I am so excited to finally release new music with my project Øy, together with tap dancer Janne Eraker.
The Øy project is based on improvising music by using the sound of Janne’s tap dance to control parts of my electronic instruments. This includes techniques like clocking of sequencers, drum synthesis and using envelope followers that quickly, while we play, can be routed to every parameter.
Also on Youtube in 4k and in the video archive of this site.
As well as watch the video above you can find us on most music platforms. Just search for “Øy The Foyer”. You can copy it from here if you are having a hard time writing the letter “Ø”, hehe!
The single is called The Foyer and was recorded in, yeah you guessed it a foyer. The foyer of Black Box teater (sic) in Oslo to be more precise. At Black Box teater they have a concept called ++ (now renamed to Plattform). Black Box describes this series as an informal screening platform for smaller productions, performance excerpts and productions that are in the development process.
Our performance was part of the program 01.06.2023. The released single lasts 7 minutes and is quite a ride. I am very happy with the bass on this track and I like how it shifts between long notes that sort of glides up and down when Janne drags her tap along the stage to bouncing all over the place when she starts tap dancing in full speed, and how it goes between these two states.
I also think the “guitar solo” works very well here and it features a bit of a funny technique I have been exploring. First I record a long stretch into a looper. Then I run that through a manual mute/gate pedal and start tapping the pedal rhythmically. So the loop always plays in the background, but you can only hear it while I am holding down the pedal. Since I can’t control the timing of the actual loop I am now exploring when to mute and unmute it, and how to try to push and pull the rhythm of it both for getting cool notes, but also how this timing relates to Janne’s rhythms.
The full album will be released digitally and on vinyl 22.11.2024, but you can already pre-order it and you will be the first to get it when it is released. It will be on 180 gram vinyl with a beautiful cover featuring artwork by Michiel Jansen which I am told is a photograph of a sort of rust process that Michiel has been experimenting with. I am getting assosiations to alien organisms and a beach on a planet in an alternative ice universe.
The text design was by Sofie Søndervik Sæther. I thought the logo she made for us is so cool!
We are arranging a release concert for the album in Oslo 22.11.2024 at Black Box teater.
In this concert we will embrace the fact that we are in a theatre space. We are planning some visual and theatrical elements, while still keeping it Øy of course. If you are around Oslo 22.11 we hope to see you there.