BIOSPHERE

A richly varied and diverse collection of modern computer-realized ambient ideas from Norwegian Geir Jenssen.

Tracks on 2006 CD: 1**. "Dissolving Clouds" (4:28) computer sound slow ambient not unlike Brian Eno's Music for Airports or a combination of that album and 1982's On Land. (8/10)

2. "Birds Fly By Flapping Their Wings" (6:35) opens slowly but then treated drums and bass enter giving it an acid jazz kind of feel. Why this isn't acid jazz is due to the very little going on over the rhythm tracks. (8/10)

3**. "Warmed By The Drift" (6:50) with breathy horn play, this sounds like something from Mark Isham's Never Cry Wolf soundtrack. Enter bass and strumming guitar in the second half and we get a little change. (13/15)

4**. "In Triple Time" (5:50) what spills over from the previous song turns quickly into a kind of trip hoppy, acid jazz, KOOP-like danceable "ambient" music--with a little flute! Me likes! (10/10)

5**. "From A Solid To A Liquid" (5:19) like a contemplative duet on a church organ and electric piano. Haunting yet soothing. Very pretty. (9/10)

6**. "Arafura" (5:10) like the start of a KOOP song, only they got stuck, looped, while a piano is trying to sneak in but keeps getting clipped & splinched. The cool stuff you can do with computer editing! (8.75/10)

7. "Fall In, Fall Out" (7:10) pop-jazz snare drumming with clicks and pops until bass starts to sneak in and then two looped harp-like arpeggi. Harold Budd-like treated piano hit at 1:37 notes the entrance of another, new element. Perhaps a little too long. (13/15)

8. "Daphnis 26" (6:45) same insistent pace as the previous song but employing a whole different set of "instrument" sounds to achieve it. Sounds like a measure of a 1970s TANGERINE DREAM song trapped in a perpetual time loop. Heavier, almost"Tusk"-like marching band-like drums join in during the middle. Okay. (12/15)

9. "Altostratus" (5:11) an étude that simply goes nowhere interesting (to me). (6/10)

10. "Sherbrooke" (5:55) another "frozen in time" loop capturing one second of an acoustic rock band's song intro (think BONDAGE FRUIT's "Storm Bird, Storm Dreamer"). Interesting idea; wish it went somewhere. (7/10)

11**. "People Are Friends" (10:39) back to the Eno-esque soundscapes, using modern computer editing techniques to make it interesting. Ryuichi Sakamoto would love this! I wonder what the whispered and clipped voice samples are saying. (17.5/20)

Total time 69:52

12*. "In the Shape of a Flute" (6:17) opens like ripples in a pond after a rock has been dropped into it but then, about 50 seconds in, those snare-and-cymbal heavy Acid Jazz drums enter with their entourage of flutes. Again, I can't help but think of the KOOP albums from near this same period. The drums disappear for a spell in the fourth minute--letting the flutes have all the glory, but then return with a different arrangement for 100 of the final 130 seconds. Excellent! (9/10) * - missing on 2006 CD release ** - missing on 2005 LP release

C/3.5 stars; a very interesting album that the typical prog lover will probably enjoy quite a bit. For me it is a bit hit or miss--definitely filled with ingenious ideas and great sound, I think some songs could have been more fully developed. I definitely feel far more drawn to the Acid Jazz infused content.

For PE enthusiasts who are not hungry for rehashed dishes, this stuff is for real.

This Biosphere BIRMINGHAM FREQUENCIES (WITH HIGHER INTELLIGENCE AGENCY) post needs some revision, but until that happens for starters Geir Jenssen is Biosphere (typo on this site´s entry) so to set the record straight this following info was copy pasted from their Bandcamp spot:

"Polar Sequences and Birmingham Frequencies are two parts of a same project. Polar Sequences, released in 1996, was recorded two years earlier, during Tromso's Polar Music Festival. Tromso, hometown of Biosphere's Geir Jenssen, is situated 70 degrees north, above the Arctic Circle, in Norway. In 1995, the organisers of the festival commissioned Geir Jenssen and Higher Intelligence Agency's Bobby Bird, a series of three concerts, using environmental sounds recorded in the area. The concerts were given on top of a mountain, where the audience was brought to in turn by cable car. The second part of this project was put together by Bird and Jenssen, using a similar approach, this time set in Bobby Bird's native Birmingham. The chosen venue was on the twelfth floor of the Rotunda, situated in the heart of the city. The one off event also featured videos and digital images, as well as a café and one of the best views over Birmingham.".-Milk Factory Review.

