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Category Archives: Other album reviews
Will Not Split
The Sound Projector: Two more cassettes from Kassettkultur are by Maja Ratkje and Bjørn Hatterud, both made at the same time and only ever sold together as a pair; “will not split” is the familiar rallying cry of antique dealers … Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Focus Foucault Foccachia, Malleus Maleficarum Maximum
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Vital dialog med polskt experiment (SE)
Svenska Dagbladet: En elektroakustisk skatt grävs nu fram ur arkiven på den polska radions Experimentalstudio. Här ligger hundratals verk och väntar, producerade sedan starten 1957 av storheter som Krzysztof Penderecki, Boguslaw Schaeffer och Eugeniusz Rudnik. De flesta är inspelade under … Continue reading
Posted in Blog, In Dialogue with Rudnik
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Live in Molde reviews (in English, German, Dutch and Polish)
Massimo Ricci. Touching Extremes: Joëlle Léandre: double bass; Kristin Andersen: trumpet and flutes; Lene Grenager: cello; Maja Solveig Kjelstrup Ratkje: voice and electronics; Hild Sofie Tafjord: french horn and electronics Some collaborations are, in straight words, gifts of mother … Continue reading
In Dialogue with Rudnik reviewed by Vital Weekly
Vital Weekly: There are two of his pieces on this CD, some twenty minutes in total, and in the middle a thirty-minute piece by Ratkje. The pairing of these two has to do with the fact they both use a … Continue reading
Posted in Blog, In Dialogue with Rudnik
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JANUS reviews (in English)
Seven1878: This is the best album that most people probably haven’t heard by two artists who deserve to be as highly regarded as the Wiese, Fernow, and Dilloways of the world. JANUS is like listening to the more cut-up, sound … Continue reading
Posted in Blog, JANUS
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Scrumtious Sabotage reviews (in English)
Boomkat: Poland’s intrepid Bocian label helms this shocking collaboration between combustible Norwegian vocalist Maja S.K. Ratkje and legendary DNA drummer, Ikue Mori. Despite working together in a number of live constellations over the years, until now the two boundary-pushing artistes … Continue reading
Sounds: mit Phantom Orchard Orchestra, SPUNK und Jenny Hval (DE)
Der Blues scheint verflogen, es bleiben die Sounds: unsere monatliche Kolumne von Redakteur Jens Balzer. Im Monat Mai mit: Phantom Orchard Orchestra, Spunk und Jenny Hval. Rolling Stone (DE) 07. Mai 2013, von Jens Balzer Des Öfteren ist in den … Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Das Wohltemperierte SPUNK, on Maja in German, Trouble in Paradise, Voice
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Trouble In Paradise reviewed by All About Jazz
Phantom Orchard began as an experimental duo comprised of two innovative figures from the experimental New York downtown scene: Ikue Mori, who exchanged the drummer position in the No Wave band DNA for a unique exploration of electronic sounds; and … Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Trouble in Paradise
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Some Slime Zone reviews (in English, German, Dutch, Norwegian)
“saman er dei dynamitt” Continue reading
Treasure Hunt reviews (in English and Italian)
Vital Weekly: In October 2010 these five persons meet up at the Signal festival and played together. The two days before their concert they played together in a studio, resulting in these eight pieces of improvised music. We have here … Continue reading
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Snowblind review (in Norwegian)
“Her har Ratkje virkelig klart å underbygge tekstens motsigende kraft. Det er lekent, det er vare stemninger, det er overraskelser, det er smerte” Continue reading
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LIGHT reviews (in English, Norwegian, Swedish and German)
Record Collector: Illuminating: anarchy in the art house. Commissioned by Norway’s Henie Onstad Art Centre on the advent of its 40th anniversary in 2008, Light captures preeminent improvisers Spunk at the top of their game. Led by Maja Ratkje’s bestial … Continue reading
Konfrontation mit dem Tode (DE)
Pizzicato 3/2011: “(…)Höhepunkt der Einspielung aber erscheint mir ‘HVIL’ aus dem Jahre 2008, bezeichnet als ‘das Flehen der Erde an die Menschheit’ und komponiert von Maja Solveig Kjelstrup Ratkje, geboren 1973. Hier muss man allerdings bedauern, dass man die Worte … Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Come Away Death
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RECORDING OF THE MONTH: Come Away Death
MusicWeb International:
Unless even the mention of Death is taboo for you, consider hearing this disc. There may be no joy in this enjoyment, but there is much beauty, sincerity and high art. This disc gave me one of the strongest musical experiences I have ever had. Continue reading
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Twenty Centuries of Stony Sleep reviews (in English and Norwegian)
“Some of the most exciting material arrives from the old guard however, in particular Ultralyd’s shimmering noir soundtracks on ‘Salinity And Brine’ and Maja Ratkje’s ‘Breathe’, which features some of her signature atavistic vocal contortions set amidst a layered soundscape populated by opaque environmental recordings and howling drone tones.” Continue reading
Posted in Other album reviews
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Come Away Death reviews in Norwegian
“Marianne Beate Kiellands plate om døden er nesten avskrekkende konsekvent.” Continue reading
Kantarell reviews in French
Octopus: “Quatrième album de Spunk, Kantarell (chanterelle en français) possède un avantage incontestable sur les précédents : son titre est enfin prononçable pour les non norvégophones ! La musique, toujours entièrement improvisée par Kristin Andersen (trompette, etc.), Lene Grenager (violoncelle, … Continue reading
Kantarell reviews in German
In perfekter Balance an der Schnittstelle von elektronischer und akustischer Klangwelten bewegt sich dieses Langzeitquartett auf seinem bereits vierten Album. Das hat zur Folge, dass die Herkünfte der Sounds nicht nachvollziehbar sind und bei allem Schwergewicht in der Schwebe bleiben…. Resultat: ein sperriges, in seiner Sperrigkeit lustvolles, offensives Album. Continue reading
Kantarell reviews in Swedish
Spunk samtalar, men de är också experter på att lura öronen. Ofta är det omöjligt att identifiera ljudkällorna. På “Kantarell” – tror jag – går det lättare. Framför allt framträder Lene Grenagers cello starkare, klarare, mer i centrum av de … Continue reading
Kantarell reviews in English
“Whatever the case, this piece is just brilliant. Clever, sexy, dramatic, dynamic, humorous, and dangerous. The fact that it emerged from an improvised process is all the more impressive” Continue reading