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artist · polar
release · out of the blue
year · 2002
genre · lo-fi
label · certificate 18
catalogue · cert18lp016
website · www.certificate18.com
date · 30-may-2005
quality · alt-preset standard
source · vinyl
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a1 love is in the ear 5:17
b1 behind the scenes 6:02
b2 inventour 5:13
c1 safari 5:43
d1 lectric 5:06
d2 k boogie 5:10
playtime · 00h 32m 31s
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after surfacing on hopa's a-level imprint in '96, kjetil sagstaad,
aka k, has notched up an impressive tally of releases on several
labels, developing a trademark sound to match. metamorphosising
into one of the leading lights in the world of beats and drum n
bass, k's skills as a producer have left others across the board
standing out in the cold, earning him comparisons to carl craig in
terms of scope, quality and vision.
originally from bergen, on the west coast of norway, k was
baptised by the local rave scene (albeit a very small one) and
intense
early breakbeat and techno. he quit school to pursue a sonic
education, and started on a career path that would see him
influence the scene that so clearly touched him in the first
place. after his dad nicked his gear off him as penance for his
non-orthodox scholarly aspirations, k used his mate teebee's pc to
make tunes for hopa and bones' a-level imprint. after developing
contact with moving shadow and rugged vinyl, k released jazzassins
'compass' for r&s records in 1997.
releases followed on beatservice and audio couture, and in '98 k
signed to certificate 18 as polar, releasing 'mind of a killer' on
the label's 'hidden rooms 2' compilation. this track was snapped
up by the likes of gilles peterson, amon tobin, and fabio, and
highlighted the direction of polar's venture into glacial
soundscapes and haunting programming. the mini lp '37 degrees and
falling' followed, with the influence of k's home environment of
norway ever present in his sound, and planting him firmly on the
musical map with intense atmospherics and powerful beat
arrangements. singles 'mind of a killer', 'skydiver', and '5am',
released throughout 2000, illustrated the irrevocable,
irreversible slide back from the thaw, heading into numbing yet
taut k-hole serenity. 2001 saw the release of the acclaimed 'still
moving' album, achieving support and recognition from a wide
spectrum of scenes, not just from within drum n bass:
"polar's second is an album of crisp techstep and breakbeatàif
there was an equivalent of the sirens in norse mythology, then
this is the sound they'd make." (independent on sunday)
the 'white chambers' ep was released in december '01: this was
three cuts of deep, downtempo electronica. moody, emotional and
brooding - like a film noir soundtrack infused with hip hop and
drum'n'bass - the tracks were lifted from the cd version of 'still
moving' and created waves throughout the electronic world, with
polar being hailed as "kruder & dorfmeister on an iceberg" (seven
magazine).
now based in san francisco, the breakbeat chameleon is as busy as
ever, notching up remixes for nos, teebee, pieter k and john
tejada, and releases on metaformal, breakbeat science, and thermal
recordings. as well as all this, k found time to set up his own
label with certificate 18 labelmate and fellow norwegian teebee in
2000, and things continue to go from strength to strength, with
subtitles on it's 23rd release.
k has also released a track on breakbeat imprint fat records,
under the guise of jef dam. 'does it really matter' was ministry's
breakbeat single of the month in jan '02 proving the artist's
transcendental powers of production:
"norwegian kjetil dale sagstaad rewrites the script, with two
tunes fusing techno atmospherics to booming uk garage
basslinesà[reminiscent] of classic breakbeat house on labels like
warp. pure class, and a must for future breaks fans. 10/10"
ministry magazine
2002 signals the release of k's third album. 'out of the blue',
due to be released in july, is hypnotic, groovy, dark and deeply
electronic. it's polar at his very finest, with a deft touch in
every detail of every sound: trademark wintery keys and synths
soaring over the rolling crystalline breaks. it is a departure
from the darkside for k, and lends itself to deep rolling
breakbeats of all persuasions. you know it's polar, but you don't
know how he makes those sounds cut so deep.
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