Studio 1

Box | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 22, 2008)
• Original Release Date: 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rune Grammofon
• ASIN: B0010WZTO4
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #638,405 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

This is the debut release by Box: Raoul Bj”rkenheim (guitars, viola da gamba), Trevor Dunn (bass), St†le Storlokken (keyboards, electronics), Morgan gren (drums). Something of an international supergroup, the founding of this excellent ensemble is a touch of genius that remains something of a mystery. Hand-picked by writer and film-maker Philip Mullarkey to record and play live as part of the art/film project Box, the four musicians met for the first time in Atlantis Studio in Stockholm for two short days of recording without having planned, scored or prepared any music in advance. It quickly became apparent that this avant-garde juggernaut was heading in the right direction -- the musical interplay making it hard to believe that these complex pieces were actually improvised on the spot -- again, a testament to instant music-making at the highest level. The music was recorded directly to analog tape and has an organic and rough quality to it. All tracks were mixed from analog tape and there is no digital editing nor Pro-Tooling involved, and no overdubs. Raoul Bj”rkenheim has worked in a wide spectrum of styles, from free jazz improvisations with Edvard Vesala to the Finnish Radio Symphony and UMO orchestras, collaborations with Paul Schtze, Bill Laswell, William Parker/Hamid Drake and Jah Wobble, not to mention his present group, Scorch Trio. Trevor Dunn is a member of Fant“mas, John Zorn's Electric Masada, Trio Convulsant and Moonchild. He is one of the most in-demand bass players on the downtown jazz scene in New York and has an eclectic repertoire, having played with artists ranging from Marc Ribot to Melt Banana, Secret Chiefs 3 to Kronos Quartet. St†le Storlokken is a founder of Supersilent and Humcrush. Morgan is a Grammy-winning musician on both sides of the Atlantic, perhaps best known for his work with the Mats/Morgan Band, as well as with diverse artists such as The Flesh Quartet, Kaipa and Zappa's Universe.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Avante Garde Experimentation in Noise, July 12, 2008

By 

Scott Williams "sneakyneighborsdog" (Oakland, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Studio 1 (Audio CD)

Overview:
Box's Studio 1 album features Raoul Bjorkenheim on guitars & viola da gamba, Trevor Dunn (from Mr. Bungle) on bass, Stale Storlakken on keyboards and electronics (from Supersilent), and Morgan Argren on drums. The project is an experimentation in noise. It reminds me a great deal of Cluster '71, also at times it reminds me of the experimentation Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin) did with his noise box in the middle of Whole Lotta Love, and the experimentation he did with a violin bow on the electric guitar on Dazed and Confused. All the tracks are untitled, and were probably improvised on the spot. There is all sorts of interesting textures and sounds here, but there is no song writing, or any sort of traditional song context. I can't really see anyone just loving this and listening to it on a regular basis because of the lack of any structure in the songs. That said, there is a lot here to get excited about. The album is unique and I can't imagine anyone having anything like it in their collection. Further the experimentations in noise and sound are thought provoking and off the wall.

Song Highlights:
untitled 12: A very subdued piece with a decending bass line with haunting echos of electronica layered over the top.

untitled 11: The song starts of with a an eletronica feed back loop. A walking explorative bass line comes over the top of that, which eventually leads into what sounds like a slow unconvential guitar solo. Noise gurgles appear throughout.

untitled 3: This track has a space aged computer communication sounding theme. Sounds like RDD2 is communicating with singing whales or something.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great modern improv without jazz elements, March 5, 2008

By 

Speedy (Fl, MO USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Studio 1 (Audio CD)

These are really great & fun modern inmprovisations without real jazz elements (that i could detect, at least) in them. More like other artists (Humcrush, maybe) in the Rune label. Special note most be made of Raoul & Agren who are the ones that demand more attention as so much is going on with what they are doing. But really, to be fair, it is a group project (though probably this is a one shot formation). The electronics and keys player is also outstanding creating surreal worlds of sounds. Over all, recommended if your thing is prog, fusion, electronics and improvisation.