliga. [Magnus Olsson]
Dagsavisen (Norway):
Organist Nils Henrik Asheim og lydmester Lasse Marhaug spilte sammen for første gang under allEars i 2004. To år senere møttes de på ny, like før Oslo Domkirke stengte for oppussing. Opptakene som utgjør «Grand Mutation» er improvisert fram på domkirkens orgelloft, og strukturert til en plate bestående av fem spor. Fire av disse strekker seg mot kvarteret i lengde. Dette er ikke noe man lytter til i en stresset situasjon. Asheim lager langsomt oppbyggende og flytende droner som smelter naturlig sammen med Marhaugs elektroniske duppedingser. Sistnevnte omtales stort sett i sammenheng med ordet «støy», men her viser Marhaug også at han behersker en mer tilbakeholden og dempet form. Noe av det mest slående er hvordan de to musikerne utfyller hverandre, og får moderne elektronikk til å naturlig mutere med det massive orgelet. Duoen faller aldri for fristelsen til å teste hva kirkeveggene kan bære, men skaper snarere en noe guffen og småskummel stemning. Tålmodighet og et par gode hodetelefoner bør påregnes for maksimalt utbytte. [Bjørn Hammershaug]
Cyclic Defrost (USA):
Given the artists’ respective backgrounds, it comes as some surprise that the fruits of organist Nils Henrik Asheim and noise troubadour Lasse Marhaug’s collaboration do not take the form of tactile and exploratory gestures. Recorded some few nights spent in the pit of the Oslo Cathedral, the pieces instead assume the form of an endless broken line. Asheim focuses on long sustained chords, riven by slivers from Marhaug’s razor sharp sonics and airy, uncharacteristically patient electronics, creating a shimmering effect like a mystical fusion between subject and object that doesn’t quite take hold. Long, silvery organ chords hang heavy with resonance and fill the sound field, creating a meditative surface that not only absorbs space and time, but via Asheim’s extensive use of half-stops and Marhaug’s densely stratified layers of high frequency oscillations, tweak and otherwise tinge its various colours.
All of this is apparently the result of improvisation, though one can gleam from the work many infinitesimal combinations and a general concern for optimal modulation, bearing out that Marhaug’ s post-production played no small part in the final product. ‘Phoneuma’ begins with gently articulated harmonies on organ and some almost subliminal pulses wavering on the fringes of perceptibility. The piece stands as a beguiling web of daydream and sunshine, but soon subtle shadings are lost and the work takes on a new ambiguity, acting as a plane on which time and space are decompressed. In the final moments of the composition, this tightly sealed off realm is swung open by a flare of aural ectoplasm wreathing forth. As though responding to the challenge, Asheim’s organ sheds its skin and roars ahead with turbulent, varispeed warbling. Throughout the remainder of the work, a fine cycle is established between these droning, trance-inducing environments and the more volatile passages, each giving effortlessly onto the other like day and night. [Max Schaefer]
Morgenbladet (Norway)
Testcard (Germany):
Absatz. Genrewechsel. Anderes Label. Aber immer noch in Norwegen. Lasse Marhaug (Electronics) und Nils Henrik Asheim (Orgel) haben sich 2004 beim All Ears Festival in Norwegen kennen gelernt und beschlossen, ihre Zusammenarbeit fortzusetzen. Grand Mutation wurde 2006 an der Kirchenorgel der Kathedrale von Oslo eingespielt, bevor diese wegen Renovierungsarbeiten geschlossen wurde. Marhaug saß während der Aufnahmen direkt hinter Asheim und spielte seine strudelnden Oszillatoren-Sounds direkt in ein Lautsprechersystem ein, so dass seine Klänge zusammen mit der Orgel gemeinsame Schwingungen im Raum erzeugten. Das Ergebnis ist ðorganischÐ klingende, höchst präsente, knisternd aufgeladene Musik, bei der dennoch selten alle Register gezogen werden. Hier wird kein majestätischer Pomp losgetreten, die Orgelpfeifen ertönen meist dünn, geradezu zitternd und sorgen gerade so für ein Höchstmaß an (An-)Spannung. Der Einfluss von Olivier Messiaen ist nicht zu überhören, was der Musik – ganz unabhängig vom Instrument – eine sakrale Note verleiht, die Jon Wozencroft auch in seinem CD-Artwork aufgreift. Die Aufnahmen der Kirchenorgel und des Innenraums der Kathedrale, verschwommen im Stil von Gerhard-Richter-Gemälden wiedergegeben, spielen ebenso mit dem Erhabenen wie Entrückten, verweisen auf etwas, das in der Geschichte weit zurück liegt, in der Musik von Marhaug und Asheim allerdings verblüffend modernistisch widerhallt. [Martin Büsser]