So, back to where I review/rate Geir Jenssen & Bobby Bird´s Birmingham Frequencies.

Well let me count the ways not to overrate it just because it is for starters 100% original in its musical language which is still for me the real deal and thrill in any kind of work in any kind of field of art.

This contemporary electronic music concert is constructed layer by layer and it turns out surprisingly rich in all kind of electronic music possibilities and variations, which travel from sophisticated primitiveness to symphonic like subtle explosions, to strange electronic style encounters which challenge this duo´s masterful performances and brilliant emotional response as composers, never ceasing to explore the before mentioned field recordings (sounds/noises) and delivering in return such sonic magic.

A 7 track release, where six of its parts are if not all masterpieces, all are extraordinary as a sum.

Weak spot (The Rotunda), not because it is weak as such but the rest is just far better in this kind of creative, original and alluring electro/acoustic heights.

****/*

"Biosphere" is an alias used by Progressive Electronic artist Geir Jenssen, which represents his solo work. Jenssen was born in Norway in 1962 and has had ffiliations with several musical acts, including the dance oriented "Bel Canto" in 1987, and trance oriented "Bleep" in 1990. As Biosphere, he has released 26 full length studio albums since 1992.

"The Senja Recordings" were released in June of 2019. This album consists of a 17-track collection of natural outdoor recordings and in-studio improvisations done on the island of Senja, Arctic Norway, between 2015 ? 2018. All of the tracks were written, performed and recorded by Jenssen.

"Skalbrekka" consists of sounds manipulated and processed into interesting electronic soundscapes. The source material is a recording of ice being thrown out on a frozen lake and a dog named Tara. This is an example of the soundscapes that are created here, but without knowing what the original sound was, you would never be able to figure it out. The mood is ambient and sparse, cold and barren as the Arctic Circle, where these field recordings were done. "Strandby" is an improvised passage recorded from a Roland System 100 synthesizer. The music-box sounding tones are simple and unaccompanied and seem to be based on a pattern. "Bergsbotn 1" uses a field recording of a military, concrete snow shed that has a ventilation pipe that the wind blows through creating a sound like a giant flute. Sparse and haunting, there are barely discernable tones hidden under the already quiet sounds and this brings on a feeling of solidarity. "Bjorvika" is based around a field recording of rain and thunder as heard from inside a storage container and some soft tones.

"Berg" is an 8 minute electronic composition that is commissioned work for an exhibition in Oslo. The tones are based on a repeated pattern with slow and subtle changes and various other tones, usually in a low register also come through. The music shimmers and echoes as the notes are sustained, giving a feeling of depth in the lower tones and a sense of reflective light shooting out from ice crystals. "Kyle" is the sound of a vuvuzela (a 2 ft. long, plastic horn) echoing off of a mountain wall in Litjedalen. The sound is soft with a windy drone and echoing caws from birds. This short track segues into "Fjolhogget" which is an electronic recording using a Yamaha FB-01 and an OSCar synthesizer. There are steady low tones with high melodic and short tones playing on top. "Stordjupta" also uses the OSCar synth and the sound of a VHF distress call. This has a steady low drone and ominous throbbing tones.

