Ekko Fest 2009

Finally got round to writing a review for Resident Advisor from Bergen's Ekko Fest this year. The line-up was a great example of how smaller and more compact festivals can pick an astute and interesting line-up without the commercial constraints inflicted upon larger festivals. Suffering from a spot of Norsk swine flu and some sad news from back home detracted from my full enjoyment of the event but, some lager beverage medicine and good company made sure the stellar line-up was enjoyed as best possible. Losing it to Clark's delicate thrasing and merging of light and folksy sounds with crashing breakbeat and electronic noise was by far the highlight. Best new find of the three day festival was definately Velferd, who played a nicely executed live set that took in twisted disco and house sounds amongst many subtle layers. He is in fact also a member of the the band The New Wine from Bergen, who have been getting lots of attention in Norway this past year and will undoubtedly prop up elsewhere soon. Check them out here.

Photo: Clark rocking the Studio room at USF Verftet by Julie Arrive.

Full Pupp Label Night - Resident Advisor article

New article just up on Resident Advisor from an Oslo trip I made a few weeks ago. Was in town to check out the nightclub Bla and, perhaps of deeper significance, label night of Cosmic Disco don Prins Thomas. Last time I caught this guy playing was in Barcelona a few years ago at a more house music oriented venue called Sala BeCool. That particualr night in Bcn the only people on the dancefloor not willing Norway's Prins to crank up the bpm's to a more familiar and fast speed was a defiant James 'Global Souljah' Barrie, myself and my friend Andy. This time in Oslo the crowd was a bit more clued up and patient, bar a few drunken Nordic types. Check out the full article and by all means leave some words here.

Sessioned Out

The culmination of four Transplant Sessions witnessed the idyllic settings of Transplant transported to a wider audience and through a larger platform earlier this month. On the 22nd August the Transplant Sessions was hosted by Landmark, Bergen Kunsthall for a showcase of Nordic-themed electronic music and visual talent. DJ and Transplant Sessions coordinator Uraki Riddim curated an evening worth of musical and visual performances featuring acts from France and Scotland to local Bergen acts on the up and established. DJ Asel started the evening with a finely woven set of electronic music from near and far and following a light and occasionally indie and ambient stream. His record selection was complemented perfectly by the breathtaking landscaped visuals of vj Birk (from local night VJ picks the DJ) who combined three projectors seamlessly to make a whole wall of imagery that sucked onlookers in to another place. I followed on from Asel with some chopped up beats through to nu-disco and house before going back to back with Slabs of the Tabernacle's talented resident Brian D'Souza prior to his live set. We were guided visually by Oslo based French designer vj Julie Arrive whose cinematic borrowed and occasionally cheeky work added a click and a clack to the bang bang of the music. Brian's live set took in a wide selection of influences from afrobeat, italo to house and techno and kicked off a host of revelers to shake and move on the dance floor. To take things up to top kilter, and close the night, Nabovarsel resident Sanhueza and Tobii live made sure nobody left the dance floor with a latin wrapped mix of house that took in tribal, deep and electronica edges. Keep an ear out for these guys!

There will be some podcasts and video footage available by the end of this week courtesy of Brian D'Souza and visual artist Ling Lee. Meantime, if you happen to be in Norway this September get yourself over to Bergen for one of the most interesting and welcoming compact electronic music festivals in Europe - Ekko Fest. Amongst those playing is a relative homecoming gig for Royksopp, there first in Bergen for almost ten years, Bergen's new house sensation Tobii live and the spaced out acid disco of US based Nite Jewell. You can check the full line-up and order tickets here. For UK based music afficionados be sure to get up North to Aberdeen for DO IT!'s October session at Cellar bar which will include the UK debut of Brian D'Souza's new live work, myself and vj Julie Arrive.

Sub-Urban Dexterity

Last week at Landmark, Bergen Kunsthall rocked! Over 200 heads were in attendance to see a line-up that wouldn't have been out of place as a mini festival. The roster included some spectacular landscaped visuals by VJ picks The DJ's vj Birk, Ekko Fest organizer DJ Asel, myself (DJ Uraki Riddim) accompanied by Julie Arrive's visuals, an exclusive debut for Brian D'Souza's new live work and a Norge treat in the form of Nabovarsel starlets Sanhueza and Tobii live. Big thanks to those who performed and attended. Check out some pics from the party below;

Photos: (from top: dj Asel & vj Birk, Uraki Riddim, Brian D'Souza & vj Julie Arrive, Sanhueza & Tobii live) by Ed Barber.

Lähdemmekö nyt!?

