#stian westerhus

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[musicollage]

Stian Westerhus ‎– The Matriarch & The Wrong Kind Of Flowers. 2012 : Rune G.

! acquire the album ★ attach a coffee !

[mywifeleftme]

194: Stian Westerhus // The Matriarch and the Wrong Kind of Flowers

The Matriarch and the Wrong Kind of Flowers Stian Westerhus 2012, Rune Grammofon

In 1926, the Norwegian artist Emanuel Vigeland began construction on a building in Oslo intended to serve as a future museum for his paintings and sculptures. By the 1940s, he’d decided it would also serve as his mausoleum, and had the windows of its main hall bricked in. The hall, where his ashes now reside in an ornate urn above the entrance door, is covered in vast frescoes depicting the forces of life and death. Illumination in the mausoleum is held to the dimness of candlelight, allowing details of the frescoes to gradually reveal themselves as the eye acclimates to the darkness: legions of couples copulating in every imaginable array; a squalling newborn cradled in the bony palms of Death; a skeletal pair in mid-coitus, who produce a column of smoke in which infant children can be seen floating. One drawing bears a small note from the artist: “When you see a naked human body and are vexed at what you see, then reproach God for what He has created, if you dare."

Vigeland's urn and fresco detail.

I mention all this not only because I have an intense desire to talk about sexy skeletons, but because a small note on the back cover of guitarist Stian Westerhus’s The Matriarch and the Wrong Kind of Flowers indicates that portions of the album were recorded in the mausoleum. Westerhus has collaborated extensively with artists like Sidsel Endresen, Ulver, and Jaga Jazzist, but this is a truly solo work: austere, darkly-hued electroacoustic music that at times is nearly unrecognizable as originating from a guitar thanks to the artist’s legions of pedals and punishing digital processing. Westerhus would’ve sought the mausoleum not only for its sympathetic mood, but also its unique acoustics: according to the museum’s caretakers, the sound of a single footstep in the stone hall will echo for 14 seconds.

When I saw Westerhus in a small room nearly ten years ago, I recall his set being intense, loud to the lip of discomfort, and that he would’ve been visually well-cast as a darkwave boatman Charon. On this immaculately mixed and recorded LP, it’s easier to detect the nuances of his haunting compositions, which can hint at modern chamber music (as on “Guiding the Pain,” which has something of the flavour of Górecki to me), or flit between harsh noise and clean guitar. Making this kind of blackwork ambient music rise above the pleasures of a defective refrigerator motor requires a rare combination of discipline and instinct; like a lurking spider, Westerhus knows when to keep still, and when to move. 

194/365

[donospl]

Co w jazzie piszczy [sezon 2 odcinek 16]

premierowa emisja 8 maja 2024 – 18:00 Graliśmy: Jean-Paul Delore, Louis Sclavis, Sebastien Boisseau “Lettre Infernale” z albumu “Langues Et Lueurs” – Yolk Records Gnar Gnar Rad “Deng A Weng” z albumu “Gnar Gnar Rad. Jazz Thing Next Generation Vol. 102” – Double Moon Records Mathuas Landaeus “Body: A Tree Merging With Itself” z albumu “Path”   Black Lives “When We Love” z albumu  “People of…

[sonicziggy]

"Walking Shadow" by Maja Ratkje, Stian Westerhus https://ift.tt/VlP7qSz

[amamaterial]

Colin Stetson, son très grand saxophone, Stian Westerhus et un percussionniste dont je n'ai pas saisi le nom. Périscope.

[thoregil]

2023-09-30 Stian Westerhus 'SOTT' - Moskus Bar

[musicwithoutborders]

Nils Petter Molvaer · Stian Westerhus · Erland Dahlen,  Blue Fandango I Baboon Moon, 2011

[uttersorcery]

Lee Riley "From Here We Are Nowhere".

pic: Nicola Onions

On 28th July we release drone/ ambient/ doom artist Lee Riley album "From Here We Are Nowhere". Oxford based experimental composer Lee Riley goes right back to the origins of Eyeless Records and this is a joint venture with his own imprint Iller Eye. It will be released digitally and on stream as well as a ltd lancing pack CD and contains some of the most immersive drone music this year. I caught up with Lee to ask about his process to complement the album...

Oxford 

What’s the scene like in Oxford at the moment? When I was there it was incredibly collaborative and supportive and it’s where Eyeless was born…are you part of a strong community there or are you more independent as an artist?

Lots of great music as always in Oxford, the promoters at Divine Schism are bringing exciting bands to town regularly. I have a variable taste and like lots of types of music. A few favourites and highly recommended, on the heavier side bands like Ghosts In The Photographs, The Hope Burden, Sinews are doing well with recently released material or playing regularly. The experimental side there are things happening, I feel more independent but have many friends in other bands who support other.

I don't play solo live much. But would love to play more. I have had a close connection to Oxford over the years both in music and the arts. 

It was great being involved in the early incarnation of Eyeless and working other promoters who have left Oxford. Since 2007 I have carried on both musically and visually. Studying sonic art and forming collaborative projects with other musicians, dancers and artists. I have curated sound art exhibitions and occasionally events too.