The Slow Alarm (USA):
When it comes to classifying drone based music, many would probably call to mind more modern works, achieved through multiple effects and guitar sustains, contemporarily achieved by the likes of Windy and Carl, Oren Ambarchi and in an extreme sense, the doom-based lords of Sunn O))). And despite the thorough differences in such artists, the genre is mostly looked upon as rather concrete–people love it or hate it (get it or just plain don’t). However, when Touch Music began its Spire series in 2004, which grouped Fennesz, Phillip Jeck and other modern musicians from its roster into the classical settings of age-old European cathedrals and their pipe organs, a bit of the drone dynamic changed, as the nature of the music transcended it’s modernity, ultimately giving it a more organic feel. Continuing on with Touch’s pursuit of eclecticism based on a similar principle, they offer up Grand Mutation , the first recorded collaboration between Norweigan noise master Lasse Marhaug and fellow countryman Nils Henrik Asheim, a renowned organ improviser/pianist.
Recorded in the Oslo Cathedral just before it closed down for a few years of renovations, Grand Mutation is a hybrid of dense organ tones and finely honed sine waves and other erratic, electronic meanderings that surprisingly compliment each other. It’s a different realm of sound than other contemporary avant/noise collaborations, even for the groundbreaking Touch catalogue, which also recently released the similar, second recorded work of Fennesz and Ryuichi Sakamoto, Cendre. There’s a diverse dynamic at play with Grand Mutation, that’s hard to pinpoint, but the fluidity that’s exhibited between Marhaug and Asheim with two entirely different engines of sound makes quite a statement about their finished product.
“Bordunal” starts the record off on a slow crescendo, with both players lazily building and honing their craft, like they’re striving to align their tones into something workable. Comprising almost 16 minutes, the track itself uses the time to create the essence, as Marhaug creeps behind Asheim’s root sounds with shrill oscillations and some well-timed knob-twisting and pitch bending. At eleven minutes the work makes a bit of change, with both players swirling their respective elements into a cacophony of drones and sounds before they seemingly have it out over Asheim’s macabre pounding of the keys. As creepy and well developed as the work comes to be, it hardly, however, sets the tone for the rest of the recording. “Phoneuma” is the calm after the storm, with Asheim providing an angelic, constant backdrop for a showcase of Marhaug’s mellower side. Both provide softer tones for a rather rhythmic balance that works very well in their favor, before Asheim opens up the pipes with some primal improvisation for a good five minutes, capping off the first half of the recording.
Surpassing the first two tracks brings the listener to a midpoint in the record which offers listeners “Magnaton,” a short, blasting piece of call-and-response work that goes heavy on Marhaug’s more traditional noise values, as if daring Asheim to counter. At almost two minutes, the track barely scratches the surface of where this could go, but in good time, it seems to stretch away from where the work should go. Regardless, the latter half of the record (“Philomena” and “Clavaeolina”) sees Marhaug taking the reins a bit, ushering in yet another side to this rather multifaceted work.
The former delves right into a dark electronic-led haze, with both players nicely tuned to one another, but some stray electronic tones start flaring, giving way to a flurry of high-pitched pipe screams. At this point, “Philomena” becomes the most diverse work, sounding as if both artists are doing their best mimicry of each other’s handicraft. There are even some moments where it’s hard to decipher who’s playing what with all of the sound forging going on, and despite the complexity of the piece, its sounds equally effortless. “Clavaeolina” closes the work, and in a separate demeanor from the rest of Grand Mutation, almost in what sounds like blatant resignation. This might be the most basic ‘drone’ track on the record, with both players adding nothing but textures in exchange for their previous forty-or-so minutes of audio routing. It’s a delicate closer that comes crawling to the finish, but despite its worn state, in all glory and grandiosity.
