One day I recieved post from Norway. Do you get a lot of post from Norway? Moreover, the person writing puzzled me by writing fluent German. Therefore during the ensuing email conversation I had to remind myself, that M was really way up over high in O-S-L-O, and not in Bielefeld, as my subconscious kept trying to trick me into believing.

Oslo does not mean much to me apart from maybe the Turbonegroes and progress. Trafikanten up there don’t care about cigarrettes (evil) but about busses and streetcars. „Trafikanten“ up there actually is the name of the informationwebsite of the public transport system (good). Here in Austria Trafikanten means small cigarrette retail stores. Wether they have Trafikanten up there like we do, I have no idea.

M sent me a bunch of CDs with the request of reviewing them. I agreed, convinced I would be writing those reviews soon enough. From time to time M asked me about those reviews, and I promised her, that they would be coming soon.

Nothing of that kind.

An exhaustive article presenting that bunch of CDs, is what it shall be then, as a rightful compensation for the long period of waiting. As I don’t want anyone of you to ever forget, that in Oslo there is a label called RUNE GRAMMOFON.

A few quick words about the label: Rune takes on evidently, meaning it reads so on the webiste, the „most creative and adventorous“ Music of Norway. It is most beautiful that in this sentence no style is being mentioned, they are all about the music and that alone. And that shall be explained with three examples in the following: Food („Molecular Gastronomy“), Skyphone („Avellaneda“) and Elephant9 („Dodo Voodoo“).

Molecular Gastronomy is the most relaxes and in the beginning quite suprisingly cool fifth album of the duo Ian Bellamy (Saxophon, Alto Flute) and Thomas Strønen (drums and electronics). Togther they call themselves Food. This is Jazz in the furthest sense, very playful, but nevertheless structures, meaning, if you like it loud and crazy then this is not the record for you. While Strønen cares for rhythm, and plinks, clanks and whirrs, Bellamy is binding a very emotional red thread around the blocks placed by Strønen. As if somebody walks into a kindergarten, disturbs the kid’s play and tells them the most beautiful tales about sunsets in far away countries. I am excited.

Only the beginning is somewhat wrong, because the break from the first to the second track is so harsh that it almost sounds unintentional. As soon as you have recovered from the first shock, Molecular Gastronomy flows in its own course continually, and it is fun to cruise along. Of the records mentioned here, Molecular Gastronomy is the most personal, joyful, freshest and honest.

By the way: Food will be playing their Austria debut at the Jazzfest Saalfelden on 24.8. together with Fennesz.

The statement on Rune Grammofon website is not totally true, to be honest: they do not solely care about Norwegian artists, but also about the rest of the north. Skyphone for instance are Danish: Thomas Holst, Keid Dam Schmidt and Mads Bødker. And they are often mentioned in sentences together with Efterklang and Sigur Ros which is not at all out of line.

Here again the sounds are soft and playful – another red thread in Rune's spectrum. The piano / synthesiser of Schmidt is the main carrying element,around which Bødker and Holst wind their bass and other sounds respectively ( „snap, crackle and pop“). All in all Skyphone is rather classical downtempo, more Indie than Jazz. Music for thinking and starring holes, the sort, where every listen will make you discover something new. Sometimes there is a certain Japanese thing going on, and when the guitars are being picked in the most classical style, they remind me a lot of the old Joan of Arc!!

Let’s move on to some more Tempo-, but not a change in direction. All released of Rune Grammofon carry the idea, that, as mentioned in the beginning, they don’t want to be tied to a certain style. It is also never about lyrics (when will the world come to senses and realise that lyrics are completely overrated) , it is about discoveries, statements, jams, about music. Elephant9 are the most vigorous.

Here we have something that might again be labelled with jazz again. Or you might think so at first. The title track and opener rocks like hell. Keyboard (Ståle Storløkken), bass (Nikolai Eilertsen) and drummer Torstein Lofthus (great!) go for a short, serious and target-oriented bashing, which is really nice, and it sounds like a statement. And in that style they carry on.

From the beginning you feel like the late Sixties / early Seventies. The repetitions are there, but also the sound (I know, I can not be more abstract than that) but it reminds of Can and Jimi Hendrix, but *today*. And this is very exciting, especially because Elephant9 in no way is a retro band. And I am not at all sure if they will like the comparison.

But the comparison will be explained in the same moment, or at least emphasised, if you think about the fact, that the album was recorded live in one single go. From this viewpoint Dodo Voodoo is more a rock- than a jazz-album, because even if the organ sounds like Jimmy Smith, it is more like the Doors, knocking at the doors (ha!).

Five of the seven songs are originals, and those all, with the exception of „Hymne“, are all great prog/rock/jazz with depth. The last two ones are by Joe Zawinul, which might be seen as a tribute. At both („Doctor Honoris Causa“ and „Directions“) it is easy to hear, that they have been written by someone else, but Elephant9 add so much fire to these songs, that you want to listen to them all over again.

Summing up, I want to say that Rune Grammofon is a pearl, a small label with wonderful releases. If you want to be informed in Norway, you may want to go to the Trafikanten, or, if you are into playful, progressive and simply high quality indie music then just go to Rune. I send my kindest regards to Bielefeld!

www.runegrammofon.com

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