New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Morten Lund and
Andreas Eriksen took their adventurous 25 year Green Isac collaboration to a new level when they expanded the duo to a five member ensemble and rechristened themselves Green Isac Orchestra in 2015. Titled simply b a r, their second album as the full-fledged Green Isac Orchestra and the seventh Green Isac album overall, is a brilliant expression of their electro-acoustic blend of kinetic rhythms, inventive melodies, and organic soundscapes. The album releases today on Spotted Peccary
Music in LP vinyl format and in 24-BIT AUDIOPHILE, CD QUALITY LOSSLESS, MP3 and streaming formats. https://spottedpeccary.com/shop/bar/
Rich with a generous helping of world-flavored percussion and minimalist textures, the music on b a r is a compelling and often energetic fusion of fourth-world rhythms with a progressive edge. The lively trans-continental grooves maintain a solid, forward motion throughout the dynamic moods and interludes of refined, wide-open spaces. Acoustic instruments including piano, cello, marimba and a variety of drums & percussion work in concert with live electronics such as synthesizers, mellotron, electric guitar, therevox, and gizmotron, to create a dynamic and inspired set of tracks that overflow with imaginative originality.
"Green Isac Orchestra is the extension of the duo Green Isac," Lund explains. "It was put together in order to play live versions of Green Isac material, but soon the band started to make new music. Minimalist and ambient were the core ideas in the beginning, but on b a r there are several hints to prog."
The album cover art is an image created by the Norwegian artist Nils Olav Bøe, his imagery is sometimes of constructed urban and industrial landscapes, atmospheric and dreamlike miniature tableaus, often warping perceptions of dimensions and distances. "We feel there is a relation between Nils Olav Bøe's artistic signature and our musical expression. The naked minimalism in his art suits us well."
As a duo, Green Isac have always been known for the fresh and exciting recordings they created in the studio going all the way back to 1990. Now that the lineup has expanded to a quintet, the project has transformed into a living organism where the unmistakable Green Isac sound is developed and arranged with the musicians working together in a live setting, spontaneously crafting and refining their musical ideas through a process of realtime collaboration.
"Typically a small theme, rhythm, or soundscape is presented as a start point, and then the arrangements are made in rehearsals until we feel we are ready for recording." says Eriksen. "It has been quite refreshing working together as a group in this way, and we have really been focused on listening and responding to each other. Hopefully this reflects in the music and makes it more alive."
Tinted with the progressive hues of Eno, Tortoise, and King Crimson, b a r finds its home at the crossroads where West African polyrhythms meet the minimalism of Steve Reich and Nik Bärtsch. But whatever comparisons may come to mind, this iteration of Green Isac's music is as unique, innovative, and refreshing as ever.
Modern and yet so perfectly timeless, Green Isac Orchestra's b a r is a powerful statement from a finely-tuned ensemble firing on all cylinders.
b a r is the group's fifth album on the Spotted Peccary label. Their previous releases include Green Isac Orchestra (SPM-1304), Passengers (SPM-1303), Etnotronica (SPM-1302), Groundrush (SPM-1301).
The album was recorded and mixed at Frydenlund Studio, in Oslo, Norway, where it was mastered by Lunds Lyd, and is available for physical purchase in LP vinyl format and in 24-BIT AUDIOPHILE, CD QUALITY LOSSLESS, MP3 and streaming formats. The LP version of b a r arrives in a factory sealed sleeve that includes vibrant artwork, liner notes, cover art by Nils Olaf Bøe, and exquisite package design by
Daniel Pipitone.
Tracklist:
01 Volcanic 7:47
02 Le Grand Sportif 7:05
03 With Hat 3:25
04 Don Progini 7:03
05 Aarwaaken 6:10
06 Without Hat 5:50
Green Isac is a Norwegian-based duo featuring multi-instrumentalist
Morten Lund and imaginative percussionist
Andreas Eriksen. Together Eriksen and Lund blend electronic and ethnic instruments alike into kinetic rhythms, sometimes electronically fueled, and often acoustically driven, with accents from processed guitars and quirky synths, setting it all in otherworldly landscapes with an air of mystery and intrigue. In 2015 the Duo expanded their sound to include three additional musicians (Frode Larsen, Tov Ramstad and Jo Wang) leading to the latest project titled Green Isac Orchestra. https://www.greenisacorchestra.no/
Portland-based Spotted Peccary
Music is North America's finest independent record label with a focus on deep, vast and introspective soundscapes. For over three decades, the artists of Spotted Peccary have been on a mission to develop, produce, publish and release ultra-high-quality, deep-listening experiences that engage the listener and exceed expectations. Every release is carefully prepared in a variety of high quality formats from MP3 to high-res studio masters. Explore more than 165 titles and 45 artists at www.SpottedPeccary.com and www.AmbientElectronic.com.
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