On the whole, this record is truly capable of getting some head scratches out of even some of the well-versed purveyors of head-music. It requires a bit of tolerance, might have worked better as a one-track play for some; but where the artists decided to break this improvisation up truly does add to its creative measure. Whether this is a one-off work or these two have more upcoming collaborations in the works in unbeknownst, and if these two never set foot in the same room again, Grand Mutation will undoubtedly serve as a well-put document of two masters at work. Highly recommended for fans of drone styled works.
Hair Entertainment (Germany):
Okay, was haben wir hier: Kirchenorgel, Noise Generatoren, wummernde Theatralik, statisches Flirren & Rauschen, Drones, Melancholie & grünes Drachenblut. Die Partner, die der Norweger Lasse Marhaug für seine Projekte wählt, liefern immer den besonderen Touch. Im Duo mit John Hegre oder Maja Ratkje entstanden wunderbare Alben, mit seinem Death-Noise Bandprojekt Jazkamer (Metal Music Machine) konnte Marhaug im vergangenen Februar im Berliner Club Maria für die Transmediale trumpfen. Für das nun vorliegende Album Grand Mutation sitzt der ebenfalls aus Norwegen stammende Komponist Nils Henrik Asheim im gemeinsamen Boot, denn der ist Spezialist für das Grand Organ, die große Kirchenorgel, die man in einer Osloer Kirche fand, um eine Live-Session einzuspielen. Währen Asheim die Orgeltasten behutsam bearbeitet, sich zurückhält im Arpeggio, unterlegt Marhaug via Oszillatoren ein elektronisches Knarzen und Fiepsen, das die gespenstische Atmosphäre der fünf Tracks lüftet, verbindet und aber vor allem verstärkt. Zuletzt war Marhaug mit den Kapuzenträgern und Fake-Satanisten SunnO))) auf UK-Tour, und wahrlich, Grand Mutation hört sich an, als wäre Aktionist Hermann Nitsch mit den Jungs von SunnO))) auf PCP-Trip in einem tibetanischen Kloster gelandet, um sich treiben zu lassen in dieser spukhaft theatralischen (Alptraum-) Klangwelt, die so immens verfremdet wirken kann und sich doch sehr neutral, vertraut und natürlich anfühlt. Würde sich hervorragend machen als Soundtrack für einen der nächsten Lars Von Trier Filme, mit dem Titel – Mindset Happenings (Oh, What Time Now Is Hell?)
Losing Today (Italy):
All’organo Nils Henrik Asheim, a tutto il resto invece Lasse Marhaug: deve essere stato questo l’accordo iniziale per la realizzazione di ‘Grand Mutation’, album collaborativo prodotto e registrato in una notte nell’Abbazia di Shrewsbury. Asheim all’organo e Marhaug alle prese con le proprie elucubrazioni elettroniche. Tutto improvvisato, e il contenuto dell’album estrapolato da un’unica sessione lunga un’ora. La calma piatta della notte si scontra con le lunghe note dell’organo, ridefinite e rivisitate dalle macchine in mano a Lasse Marhaug. Quattro pezzi che superano i 10 minuti e una sola parentesi breve. Il suono dell’organo che riempie, avvolge, che non concede spazi e non si lascia sottomettere al tentativo di destrutturazione dell’elemento elettronico. Un album cupo, in bianco e nero a partire dalla copertina. Ne risulta un suono denso, una totale fusione del suono dell’organo (umano) che si trova come una nave in balia di una tempesta (analogica).
kinamuzik.net (Netherlands):
Op een zomeravond in juni 2006 betreden Lasse Marhaug en Nils Hendrik Asheim de kathedraal van Oslo. Het tweetal kent elkaar al enkele jaren en de heren weten precies wat ze muzikaal aan elkaar hebben. Asheim is verslingerd aan orgels en experimenteert al een hele tijd met toonhoogten en aan Tony Conrad schatplichtige lijvige stukken die zich op het braakland tussen ambient en ultralichte doch dreigende doom bevinden.
