The Intersection: Sobura

The Intersection is an ongoing feature on JazzWrap that looks at artists that have blended jazz and electronica in new and highly creative ways.

Sobura (drums, electronics)

Organic Lo-Fi (U Know Me Records; 2012)

Jazztronica is always a hard sub genre for my friends to grasp. It's one of the natural extensions for the newer generation of musicians. Moving technology into the schematics of jazz to create new sounds and thoughts is just part of musical evolution.


That concept has been present in European jazz for the last two decades and one of the newest talents to utilize these themes is Wojtek Sobura. 

On the Polish drummers debut, Organic Lo-Fi, he fills the speakers with pulsating trip hop beats, ethereal electronics and rolling drum patterns that create a surrealistic and infectious world view.

"Blue Rooms" starts off in a romantic rhythm that almost reminded me of Martin Denny before slipping into more slow funky drummer beat pattern. There are recurring looped piano notes and electronic tones that add an ambient quality to the piece that will bolster your mood and hold your attention.

"Psycho" feels like your head has been shoved into a toilet during a pub fight. Bubbling repetitive beats that still present a sense of experimentation and excitement that you just don't get on the American shores. "Turkey" has this scary cinematic sci-fi vibe that got me thinking about Japanese monster movies (I've also been watching a lot of Japanese monster movies lately. So go figure...). The electronic manipulation Sobura demonstrates here is probably the most adventurous on the album. It's loud, chaotic and dominating. Big beats like a Roots Manuva instrumental track. "Turkey" is arguably my favourite track on the album right now.

"Bells" closes out this groovy little adventure. No letting up here by Sobura. It's a heavy tone that features some nice effects and drum loops. Short (just under 3 minutes), but it leaves the lasting impression that Organic Lo-Fi is a rich and well balance affair.

Wojtek Sobura has a very specific way of playing that maintains focus and becomes enveloping. It is the compositions that he has written that really are the driving force on Organic Lo-Fi. They are captivating and indicative of an artist wanting to explore new sounds and directions. A very impressive debut that is worth seeking out.

Niels Lyhne Lokkegaard: Vesper

Niels Lyhne Lokkegaard (sax)

Vesper (Hiatus; 2012)

Jakob Bro (guitar)

Ole Visby (clarinet)

Birgit Bogh Sonderiis (clarinet)

Mette Alro Stoktoft (clarinet)

Jakob Buchanan (flugelhorn)

Marilyn Mazur (percussion)

Niels Lyhne Lokkegaard has matured with each record. His style has always been dense and emotional but it has grown deeper and more atmospheric with each release.

On his fourth album, Vesper, Niels Lyhne Lokkegaard has created a grand and ambitious work that simply overshadows anything else he's done to date. It's a massive achievement--brilliantly written and performed.

The Danish saxophonist sets the tone for that on the title track with a suite that is dark, ethereal and arching. "Vesper I-IV" contains some lovely lyrical patterns. Lokkegaard places special focus on the wind instruments to emphasize the harmony. Jakob Bro's guitar provides the sonic sculpture that delivers the gentle impact throughout the the suite. Buchanan and Bro share an expansive conversation on the final movement  - haunting and beautiful.

Lokkegaard utilizes space and tempo on "The Lover," a ballad that is as poetic as it is cinematic. Mazur illustrates her unique brilliance on "Alogl I-II." Her brushes and percussion are percolating and tantalizing. Lokkegaard creates a lush atmosphere that reminded me of recent work by Stanko or Rava.

Vesper is Niels Lyhne Lokkegaard most dynamic statement yet. It's beautiful like a clear night sky and shows the blossoming of a strong composer and musician. Vesper will be one of our favourite albums of 2012. Highly Recommended.

Cakewalk: Wired

Cakewalk (trio)

Wired (Hubro Music; 2012)

Oystein Skar (keyboards)

Stephan Meidell (guitars; bass)

Ivar Loe Bjornstad (drums)

A poetic slice of noise that is both surrealistic and harmonically beautiful, Cakewalk, a Norwegian trio meld their rock influences with European improvisation to create a frenzy and captivating debut, Wired,  that is meant to heard loud.

Hailing from a series of bands, Skar, Meidell and Bjornstad make an opening statement with "Glass" and "Descent," two divergent pieces that really lay the groundwork for the session. "Glass" is steady repetition of sounds that is like Steve Reich meeting Slowdive. Peaceful, experimental and introspective but retaining a nice sense of intrigue that keeps the listener on their toes. 

"Descent" opens with echoing effects and distortion that quickly builds into Sonic Youth style cacophony. Soaring guitars and crashing drums mixed with drowning keyboards provide a raw indie rock dynamic to the piece that would draw in fans of fusion and rock.

"Soil" is a manner of calm that might float effortlessly. It is heavy in atmospherics with a slow moving melody that quietly becomes hypnotic. "Wired" rips along like a piece of John Zorn's Naked City. I loved this track. It's vicious, loud and full throttle till the end. The trio put forth a lot of fire in this piece and you can't help but be thrown into some hyperactive fit afterwords.

Wired is filled with elements of rock, Krautrock and fusion. But at the end of it all, it's still Cakewalk that comes screaming through. This is an impressive debut that if you like your music hard, loud and expansive--you might have found one of the best records for that all year. Enjoy...

The Living Room: Still Distant Still

The Living Room (trio)

Still Distant Still (ILK Music; 2012)

Torben Snekkestad (sax; trumpet, electronics)

Soren Kjaergaard (piano)

Thomas Stronen (drums)

Precious, spacious, expressive and minimal. All the best words to describe this latest experimental trio from Norway featuring Torben Snekkestad, Thomas Stronen and Soren Kjaergaard as The Living Room.


Their highly impressive debut, Still Distant Still, was built out of a number of live performances and in the studio that energy is just as intense and beautiful.

Like its title, the album is filled with space that holds you in place but displays a freedom and unique curiosity of performance that leaves you wondering what note will be played next. "Tremelo Hiving" quietly moves along with long breathy squeals by Snekkestad and crackling improvised tones by both Kjaergaard and Stronen.

On "Still Distant Still," the trio execute a fine pattern of improvised notes led by Snekkestad and rolling divergent notes by Kjaergaard. Snekkestad stretches the air in the middle of the piece while Kjaergaard and Stronen add a layer of haunting effects over the top of notes.

"Rainbow Stomp" is the dark, loud polar opposite to "Still Distant Still." It's builds viciously from the start, an intense discordant exchange between all members sets the path for this number. The space is consumed by tweaks, squeals, crackles, muted manipulations and pulses that all form a beautiful cacophony that carries out to it's ending.

"Mustard Variations" could sit nicely inside the John Zorn songbook. It's short, staccato patterns reign down on you like large balls of hail. Stronen and Snekkestad are the most prominent here with a blast of humour and subtle rhythmic tones and almost suggest they were going to break into a melody. A raucous of noise but still revolving around the theme of experimenting with sound.

Still Distant Still is a powerful debut from three well known and prolific improvisers that demands you seeking it out. The Living Room hopefully is not just a one off. Let's hope we get a few more albums out of this trio in the close future. Excellent stuff.