Lotta Melin – theremin with effects. Maja S. K. Ratkje – flee market microphone. Duets and solos. Released as 12′ vinyl. Track list: A 01. A Perfect Mental Image A 02. Empty Ladders A 03. As the Talk Goes On A 04. Falling Sickness A 05. For the Sake of Harmony A 06. Cultivating Disorder […]
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catalog number: imprec092format: picture disc This vinyl only picture disc release is limited to only 500 copies worldwide. Important Records: “Renowned international composer Maja Ratkje is a founding member in two of Norway’s most respected improvisational units – Spunk & Fe-Mail. While her solo work on the Rune Grammofon release Voice is without the electronic
Listening to the record, you become aware of the body as a phenomenal sound source, suddenly noticing the musical potential of your gurgling stomach, the blood squeaking in your ears, your knuckles popping.
Adventura Anatomica reviews (in English and Italian) Read More »
A searing and equally soaring experimental noise record that centers around her voice to create sounds that range from soft lulling hush to a viscious cycle of noise.
Stalker reviews (in English, German, Norwegian) Read More »
Semishigure: “With the help of modern electronica and the most agile vocal cords of the western world Ratkje manages to create her own magical domain. In that sense, she is consciously following in the footsteps of such female vocal pioneers as Meredith Monk, Diamanda Galas and Laurie Anderson, constantly searching for cross-fertilisation between voice improvisation, musical drama and technological innovation…
Adventura Anatomica Read More »
2xCD. Asphodel: “Fe-mail, MAJA RATKJE and HILD SOFIE TAFJORD, have crafted a site-specific survey of the chaparrals of noise music. As half of the Scandinavian female improv quartet, SPUNK, they began to adapt their mediums of french horn and voice to multiple formats…” Watch videos and listen to some of the music here.
Adresseavisen: Kommersielle Mira Craig og undergrunnsartisten Maja Ratkje fra Trondheim skal representere hver sin ende av skalaen når de samles til felles intervju på Bylarm. Hva føler du nå, Maja Solveig Kjelstrup Ratkje? Jeg har egentlig ikke rukket å føle så mye på det, ettersom jeg akkurat nå er opptatt med å planlegge en tur
“Hva føler du nå” (NO) Read More »
Textura: “Certainly one of the most bizarre releases heard in recent days, Blixter Toad, a two-disc set by SPUNK members Maja Ratkje and Sofie Tafjord collaborating under the Fe-Mail guise, distills mutant noise-mongering, hard drive convulsions, haunted voices, and assorted other alien syntax into fifteen set-pieces (and two videos by Masako Tanaka) that are enigmatic,
Blixter Toad reviewed by Textura Read More »
Ballade: Lørdag 24. juni urfremfører SPUNK ”White Elephant” av Joseph Byrd i Manchester. Verket som er skrevet for SPUNK og lydkunstgruppa Dreams of tall buildings, er Byrds første grafiske verk på nærmere 40 år. 22.06.2006 Sonic Arts Network og University of Manchester arrangerer i år sin omreisende biennale Expo i Manchester. Helgen 23-25. juni er
SPUNK på Manchester EXPO med verk av Joseph Byrd (NO) Read More »
The Guardian:
The final weekend of this year’s Bath Festival was devoted to cutting-edge electronica, a bold move away from the Festival’s focus on classical and jazz. The climax was an explosive double-bill from Norwegian noise and dance trio Agrare, and the unclassifiable vocal talents of Jamie Lidell.
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Gaz-Eta:
The biggest shock comes in the form of the 13 minute long “Ballad”. Nearly a non-song, rather this seems to be the duo’s venture into the world of pure ambience. I kid you not. Strangest thing is, I couldn’t care less what they employed to make this piece – their laptops, a bunch of old synths or perhaps a sampler – it just sounds so bloody good.
Blixter Toad reviewed by Gaz-Eta Read More »
photo by Anders Samnøy KFJC 89.7 FM: “I’m on a major Maja mission. Maja Ratkje along with her Fe-Mail partner, Hild Sofie Tafjord are also in SPUNK; a Rune Grammofon bit of SPUNK is in the KFJC pipes right now along with a beauty of a solo picture disk. This is “surf noise”, agressive waves
Blixter Toad reviewed by KFJC 89.7 FM Read More »
-Ja, om dette var ytterpunkter på samme skala, så hadde jeg vel forholdt meg til de åkke som. Men det er de jo ikke. Når jeg prøver å nærme meg språket, eller den store skumle litteraturen med lydtentaklene mine, så opplever jeg ofte at det glipper og blir uviktig for meg hva som sies, eller hva det litterært sett handler om. Ikke det at jeg er en ignorant faen som ikke har stor glede av …
Lyd blir lik ord (NO) Read More »
OKSRNA:
When the events are spare you have the opportunity to hear the scheer oddness of their material, when the events get dense, it builds a massive structure that feels like shards of something sharp buit into a house of cards. A great, great record.
Blixter Toad reviewed by OKSRNA Read More »
Dagsavisen:
denne estetikken er jo noe som har utviklet seg litt tilfeldig. Den rosa epoken vår er over. Nå er vi frosker sier Ratkje.
Jenteklubben støy (NO) Read More »
Morgenbladet:
Støymusikkduoen Fe-mail kombinerer ting som ikke passer sammen, som lydene av regn og applaus. Og så er de politiske aktører i kraft av å være til.
Bråkete damer (NO) Read More »
Ballade: Fe-mail (Hild Sofie Tafjord og Maja Solveig Kjelstrup Ratkje) er aktuelle med sin nye CD ”Blixter Toad”, utgitt på det amerikanske selskapet Asphodel. No er dei på lanseringsturne, deira første store satsing i Noreg, med konsertar i Tromsø, Bergen, Oslo og Stavanger. I dette intervjuet fortel dei om albumet, som dei meiner er meir
Fe-mail: Lansering av “Blixter Toad” (NO) Read More »
Svenska Dagbladet: “(…) En av festivalens absoluta höjdpunkter var den norska duon Fe-mail, ett av få kvinnliga inslag. Med naturella eller elektroniskt förvridna röster, brus och oljud, valthorn, munspel och diverse effekter och attiraljer skapar Maja Ratkje och Hild Sofie Tafjord en explosiv musik, fylld av kraft och ett gytter av detaljer. Dynamiken växlar från
Kompromisslöst på sista Idealfestivalen (SE) Read More »