Marhaug is voornamelijk met de vele verschijningsvormen van noisegerichte electronica bezig. Naast zijn lidmaatschap in Jazkamer en Sunn O))) (Marhaug maakt occasioneel deel uit van de live-bezetting) is hij voornamelijk solo en in combinatie met zowat iedereen die hij interessant genoeg vindt, actief.
Afgezien van het korte ‘Magnaton’ – waar enkele ideeën zich afwisselen – bestaat uit vier nummers die allen ruimschoots de tienminutengrens overstijgen. Op die manier vertellen Asheim en Marhaug een verhaal van eindeloze resonantie, en van het zoeken naar muzikale harmonieën. Asheims orgelklanken weerkaatsen in de nachtelijke rust van Oslo’s kathedraal terwijl Marhaugs electronica hierop inspeelt.
De organische geluiden die het tweetal produceert dragen de sonore puurheid van Stars of the Lid in zich maar Marhaugs ingrepen voegen er steeds weer accenten aan toe die de sfeer toch wat morbide maken. Onderhuidse horror!
Popnews (France):
Ecouter un disque de chez Touch est à chaque fois une expérience tant l’exigence de ce label est impressionnante, voire déconcertante.
Ce label culte, qui vient de fêter ses vingt-cinq ans (avec une superbe compilation sobrement intitulée “Touch 25”), est l’œuvre d’un seul homme, le photographe Jon Wozencroft, qui est aussi responsable de la quasi-totalité des somptueuses photos illustrant les disques. Même si les musiques du label peuvent, pour quelques grincheux, faire preuve d’un élitisme insupportable, on ne peut qu’être admiratif devant tant d’acharnement à sortir des disques toujours à la pointe de l’avant-garde.
Touch est un de ces nombreux laboratoires qui a pu voir le jour dans le sillage de la musique industrielle et de sa “cassette culture”. Depuis, le label est devenu une référence incontournable ô combien respectée, certainement celui qui fait la meilleure synthèse de ce que la musique dite expérimentale a de plus passionnant à proposer, et ce en dehors de tout académisme pompeux (Touch est resté fidèle à ses origines “industrielles”).
Sur ce “Grand Mutation”, l’œuvre de deux musiciens norvégiens, nous sommes en présence d’improvisations nocturnes pour orgue (celui de la cathédrale d’Oslo joué par Nils Henrik Asheim) et dispositifs électroniques (oscillateurs et générateurs de bruits entre les mains de Lasse Marhaug).
Les enregistrements ont été divisés en 5 parties.
Après un démarrage très calme et somme toute classique, fait de passages minimalistes, où les couches de sons viennent petit à petit se superposer, l’orgue se faisant alors discret et n’étant utilisé que pour générer un drone sur lequel viennent s’accrocher des nappes sonores, l’ambiance devient de plus en plus pesante, presque grandiloquente, faite alors de clusters, de bruits (“Magnaton”, sorte de rencontre improbable entre Charles Ives et Mika Vainio !), de répétitions inquiétantes (“Philomela”). Puis l’orgue retrouve un caractère plus apaisé, accompagné par des oscillateurs de nouveau apprivoisés pour un final absolument somptueux, bien qu’intimidant.
On sent presque transpirer l’excitation qu’ont dû éprouver les deux musiciens à enregistrer ces improvisations (imaginez donc : faire un boucan d’enfer dans une cathédrale la nuit !), ce qui explique certaines longueurs pour un disque qui n’est pas de tout repos (d’autant que ce genre d’oeuvre ne peut s’écouter que dans son intégralité). Un disque à apprivoiser (c’est souvent le cas chez Touch, ceux qui ont écouté Hafler Trio ou Chris Watson en savent quelque chose), mais vraiment étonnant, excitant, qui réserve de bonnes surprises tant par moments le mariage de l’orgue et des sons analogiques est pertinent. Bref, un disque atypique même dans le catalogue de Touch (on est très loin des sons quasi inaudibles de Ryoji Ikeda !) et qui ravira les fans des années sauvages de Charlemagne Palestine (peut-être le disque qu’il aurait rêvé de faire à l’époque de “Schlongo!!! Daluvdrone”, autre œuvre effrayante pour orgue). [Cyril]
Triggerfish (Germany):
Wer beim Thema Kirchenmusik an wenig erbauliche Jugenderinnerungen auf harten Holzbänken denkt, liegt damit im Allgemeinen zwar meist richtig; in vorliegenden Fall jedoch komplett daneben. Die Kirchenmusik die MARHAUG und ASHEIM auf “Grand Mutation” präsentieren macht die Kirche selbst zum elektronisch manipulierten Instrument und wäre somit eigentlich auch ein guter Kandidat für die elektronische Musikreihe in der Johanniskirche gewesen.
