Øra Fonogram announces the worldwide release of RÖKKUR, the joint album of Norwegian composer and performer Maja S. K. Ratkje and Icelandic ensemble Nordic Affect (Halla Steinunn Stefánsdóttir, Marie Stockmarr Becker, Hanna Loftsdóttir, Guðrún Óskarsdóttir). RÖKKUR on Bandcamp RÖKKUR on streaming other services (pre-save before Nov. 10) What is ‘rökkur’? ‘Rökkur’ is the Icelandic word …
The latest album release by acclaimed Norwegian band Erlend Apneseth Trio is made in collaboration with renowned experimental composer and vocalist Maja S. K. Ratkje. Their impromptu concert together in 2022 was a glorious kick-off for a five-day festival and was luckily put on tape. After reworking and reimagining the recorded material with their steady …
Released August 26, 2022, on Bandcamp and CD. Label: SANNTIDSMUSIKK · SATIMU 008 Free improvised chaos at Podium, Oslo, 16 June 2009.Recorded by Kjetil Hanssen.Editing, mastering and artwork by Lasse Marhaug.Executive producer: Petter Flaten Eilertsen. Maja wishes to thank Per Gisle and Harald from Dans For Voksne for organizing the event, Kjetil and Petter for …
by Solveig Kjelstrup & Maskinanlegg / Maja Ratkje & Bjørn Hatterud Released August 26, 2022 on Bandcamp and CD. Label: SANNTIDSMUSIKK · SATIMU 009 All music composed and performed by Maja Solveig Kjelstrup Ratkje & Bjørn Hatterud.Cover concept by Helene Rickhard.Photography by Fin Serck-Hanssen.Layout by Lasse Marhaug.Executive producers: Petter Flaten Eilertsen & Kjetil Hanssen. Originally …
Focus Foucault Foccacia / Malleus Maleficarum Maximum Read More »
Bergen Kunsthall: «Live in Bergen» captures Avant Joik’s two amazing concerts during the opening weekend of Joar Nan- go’s Festival Exhibition at Bergen Kunsthall in 2020. The album is based on the recordings from two con- certs held at Landmark, Bergen Kunsthall on 4 Sep- tember 2020 and presents for the first time the groundbreaking …
Motvind records: ’Vannstand’ (Sea Level) is a tribute to the slowly pulsating tidal shifts along the length of the Norwegian coastline. In Vannstand children are given the opportunity to reflect and respond musically to their relationship with the coast, the water and the sea. The composer, Maja S. K. Ratkje states: What could be more …
Echo Chamber 3.0 is a concert performance for the ear, by Maja S. K. Ratkje written for Trondheim Voices in 2020. The piece is a continuation of Ekkokammer 2.0 which is a staged performance, premiered in 2015. The album is a 2xCD with one version in English (Echo Chamber), and one in Norwegian (Ekkokammer). The …
Pictures From a Sinking City was commissioned by the Trondheim Soloists, and had its world premiere in Trondheim on 30 January, 2020. Tale of Lead and Frozen Light exists in two versions: one for a string quartet, Tale of Lead and Light, written for the Engegård Quartet, and one for a string ensemble, commissioned by …
Composed and performed for TUSK Virtual 2020. Part 1 of 2. Maja S. K. Ratkje is using voice and live electronics (with software by Øyvind Brandtsegg). Link to concert film as streamed at TUSK Virtual Oct 7th 2020 given upon request from those who buy the album. All music composed and performed by Maja S. …
Based upon Ratkje’s music created for the ballet Sult (Hunger) by profiled director Jo Strømgren for the Norwegian National Ballet, this is a departure from records and live settings normally associated with Maja S. K. Ratkje as a solo performer, as we find her placed behind a modified, wiggly and out of tune pump organ, …
Rune Grammofon: “Formed in 1995, SPUNK comprises four of Norway’s most innovative musicians: Maja S. K. Ratkje, Hild Sofie Tafjord, Lene Grenager and Kristin Andersen. The quartet combine talents that range from vocal experiments, instrumental virtuosity, impulsive improvisation and a witty sense of play. All four work in the indefinable area between modern composition, free …
Still Eating Ginger Bread for Breakfast – The 20th Anniversary Concert Read More »
Booklet text (Norwegian below): Could the act of composing include my sound as a voice performer? The two works on this album are two different answers to this question. From the moment I started to compose new classical music I have carefully worked on developing my own voice as an instrument. Improvising with others has …
The combination of the trio POING and vocalist Maja S. K. Ratkje has been referred to as among the best, boldest and most innovative players in the Norwegian music community. On their new album, “Kapital&Moral”, they present a selection of songs from the past century that address the theme of the impact that capital has …
Crepuscular Hour was originally commissioned for a performance at the Ultima festival 2010 in Uranienborg church, Oslo. The work is composed for three choirs, three pairs of noise musicians and concert organ. All performers surround the audience, and are amplified locally. In 2012, the piece was adapted for a performance at the Town Hall of …
Concert recording from Rødbrygga, Inderøy, April 2013. Maja S. K. Ratkje (voice and live electronics) with the trio SAKA: Kristoffer Berre Alberts (saxophones), Jon Rune Strøm (double bass), Dag Erik Knedal Andersen (drums). CD and Vinyl. Mixed by Lasse Marhaug.
A record of slowly evolving beauty that gradually unravels its meditative design. Recorded in Norwegian sculptor and painter Emanuel Vigeland’ s (1875 -1948) mausoleum in Oslo in 2013. A recording space that is famous for its acoustics and its long and full-sounding reverb. These three tracks utilize both the delicacy and the power of acoustic …
+3dB: “SPUNK and Joëlle Léandre is a match made for history. Based on their first joint appearance at Belleville, Oslo, in 2008, Molde Jazz Festival suggested that these players join forces again, a situation that warranted documentation. Léandre is one of the earliest prominent voices with a combined practice as performer, improviser and composer. She …
Rune Grammofon: “On in this botanical adventure – or “Adventura Botanica” – SPUNK join forces with one of Norway’s leading modern dance exponents, Odd Johan Fritzøe, to create a sound and movement work celebrating Darwin’s legendary, game-changing voyage to Madagascar. Premiered in 2013 at Oslo’s trailblazing Ultima Festival of Contemporary Music, “Adventura Botanica” was the …
Beautiful, hand pressed black vinyl from Maja S. K. Ratkje / Joachim Montessuis on the French label Erratum. A collaboration which started in 2008 and finished in 2013.
The debut solo album from founder SPUNK member and composer Maja Ratkje has secured her a place among the finest experimental singers. From the weird and furious to the enchanting and beautiful, this is an album rich in atmosphere, colour and creative madness. First released on [intlink id=”1445″ type=”post”]CD[/intlink] in 2002 and now available on vinyl …