V/A Anthology Of Experimental Music From Scandinavia (Album – Unexplained Sounds Group)
Genre/Influences: Dark-Ambient, Experimental, Minimal-Electro.
Format: Digital, CD.
Background/Info: Unexplained Sounds Group already released two compilations devoted to the Experimental music from Scandinavia. Both productions were released as digital formats. The label now selected twelve from these tracks to release a CD.
Artists: Jukka-Pekka Kervinen, Andreas Karperyd, Lars Bröndum, Øystein Jørgensen, Havdis, Dödsapparaten, Vääristymä, Claus Poulsen, Untermensch, Castana, Jurko Haltuu, Sysselmann.
Content: This compilation mixes Dark-Ambient and pure Electro/Experimental-Minimalism. It’s not just classical Dark-Ambient music, but a selection revealing artists with an open-minded approach, incorporating more Electronic sound treatments and sequences into their work. Other parts are carried by monstrous sound blasts and grimy atmospheres while the very last cuts reveal an Experimental walk.
+ + + : Scandinavia remains a prolific ground for Dark-Ambient, Industrial and Experimental artists, and is still a reservoir of talented artists. This compilation is not exactly revealing totally unknown artists –most of them having already released an impressive number of works, but they’re clearly not the most familiar ones. So in the end Unexplained Sounds Group creates a new opportunity to discover interesting music like the pure Dark-Ambient opener from Jukka-Pekka Kervinen. I also want to mention the minimalism exposed by Øystein Jørgensen and Havdis. But my favorite cuts are bringing us back to Dark-Ambient fields, first with the overwhelming sound treatments of Claus Poulsen and next the tormented and chilling track by Untermensch.
– – – : In the end this compilation doesn’t bring that much new as all tracks were previously released, but some of them have been now immortalized on CD.
Conclusion: This CD issue is a perfect opportunity to complete your selection of this great compilation series.
Best bands: Untermensch, Claus Poulsen, Havdis, Øystein Jørgensen, Jukka-Pekka Kervinen, Vääristymä.
Rate: 7½.
Label: www.facebook.com/unexplainedsoundsgroup
About Unexplained Sounds Group and this compilation
Unexplained Sounds Group is a label and research platform for experimental and electronic music from regions that receive limited international distribution. It began documenting Scandinavian electronic and experimental music in 2015 with the digital survey “Scandinavian Experimental Underground 015 Survey”. A second and wider digital anthology, “Northern Lights – The Scandinavian Experimental 016 Survey”, followed in 2016.
The CD gathers twelve tracks selected from those two digital compilations. It was released on 5 November 2021. The label and Discogs both list the release under the title “Anthology Of Electronic Music From Scandinavia”; Discogs also credits Monotype Pressing on the limited CD edition.
The tracklist runs: “Resonanssi1” by Jukka-Pekka Kervinen, “Landfil” by Andreas Karperyd, “Transition” by Lars Bröndum, “Dream Machine” by Øystein Jørgensen, “Nightbreeze” by Havdis, “Stanken av Svek 1” by Dödsapparaten, “Ilmeisesti” by Vääristymä, “Touched When Dreaming” by Claus Poulsen, “No Gods” by Untermensch, “Radiant Energy” by Castana, a track by Jurko Haltuu and “Gjallarbrua” by Sysselmann.
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