LASSE MARHAUG muss Freunden der harscheren Elektronik und Freeform Musik eigentlich kaum noch vorgestellt werden. Die Liste seiner Veröffentlichungen ist lang und eindrucksvoll und wer vor Jahren regelmäßiger Gast bei den Konzerten in der Düsseldorfer Galerie H war dürfte vermutlich das Vergnügen gehabt haben MARHAUG bei eisiger Kälte nackt performen zu sehen. NILS HENRIK ASHEIM hingegen ist eher Lesern von skandinavischen Klassikmagazinen ein Begriff und schaut als Komponist und Organist auf einen gänzlich anderen Background als MARHAUG zurück.
Mit einem Arsenal elektronischer Gerätschaften reagiert MARHAUG auf die drückenden Klangschichtungen, die ASHEIM der Orgel der Osloer Kathedrale entlockt. Es ist jedoch nicht nur die Wechselwirkung von Elektronik und Orgel, sondern vor allem die Akustik des Ortes, die Tontechniker Thomas Hukkelberg großartig eingefangen hat und sich dadurch mitverantwortlich für eins der spannendsten Alben zwischen Ambient, Eletronica, Neue Musik und Noise der letzten Monate zeigt. 5/6
Schlendrian (Germany):
Nordische Musik (Germany):
Die Orgel könnte man als den ersten Synthesizer der Welt betrachten, mit Registern statt Knöpfen und Reglern. Nun haben sich ein Registerzieher und ein Knöpfchendrücker zusammengetan, um endlich einmal Orgel und Elektronik gemeinsam klingen zu lassen. Und dabei ist Lasse Marhaug, Krachmusik-Pionier, und Nils Henrik Asheim, Komponist und Improvisator, eine Referenz-Aufnahme gelungen. Eine Stunde Improvisation im nächtlichen Osloer Dom, genial aufgenommen von Thomas Hukkelberg – beim Hören dieser CD baut man Kathedralen im Kopf, ziemlich seltsame allerdings.
Denn Borduntöne und statisches Rauschen, Cluster-Akkorde aus Pfeifen und Pulse aus schwarzen Kisten verschwimmen so sehr, dass hier ein gänzlich virtuelles Instrument zu tönen scheint. Wabernd und meist still, flackernd und selten aufflammend, oft wispernd und doch manchmal mächtig aufbrausend: Die »Mutation« des Klangs vollzieht sich bei Marhaug und Asheim langsam, aber tiefgreifend, organisch und doch fremdartig. Im Sessel sitzend könnte man zu schweben anfangen: Musik für die Schwerelosigkeit und viel, viel All rund um die kleine Raumkapsel, in der man lauscht.
Go Mag (Spain):
debug (Germany):
Orkus (Germany):
D-Side (France):
Chronicart (France):
Un vrombissement. Deux vrombissements. Deux fréquences emmêlées, puis trois, puis quatre, un accord funèbre, une monde aural hyperdense, que le compositeur italien Giacinto Scelsi, adepte de la composition par l’improvisation sur le piano autant que des bourdons noirs, aurait peut-être pu accoucher, s’élève des profondeurs. Le décor, les conditions, les musiciens sont exceptionnels; nous sommes dans la cathédrale d’Oslo, une nuit d’été, et Lasse Marhaug, harsh noiser émérite, presque historique (tous projets emmêlés, plus de deux cent références au compteur), a monté ses oscillateurs, ses mixettes en dérivations et ses speakers dans la petite cabine de l’organiste, pour interagir pour de vrai, dans le temps et l’espace, avec les clusters, les interruptions, les involutions sur le clavier de Nils Henrik Asheim, compositeur, performer, improvisateur. Des micros ont été posés un peu partout autour de l’instrument, d’autres tout en bas, tout au bout de l’église, pour mixer, dans vos enceintes, dans votre espace, toute l’expérience, quasi documentaire, de ce qui se passe dans l’immense lieu de pierre, les granulons d’instruments élaboré à sept, huit siècles d’écarts, l’orgue immense et les petite machines de bruit.
