a r t i s t : Alog
t i t l e : Amateur
d a t e : 2007
l a b e l : Rune Grammofon
g e n r e : Avantgarde
r l s. d a t e : May/2007
t r a c k s : 12
b i t r a t e : VBRkbps
s i z e : 77,1 MB
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all songs by dag-are haugan and espen sommer eide
additional instruments and vocals on 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 10 by
nicholas h. m°llerhaug
additional instruments on 6, 10 by sigbj°rn apeland
additional vocals on 1 by tobias apeland salomonsen
lyrics on 1, 9 by nicholas h. mollerhaug
instrument builder: roar sletteland
mastered by helge sten
sleeve design by kim hiorthoy
Since forming in 1997 Alog have been among Norway┤s leading
performers of experimental electronic music. They are
mainstays at Rune Grammofon and have been with the label since
their debut album öRed Shift Swingö was released in 1999.
Already a mature and original collection, their sound has
since been developed through their second album, öDuck-Rabbitö
(2001), and almost perfected with their previous album
öMiniaturesö, which also won them a Norwegian Grammy for best
electronica release in 2005.
Some of the techniques that Alog invented for their
öMiniaturesö album have now been refined and developed on
their new album ôAmateurö. They have increasingly worked with
various acoustic instruments and in collaboration with other
musicians for long recording sessions in special locations.
Travelling around the west coast of Norway with Nicholas H.
M°llerhaug and Nils ╪kland sidekick Sigbj°rn Apeland they
recorded in music schools and primary school music rooms in an
attempt to capture the unique sound of each selection of
instruments found. Because of bad weather they could be stuck
for days on islands off the wild northern coast recording
themselves playing any instruments they could find and
building more of their own. These sessions were subsequently
worked on in the studio to bring out the unique spirit of the
ôAmateurö. This spirit is characterized by a curious and fresh
approach to playing that is often lost in the process of
becoming a virtuoso on a singular instrument. The word
"amateur" originally denotes a person who is motivated by a
passion or love for their activity. It has been the goal of
Alog on this album to preserve and enhance this special energy
in their songs. Most computer music software today is made to
hide the individual, unique qualities of the musician, to make
rhythm and pitch perfect and to make everyone sound the same.
In order to achieve their goal Alog had to turn this process
around with their "augmented acoustics" technology and bring
out the hidden "amateur" energy of each song.
Alog are still Espen Sommer Eide (1972) and Dag-Are Haugan
(1970). Espen holds a master degree in philosophy and has
played music öall his lifeö, mostly on percussion instruments,
flutes and trumpet, before emphasising computer-generated
sounds. He currently lives in Bergen where he is involved in
the city┤s experimental music scene. He has released three
solo albums as Phonophani, all on Rune Grammofon. Dag-Are
Haugan holds a master degree from the Malm÷ Academy of Fine
Art in Sweden. He started playing guitar in his teens and
formed several pop bands in his hometown Troms°. He has
released a solo vinyl album, ö9 Solitairesö, on the K-RAA-K
label.
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01-son of king [06:30]
02-a throne for the common man [06:20]
03-write your thoughts in water [03:35]
04-sleeping instruments [03:18]
05-the beginner [06:31]
06-the learning curve [05:47]
07-turn back. undo [01:54]
08-a book of lightning [02:52]
09-the future of norwegian wood [06:32]
10-exit virtuoso [03:05]
11-bedlam emblem [10:27]
12-the northeast passage [02:48]
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59:39 min