MOMA075 - Sindre Bjerga - Organ Failure
Artist statement:
Recorded in Stavanger, Norway, in August 2013 on a pump organ that once belonged to my great grandfather. I love the sound of this beautiful beast. For this MOMA release, I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and record something completely different from what I normally do. Without sounding too much like The Wire, I wanted the range of the actual medium - the microcassette - to be a part of the improvisation. I wanted to see how the warm and glowing drones from the pump organ would sound like on my handheld GE 35370 microcassette recorder. It's quite distorted, but somehow the pump organ is alive and well in there...
If you want to follow my activities, have a look here from time to time: www.sindrebjerga.wordpress.com
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Here is Tore Stemland's review in Norwegian, from his blog
Sindre Bjerga kom i går med ett nytt album. Denne gangen i Museum Of Microcassette Art serien. En serie av utgivelser komponert og innspilt i år for, ja nettopp mikrokassetter. I samme serie har norske Nicole Shugborough og NXP allerede utgitt album og Ronny Wærnes kommer i løpet av måneden (eller i januar 2014). Vi kommer selvsagt tilbake til det.
Bjerga har her forlatt komfortsonen sin og gitt seg i vold med sin bestefars gamle pumpeorgel. Vi snakker her om et lydbilde i improvisasjonens ånd, men likefullt ett godt stykke tilside for det man ellers forventer fra Sindre Bjerga. Her er det tidvis rytmikken som er i hovedfokuset og tidvis en slags dronestemning i korte åndedrag. Av og til overlapper disse hverandre.
Mens den første delen (side A) uten særlige variasjoner i volum og intensitet har den andre delen (side en oppbyggingsfase som strekker seg langt utover siden for å holde på fokuset og avta litt mot slutten. Man hører at Bjerga var i samme fokus men likefullt er disse ganske forskjellige.
Uansett ett mektig album som krever høyt volum, øretelefoner og stummende mørke for 100% nytelse.
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and here is Google's translation of the review:
Sindre Bjergafjellet arrived yesterday with a new album. This time the Museum Of Art Microcassette series. A series of releases composed and recorded this year, yes just micro cassettes. The series has Norwegian Nicole Shugborough and NXP already released albums and Ronny Wærnes come during the month (or January 2014). We will of course return to it. Bjergafjellet have here left their comfort zone and given in violence with his grandfather's old pump organ. We are talking about a sound in the spirit of improvisation, but still one good piece aside for what would otherwise expect from Sindre Bjergafjellet. Here it is occasionally rhythm that is the main focus and occasionally a kind of drone mood in short breaths. Sometimes overlap each other. Whereas the first part (side A) without significant variations in volume and intensity, the second part (side a development phase which extends beyond the side to keep the focus and slow down a bit towards the end. You hear that Bjergafjellet was in the same focus but nevertheless these are quite different. Either one mighty album which require high volume, earphones and complete darkness for 100% pleasure.
Recorded in Stavanger, Norway, in August 2013 on a pump organ that once belonged to my great grandfather. I love the sound of this beautiful beast. For this MOMA release, I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and record something completely different from what I normally do. Without sounding too much like The Wire, I wanted the range of the actual medium - the microcassette - to be a part of the improvisation. I wanted to see how the warm and glowing drones from the pump organ would sound like on my handheld GE 35370 microcassette recorder. It's quite distorted, but somehow the pump organ is alive and well in there...
If you want to follow my activities, have a look here from time to time: www.sindrebjerga.wordpress.com
-------
Here is Tore Stemland's review in Norwegian, from his blog
Sindre Bjerga kom i går med ett nytt album. Denne gangen i Museum Of Microcassette Art serien. En serie av utgivelser komponert og innspilt i år for, ja nettopp mikrokassetter. I samme serie har norske Nicole Shugborough og NXP allerede utgitt album og Ronny Wærnes kommer i løpet av måneden (eller i januar 2014). Vi kommer selvsagt tilbake til det.
Bjerga har her forlatt komfortsonen sin og gitt seg i vold med sin bestefars gamle pumpeorgel. Vi snakker her om et lydbilde i improvisasjonens ånd, men likefullt ett godt stykke tilside for det man ellers forventer fra Sindre Bjerga. Her er det tidvis rytmikken som er i hovedfokuset og tidvis en slags dronestemning i korte åndedrag. Av og til overlapper disse hverandre.
Mens den første delen (side A) uten særlige variasjoner i volum og intensitet har den andre delen (side en oppbyggingsfase som strekker seg langt utover siden for å holde på fokuset og avta litt mot slutten. Man hører at Bjerga var i samme fokus men likefullt er disse ganske forskjellige.
Uansett ett mektig album som krever høyt volum, øretelefoner og stummende mørke for 100% nytelse.
----
and here is Google's translation of the review:
Sindre Bjergafjellet arrived yesterday with a new album. This time the Museum Of Art Microcassette series. A series of releases composed and recorded this year, yes just micro cassettes. The series has Norwegian Nicole Shugborough and NXP already released albums and Ronny Wærnes come during the month (or January 2014). We will of course return to it. Bjergafjellet have here left their comfort zone and given in violence with his grandfather's old pump organ. We are talking about a sound in the spirit of improvisation, but still one good piece aside for what would otherwise expect from Sindre Bjergafjellet. Here it is occasionally rhythm that is the main focus and occasionally a kind of drone mood in short breaths. Sometimes overlap each other. Whereas the first part (side A) without significant variations in volume and intensity, the second part (side a development phase which extends beyond the side to keep the focus and slow down a bit towards the end. You hear that Bjergafjellet was in the same focus but nevertheless these are quite different. Either one mighty album which require high volume, earphones and complete darkness for 100% pleasure.