"Bergsbotn II" utilizes the snow shed again as in the first part, but this time it is joined by high pitched tones from a Cambodian bamboo flute and a Argeiphontes lyre. The sounds are cold, metallic and piercing. "Bergsbotn III" continues from the previous track with the addition of a Vietnamese hand drum producing some interesting effects. A intermittent drone is produced that stops and starts creating a glitchy sound. "Lysbotn" also continues from the previous track. This time a field recording of finger tapping on a hydroelectric pipe and the use of contact microphones are used to create the source material. A low, soft drone vibrates under occasional percussive sounds. "Straumen" is a short field recording of a transmitter station, pretty much just a variant drone. "Steinfjord" is another short track using a field recording of wind through wires in a restricted area. The vibration of the wires create a tonal quality but the track is also drone-like. "Gilberg" continues with the drone from the previous track and uses electronic sounds created by the MetaSynth and the ARP Odyssey. A far off tonal sound creates the sensation of music carried over a distance, almost flute-like in tone, while low tones sound like the wind through hollow pipes. The source material for "Alteret" is a field recording in Mefjordavaer of reindeer high on a mountain and a military plane flying overhead. "Geatkejavri" is a field recording of thunder at Fjeilfrosvatnet. "Ha" is the last track and is another 8 minute track. It uses a Hydraphone, an unusual instrument invented by Max Eastley who used to record on Brian Eno's Obscure label, and a Waldorf Blofeld synthesizer. The tones are sparse and mostly low frequency creating a random melodic sound.

This album is definitely ambient all the way through, the sound is quite minimal. You could call it "The World Unplugged" as these are sounds created by the world when there is nothing around. It answers the question of "If nothing was around to hear it, would it still make a noise?" This study in ambience is definitely experimental, yet it is intriguing and peaceful. Think of "Bass Communion" in a more condensed, yet unstructured format. The tracks are mostly quite short with a few longer ones, but the sound hardly ever surpasses the "pianissimo" dynamic other than a few random thunder claps or windy gusts. This is not music in any traditional sense as much as it is soundscapes. But, when you are in the right mood, it is very engaging and captivating.

A precisely timed 17 tracks album, with the same kind of concept and in the same kind of tenor as his The Hilvarenbeek Recordings (2018), Geir Jenssen aka BIOSPHERE makes it work out and worth your while on this one.

This time his field recordings are not just field recordings with some subtle decorations. Adding his solid yet ethereal electronic music expertise he blends deep and wisely into these field recordings and comes up with strangely beautiful, profound, enticing, meditative & poetic soundscapes which stand as both great recordings of natural environments alongside his own human sonic imprint in a perfectly threaded mix.

Of course he is not the first one to do so, I mean this kind of fire started way back in time and more than one has given us masterpieces. All it takes is to own a unique musical language and a great sense of artistry, from there your creativity and focus will take care of the ride...

Well, Geir Jenssen does that and delivers after some forgettable releases, another great 4.5 stars work with all the attributes he possess and takes it up a notch in this kind of playgrounds with his very personal way of music expression.

"Departed Glories", BIOSPHERE's 12th album, 2016, touches on those folk tale lands which actually do exist but are too rural and culturally remote from our usual plastic, concrete and perfectly wireless boxes.

Of course Geir Jenssen (BIOSPHERE), has a close geographical connection to these frozen and enchanted lands, being born in north-Norway and residing there where, as his BANDCAMP bio describes, composes most of his releases.

OK. Enough geography for today!

Short electronic soundscapes which sound like sections or parts of longer compositions. Some are too brief to go anywhere and sadly they go nowhere. Too many tracks for so few highlights and these are lost in the crowd diminishing the probabilities of going through all the album to relive them again.

To be honest, I feel disappointed by the lack of teeth most of these compositions show. Even the nostalgic moods seem bland .

At least he does not fall for cliches or rip-offs but in the belle-arts that is not enough it is only the beginning.

Anyway, BIOSPHERE has many great releases this is not one of them.

***3 "flat, flat" PA stars.

Way beyond!

I would not make a big issue about both "The Fires of Ork" Vol.1 and 2, 1993 and 2000 respectively, being misplaced in BIOSPHERE's (a.k.a. Geir Jenssen) discography, rather than in long gone Pete Namlook's one. But not even the first one's cover art, which were like a trademark for most of Namlook's works, helped a bit.

Anyway, this second encounter of both electronic musicians, is by far more structured and accomplished, than their first, highly raw and experimental, one. Both musical languages are tightly blended into a single one, and by the way, with its best possible results, maybe in a very low keyed manner, that may fool some in comparing it to each one's own language and works, but at close distance, as in all of Pete Namlook's collaborations, music composition wise, this effort explores teamwork as a way of expression and not just as mere addition.