On aurait pu s’attendre à un simple parallèle de tessitures, façon Alvin Lucier, dans Crossings, par l’empilement, l’enlacement des fréquences pures d’un générateur électronique et de celles, instables, d’instruments anciens, mais Marhaug et Asheim, audiblement, sont des grands gourmands, des musiciens avides, des voyageurs sans école. Ainsi Grand mutation, enregistré en une nuit seulement, est un grand parcours en cinq étapes, qui foule sans oeillères un immense territoire d’univers et d’expériences musicales emmêlées, étiré entre, disons, Scelsi, Grisey et Messiaen, Charlemagne Palestine (Schlingen-Blängen) et This Heat, la noise music et l’ambient.
L’ouverture, Bordunal, tout en ascensions, enrichit ainsi un matelas de notes instables en grossissant, en exagérant le frottement des ondes, dans les tuyaux de l’orgue, par celui, littéral, d’un marteau piqueur. Plus prosaïque, très posé, presque lumineux, à peine perturbé par quelques reflux électroniques en habillage, sa suite immédiate Phoneuma vivote dans les mediums, autour d’un thème appuyé, d’abord catastrophé, ensuite apaisé, finalement héroïque, sans jamais revenir à la dissonance : c’est, sans hésiter, la pièce maîtresse du disque, et un très beau moment de musique sans âge. Magnaton, clef de voûte, écoute après des rugissements de bruit blancs sauvages, lâchés dans l’immense espace réverbéré, communier avec des assauts terribles de notes hasardeuses. Philomela, ensuite, crevasse immobile, installé dans les basses presque industrielles du vieil instrument, évoque les territoires noirs, infusés de black metal, chéris par Marhaug (écouter au passage le Metal music machine de son groupe Jazkamer, ou le terrifiant Shape of rock to come), véritable replis juvénile en même temps que communion saumâtre passionnante – on aurait payé cher pour assister à sa naissance en contexte. Le grand final, enfin, Clavaeolina, est presque luminescent en comparaison à tout le reste, mêlée de notes apaisées, à peine perturbée de sinus filtrés sautillant à la lisière de la saturation, tapis de bruissements relayés, d’ondes de cloches, quasi liturgique pour de vrai, qui s’achève à l’intérieur des tuyaux hurleurs. Grand mutation est, à plus d’un titre, un moment exceptionnel de musique expérimental, à écouter fort, très très fort. [Olivier Lamm]
Ruis (Belgium):
Rock & Pop (Poland):
Rockerilla (Italy):
Bant (Turkey):
Jazkamer
Balls the Size of Texas, Liver the Size of Brazil
(cd, Purplesoil, 2007)
Marhaug / Asheim
Grand Mutation
(cd, Touch, 2007)
Norske Lasse Marhaug er én af de der irriterende musikere, der har en så hysterisk høj udgivelsesrate, at man nærmest fra starten er sat ud af spillet, hvis man ønsker at følge hvert skridt i hans karriere. Siden de tidlige 90’ere har manden været involveret i indspilningen af over 200 albums. Dertil er han en flittig live-performer, ligesom han har skabt musik til teater, kunstinstallationer m.m. Han er ikke mindst berømt og berygtet for projektet Jazzkammer, som han siden 1998 har haft sammen med John Hegre. Jazzkammer, hvis navn har det med at mutere og miste diverse bogstaver hen ad vejen, er nærmest hvad man må kalde en institution i norsk eksperimentalmusik, og duoen har da også arbejdet med så prominente navne som Merzbow og Maja Ratkje.