Influence 

Who informs your practice?  There’s a remarkably rich sound to your pallet feels like there’s a lot going on in there…scraping, drones, dissonance percussion vocals x

I wanted to play a bit more on these recordings, still working with layers of drones and noise. But having more textures. No vocals but the guitar can be manipulated in a way it sounds like a voice.

I wanted to mix acoustic and electric guitar on this album, I still need to try it live at some point.

I have many influences sometimes films and TV shows like Dark. I admire musicians like Stian Westerhus, Tim Hecker, Sunn O))). I have always tried to do my own thing and find new ways to enhance what I create. 

Method 

Is there a lot of layering or is it more live? To what extent does improvisation inspire your process? Or is it very tightly controlled?

The album is very succinct was it difficult to keep the tracks quite economical considering the genre you were working in?

As mentioned above I wanted to play more being able to control the sounds more instead relying heavily on delays and layers. I wanted to separate the sounds to allow space and depth to the recordings.

It feels like in your work you are exploring the possibilities of prepared guitar and extended techniques of playing guitar….

I have always treated the guitar as a sound tool and not and instrument. Such as using the body of the acoustic guitar or bowing and scraping the strings, etc. 

I have worked with Mike Bannard in the Studio for a few releases, he understands my approach and what I want to produce and he suggests different mixing/recording techniques. He works with lots of bands and has a relaxed environment at Safehouse Studio and he is always up for exploring new ways of recording. This is my 3rd release with him on board. He has really helped bring out the details of my sounds and we collaborate in a group called UNMAN.

Influence 

The final track “No one knows what’s inside “ offers a climactic ending of noise and crescendo…is tension and release a big part of your compositional method?

My approach has always had a loose improvised feel but I feel that the composition elements evolve from playing and having creative freedom helps. I know how to make certain sounds but it's how I use them. It's ike a blank canvas layers of sounds replacing the paint. They sound similar yet different each time or when put together.

This session was made into these pieces, revisiting them like sketches. Some sounds repeat on different tracks, this helped me arrange the sequence of the tracks as a whole but they also work as individual pieces of music.

As mentioned above films and TV shows often have great sound design and atmosphere. I have always tried this whilst making my music, probably sounds cheesy but taking the listener or audience on a journey.

Are there any albums you are excited by atm would you like to talk about these?

I really like the recent album by Wolf Eyes album.

I can't wait to see Big Brave again in September, there albums sound so good and have lots of depth to there sound. Stian Westerhus has some new recordings coming soon, look forward to those.

Also I highly recommend you listen to the Recent Ghosts In The Photographs album, I had the privilege of guesting on one of the tracks. Really great underated band from Oxfordshire.

Future Plans 

What’s next for you as an artist?

I hope to play solo live more both in Oxford and different places. It's been challenging for everyone making music or bands playing over the past few years, it still is. I like performing so we will see what happens. I have a new project called DHELTR∆ with Beth Shearsby and Jeremy Moors. We have played a couple of live shows and hope to record soon.

I also hope to work with UNMAN a ongoing noise group featuring myself, Mike Bannard, John Grieve and we have a new drummer John Jobbagy.  We played with Sly & The Family Drone recently which was good fun!

[zhanteimi]

Stian Westerhus & Maja S. K. Ratkje - All Losses Are Restored

Norway, 2024, modern classical / avant-folk

[metalshockfinland]

Legendary Drummer ERLAND DAHLEN Releases New Single 'Auto' from Upcoming Album

When you’ve played on more than 300 albums, with a variety of artists including Norwegian Jazz legends such as NILS PETTER MOLVÆR, EIVIND AARSET, STIAN WESTERHUS and GEIR SUNDSTØL, together with bands and artists such as MADRUGADA, KAADA, JOHN PAUL JONES, ANE BRUN, ANNELI DRECKER, MARIT LARSEN and XPLODING PLASTIX, it’s inevitable that the desire to create and perform something of your own will…

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[patriciathomasbandmanagement]

LEGENDARY DRUMMER ERLAND DAHLEN RELEASES NEW SINGLE FROM UPCOMING ALBUM

When you’ve played on more than 300 albums, with a variety of artists including Norwegian Jazz legends such as NILS PETTER MOLVÆR, EIVIND AARSET, STIAN WESTERHUS and GEIR SUNDSTØL, together with bands and artists such as MADRUGADA, KAADA, JOHN PAUL JONES, ANE BRUN, ANNELI DRECKER, MARIT LARSEN and XPLODING PLASTIX, it’s inevitable that the desire to create and perform something of your own will…

[nofatclips]

Hold On by Stian Westerhus from the benefit compilation Slava Ukraini!

[rainingmusic]

Ulver - Rolling Stone

[sonicziggy]

"Titan Arch" by This Immortal Coil, Kristoffer Rygg, Ole Alexander Halstensgård, Massimo Pupillo, Stian Westerhus https://ift.tt/bCMkz8H