Its relaxed mood, its non-cheesy embellishments, its detached and subtle but effective dark environments, its refined experimental nature and the cosmic overtone of the human spirit, is quiet intoxicating by its unpretentious but extremely deep songwriting.

To the followers of each or both musicians, the connection of both musical languages in this second effort will be more than apparent and for those who do not follow any of them, this is the kind of release that clearly shows that Progressive Electronic, is not just a bunch of polite Tangerine Dream's clones pulling off the same old tricks again and again, but the possible and endless future this sub-genre still has to offer.

As far as this unrepeatable Namlook & Jenssen association went, this is top game.

****4.5 (low keyed almost masterpiece) PA stars.

Electronic music in 1642.

Realizing that 2012 was a great year for this prog/electronic genre, to keep up the good news Geir Jenssen´s (aka BIOSPHERE), released "L'incoronazione di Poppea" an electronics meets Claude Monteverdi´s 1642 opera of the same name, comissioned project.

Not to scare non-opera lovers as myself, this is the kind of opera I will surely attend and sadly even consider it brief.

Resembling a sinking museum of gigantic white-blue sculptures alongside drowning women´s laments, tainted by deep dramatic or subtle flowing melody lines into sometimes sweet others chaotic or simply raw musical environments, without subduing nor losing the grandeur of its operatic root.

Electronic/crossover experimentation at its best.

Bravo!! ****4.5 solid PA stars.

Two worlds collide independently.

STATOR, 2015, is more or less evenly disposed between Geir Jenssen "Biosphere" and Helge Sten "Deathprod". (3 Biosphere's and 4 Deathprod's songs).

Helge Sten previously associated with Supersilent and Motorpsycho (between 1992?1994; frequent guest and producer 1994?2002 and 2007), began this DEATHPROD solo project in 1991 and has released some boxes of its recorded material.

Anyway, the contrast of musical languages in this kind of separate collaboration makes the whole experience musically untangible the same as attractive. Biosphere's ways are more melodical and dream like. Deathprod's are more inclined to the noise/drone nightmarish ambients. Matched in perfect balance as creativity goes, one's language enhances the other's as well.

Now! It is hard to rate it as a single Biosphere project due to its inherent idea of separate collaboration in a single release. I mean 3 songs although perfect, are just 3 songs and Deathprod (not yet included in PA), also perfect adds up one more.

Nevertheless an easy ****4 "Progressive/Electronic collaboration" PA stars.

— First review of this album —

Talking about dreams!

Biosphere aka Geir Jenssen's "Compilation 1991-2004" , resembles in surface a best hits collection yet it is actually a recopilation of all sorts of over the years prodigal orphan's returns. Full of prog/techno/ambient/noise/COSMIC- electronic creativity, each song will take you to very different atmospheres and still sound like if they were before-thought of as a single release instead of a sum of its parts.

Of course the techno touches will certainly offend most prog-heads, but what the hell! they rarely visit these electronic- lands for starters. Therefore an open minded prog-electronic follower is all it takes to enjoy such an exquisite joyride.

Good things are hard to explain, excellent things? Well you have to be there or in this case, here !

*****5 "masterpiece", not all prog electronic, PA stars.

Two Norwegian artists remodeling a third.

The third in question is Arne Nordheim and both parties, Geir Jenssen (BIOSPHERE) and Helge Sten (DEATHPROD), render their reinterpretations to Nordheim's material "Electric". (originally recorded in late 60s/early 70s). The artists take turns in presenting us with their reinterpretations of this work.

The original score is respected to the point of recognition, but these "transformations" are in themselves full of sonic proposals that offer new directions in the whole scope of the original "Electric" music.

So we get an almost one and one understanding of the original project. And their respective languages serve the purpose of encompassing both approaches without direct collaborations as far as the scarce liner notes depict.

Music wise, both musicians are distinguishable between each other, so as each track goes by, it refreshes the concept from scratch, without losing thread of this as a single effort project.

Ambiental, experimental, contemporary and daringly attractive. A perfect introduction to three Norwegian electronic musicians at their best.

****4.5 PA stars! Slow and mesmerizing!