Navnets mutation kan synes passende for så vidt som duoens musik ikke har ret meget at gøre med jazz, som man normalt forstår det, om end Hegre og Marhaug dog deler jazzens interesse for improvisation. Klangmæssigt tager de dog snarere udgangspunkt i en hård kost af noise, drone, industrial og metal. Det er grove løjer, men løjer er det ikke desto mindre, for Marhaugs og Hegres projekt udmærker sig også ved et vist humoristisk islæt, der distancerer dem fra såvel selvsmagende avantgarde som den selvhøjtidelighed, man undertiden kan finde inden for metal og industrial. Det humoristiske lyser tydeligt igennem på titlen til én af det forgangne års udgivelser, Balls the Size of Texas, Liver the Size of Brazil, der er udkommet på det lille tjekkiske label Purplesoil under navnet Jazkamer (som duoen ynder at bruge for tiden).
Balls the Size of Texas, Liver the Size of Brazil er en udmærket introduktion til gruppens univers, idet den kommer godt rundt i nogle af yderpolerne – fra ond og opklippet metal/noise til mere rolige, ambient/drone-prægede stykker. Jazkamer mestrer begge dele, som det bliver tydeligt på pladens midte, hvor de to stykker “Tentacles of Broken Teeth” og “Not Half Bad to the Bone” på strategisk vis tørner sammen. Førstnævnte er et nærmest foruroligende smukt stykke mørk ambient, mens “Not Half Bad to the Bone” på sin side er et hæsblæsende nummer, der sætter splintrede fragmenter af, hvad der lyder som black metal-jams, sammen til en støjende og spruttende collage.
Det over 16 minutter lange titelnummer, der afslutter pladen, tager, måske lidt overraskende (den absurd bad ass-agtige titel taget i betragtning), også udgangspunkt i en rolig og meditativ dronemusik, som så alligevel har et metallisk og støjende præg med langstrakte toner fra guitarer, der synes at kunne eksplodere i hvidglødende feedback, hvad øjeblik det skal være, hvilket skaber en herlig suspense i nummeret. Her har Jazkamer virkelig noget, som mange støj- og dronekunstnere må misunde dem, nemlig en evne til at kombinere det dybt monotone og det højenergiske. Dertil kommer, at de er glimrende producere, hvad der er yderst vigtigt for, at en musik som denne kan blive så fysisk og vedkommende, som det er tilfældet her. Mere tungt bliver det på det ligeledes langstrakte nummer “Blues for Sterling Hayden”, hvor den hvinende feedback får lov til at folde sig mere ud, uden at den meditative fornemmelse dog tabes på gulvet af den grund. Igen imponeres man over den virkelig overrumplende guitarlyd og duoens fornemmelse for at blende de håndspillede guitardele med elektroniske droner.
Mindre engagerende virker så de tre resterende numre, hvor Jazkamer arbejder med forskellige arkivoptagelser af menneskestemmer, som manipuleres på diskret vis. Disse numre bliver trukket lidt for meget i langdrag til at fungere som rene intermezzoer, men foldes omvendt heller aldrig ud til virkelig at fremstå som fuldbyrdede numre. Mest af alt har de karakter af skitseagtige eksperimenter med “The World is Too Small” som det nok mest interessante af slagsen. Men helt ophidsende bliver det altså aldrig. Det ændrer omvendt heller ikke på, at Balls the Size of Texas, Liver the Size of Brazil er en anbefalelsesværdig og alsidig plade, der viser, hvor stor en spændvidde støjmusikken faktisk har, og at man i øvrigt udmærket kan skabe støj gennemlyst af musikalitet og kompositorisk tæft.
Særdeles anbefalelsesværdigt er også et andet nyligt udsendt projekt fra Lasse Marhaug, nemlig pladen Grand Mutation skabt i samarbejde med organisten Niels Henrik Asheim. Her viser Marhaug atter sin sjældne flair for at lade sine elektroniske lyde smelte umærkeligt sammen med håndspillede instrumenter – i dette tilfælde noget så spektakulært som et kirkeorgel. Musikken på Grand Mutation er improviseret frem over én nat i Oslos katedral, som de to musikere fik lov at boltre sig i, lige inden den blev lukket på grund af renoveringsarbejde. Den natlige session blev så redigeret ned til fem forløb på sammenlagt cirka en times spilletid, som man nu kan nyde på cd’en, der virkelig lever op til sin titel: storslået og muteret.