Just got back from a 48 hour express trip to Helsinki with 4/5 of the DO IT! collective where we performed for the Cheap Tricks night at a former tram factory turned cultural center called Korjaamo. Cheap Tricks is one of a plethora of lo-fi and independent nights sprouting out through Helsinki with a mixture of young and old, girls and boys stearing them all. Cheap Tricks is the work of busy Helsinki-ite Lani Nordlund, who while studying in Helsinki manages to run this electronica themed club night (Cheap Tricks) and a more indie and band friendly night called Säpinää at the same time. Helsinki was cool, more so thanks to our tram active and bar alert host, and threw up some very interesting new music acts and moods.

The city in general had a strange mixed feeling between Soviet Eastern Bloc and little traces of distant Swedish rule hidden amongst the abstract blocks. I aim to be back to visit Finland and Helsinki soon when I will be able to write more in detail. Meantime, Helsinki's answer to Glasgow's Jackmaster (so called busiest man in music) Lauri Soini should be the first port of call for music reference in Finland's capital. With hands in many pies, as a live act, dj, promoter, producer and director of progamming for the uber swish Nolla bar it wouldn't go amiss to check out some of the many traces of his work. Lani's tip for a local band Fotoshop weren't hard to leave on at a high volume and we will be hoping to bring them over to an Aberdeen DO IT! night at some point soon alongside some of the other interesting acts we met and listened to. A couple of exciting and better known acts we came across in this Scandic/Soviet middle patch were the Cure-esque Villa Nah, the bizzarely titled and tropically charged Le Corps Mince de Francoise and last but possibly most bizzarely the genre defying Jaakko Eino Kalevi. Special thanks to our host Lani Nordlund, photographer Juho Lähdesmäki and Vixen Vj Paula!

Poster: by Cheap Tricks graphic designer Johannes Pokkinen.

CHΞ▲P TR!CKS ♥ DO IT!

Some photos from our recent trip to Finland's capital. We have some exciting collaborations coming up with Finland and Norway regarding bringing acts to our DO IT! residency every second Friday of the month at Cellar Bar 35, Aberdeen. You can read more and follow the DO IT! group on facebook here.
Photos: (from top: surprised guest, Introvert live, djs Uraki Riddim & White Chocolate, vjs M.O.C. & Ben) by Juho Lähdesmäk.

Islands in Space

Photos from a recent jaunt around the west coast of Norway that featured Bergen and Stavanger. Arrived in Stavanger just in time for the end of a food festival called Gladmat (happy food). Was also lucky to catch a pre-NuMusic party with DJs from Stavanger, Oslo and London playing in a tent at Gladmat and later on Cafe Resept. Ironic that the best food all weekend was a 'big fat burger' from a cafe across from the graff shop at the top of a wee hill, at the back of the city, and not the actual food fest. Buttered'n'herbed New Jersey potatoes, juicy and well packed patty with blazing sun on the terrace followed by some rolling in the grass. dulce!

Photos by Alexander Horne and Julie Arrive.

Out The Box

Passing through a wet and drenched Bergen amidst a brief sojourn through the West Coast of Norway brought up the discovery of some new cultural pearls recently. Originally planning to cover Berghain resident Len Faki's gig at the underground cave-like Teknikerkroen club in Bergen, plans had to change at the last minute due to Faki's postponement of the performance to a later date (supposedly he had a bigger gig!). A detour, arguably for the better, introduced a long running and classy soulful night in Bergen and the opportunity to visit one of Norway's youngest and most exciting societal hubs, Stavanger.

The Grand Terminus Hotel is something of a Bergen gem, combing classic Nouveau and Deco styles with a soft yet prominent vein of contemporary urban chic running underneath. The 1920s hotel is smack bang in the center of Bergen and due to it's geographical proximity to a grave yard, often is referred to as the funeral hotel. Sitting directly opposite Bergen's quaint train station and in front of a grave yard though only adds to this places charm and the feeling of a plethora of hidden stories. If a director could best capture the mood of this interesting corner of Bergen, and in particular the aura of the building, it would be fitting to suggest someone of Jim Jarmusch's style would fit. Black and white flooring, deep wooden whisky bar and high ceilings make this a place of class and what no better music to stem a night of music from for such a venue as jazz. In Grand Terminus the jazz is served cort and without the ZZs in the form of Jassbox. Long running and deeply funky, this night serves a potent start to an evening and draws a crowd as diverse as up and coming electro producers to fashion designers and fat beardy men (well dressed though). Hats off to organizers Espen Horne and Åse Langesæter who manage to bring in a melting pot of local and national djs every session with sounds from hip-hop, soul, funk and swing - all with a jazzy evening fresh vibe!

Photo: dj Fusa at Jassbox, Grand Terminus 24/7/09 by Julie Arrive.