At lade kirkeorglet – dette instrument, som normalt bruges til at underbygge den kristne guds ord – udsætte for Marhaugs manipulationer og mutationer kan jo siges at være noget blasfemisk. Den uregerlige mutation er jo om noget en antitese til forestillingen om en gud, der skaber verden gennem ordet – en forestilling, som diverse fortalere for kreationisme og intelligent design stædigt fastholder. Det er næppe tilfældigt, at Marhaug og Asheim således via titlen lader mutationen slippe løs i Guds hus. Når det så er sagt, synes de snarere at være interesserede i udforskningen af selve orglets klangmuligheder end dets tunge symbolik. Således slipper man heldigvis også for letkøbte effekter så som at drukne orglet i et støjhelvede eller at bruge det til at skabe satanisk gysermusik. Nej, Marhaug og Asheim går først og fremmest til orglet som et instrument med et unikt klangpotentiale – et klangpotentiale, som selvsagt forstærkes af katedralens vældige rum, der smukt inddrages, idet Marhaug under indspilningerne både monterede kontaktmikrofoner på selve orglet, men også på kirkens alter for at få hele rummet til at resonere med.
Her er i egentlig forstand også tale om en dialog mellem to ligeværdige musikere; to meget forskellige musikere, som dog deler fascinationen af klang, improvisation og ambiens. Kun meget sjældent bliver musikken decideret støjende. Således er det strengt taget kun det korte tredje nummer “Magnaton”, der byder på egentlig noisemusik. De øvrige numre dyrker i højere grad kirkeorglets potentiale til at skabe et mægtigt og vibrerende lydrum fra helt dybe basdroner til lyse, spindelvævstynde toner, der myldrer sammen i en musik, som kan lede tankerne hen på nogle af György Ligetis orgelværker. Asheim udnytter virkelig hele instrumentets register og får dermed nogle nærmest helt sindssyge lyde ud af noget, som folk nok ellers forbinder mest med søndagsgudstjenesten, samtidig med, at han faktisk bibeholder en fornemmelse af noget sakralt og storslået. Hør for eksempel et nummer som “Philomela”, der starter med knusende tunge droner for pludselig at sætte ind med nogle helt lyse, næsten skingre klange. Man kan ikke ligefrem sige, at det lyder som englenes sang. Snarere kan nogle af de helt lyse toner minde mere om et tandlægebor. Det er gruopvækkende og smukt på én gang, men som digteren Rainer Maria Rilke skrev: “Frygtelig er hver en engel”.
Dette klangvæv er naturligvis gefundenes Fressen for Marhaug, som fletter sine elektroniske lydtråde ind i tæppet. Det er svært at afgøre, præcist hvornår de akustiske lyde ophører og de elektroniske tager over, men det er, forstår man, også meningen. I hvert fald skrives der i covernoterne, at Marhaug og Asheim specifikt arbejdede hen imod en egentlig sammensmeltning af orgel og elektronik. Det må siges at være lykkedes til fulde.
For nylig hørte jeg i radioen, at der er stor mangel på organister i danske kirker. Om dette også er tilfældet i Norge, skal jeg ikke kunne sige, men måske den danske folkekirke skulle overveje at bruge Grand Mutation som reklame for, hvor fantastisk det kan være at spille kirkeorgel. Eller hvorfor ikke simpelthen invitere Marhaug og Asheim på turné i de danske kirker, som jo alligevel står halvtomme og betuttede hen. Nå, det sker desværre næppe, men hør for satan (undskyld!) Grand Mutation – det er simpelthen kirkeorgel-improv med ‘balls the size of Texas’. [Rasmus Steffensen]
Ox (Germany):
A2:
dj (UK):
Testcard (Germany):
allaboutjazz (net):
Norwegian electronics and noise artist Lasse Marhaug is an innovative and busy musician on the fertile Norwegian scene. He has contributed to over 200 releases, led outfits such as Jazkamer and Nash Kontrol, collaborated with extreme metal bands, and written music for theater, dance, installations and video. His jazz collaborations include Ken Vandermark’s Territory Band and the Oslo version of Vandermark’s Powerhouse Sound. His uncompromising and imaginative sonic vision shines in these two very different releases. [Eyal Hareuveni]
Noisy Neighbours (Germany):
