Unseen Recordings

Political lyrics through the lens of afrofunk served by Jupiter Bokondji and his band Okwess International. Their mix of traditional Congolese rhythms, pop, funk and jangling guitars have deservedly carried their fame far beyond the borders of the troubled Democratic Republic of Congo.

“That’s the thing about jazz, it’s a blank canvas” says Ivo Neame of Phronesis, and what the highly energetic band does is fill out their canvas with a blend of seriously groovy drumming, spiralling piano and melodic bass lines. There is no dominant instrumental force in Phronesis and this is what makes their synergy so apparent.

A very special type of folk music originates from the small island Fanø on Denmark’s west coast. This music manifests a state of trance by moving in circles, just like the dancers in the video, and it is a huge inspiration to Danish folk music trio Dreamers’ Circus who have taken it on and given it their own twist and touch. Dreamers’ Circus have brought together a true dream team of folk musicians including Peter Urhbrand, Hugo Rasmussen, Kristian Leth, Gustaf Ljunggren and Poul Bjerager.

Instrumental Japanese math, post, art rock band Lite don’t care about genres, they do what they’re best at: Incredibly tight-knitted guitars and super complex, stringent structures that will leave you in total awe.

Danish filmmaker, poet, writer, journalist and commentator Jørgen Leth has always had an exceptional way with words and a significant style. He once again shows this in his partnership with Danish jazz trio Reverse where Leth recites his poems in the atmosphere of 100% improvised music.

Goodiepal is probably the closest you will get to a musical villain. Many tales have been him told about how he has hacked magazines, upset other artists and stolen expensive instruments. But Goodiepal is also an unrivalled musical intellect who for almost 20 years has been adventuring into experimental music. Originally we had arranged with Goodiepal to record a live session with him, but it turned out as a mini portrait.

The sound of Ethiopian jazz and folk is the sound of Hailu Mergia. Mergia offers a direct passage to traditional Ethiopian music with his accordion on this track from his legendary 1985 album “Hailu Mergia and His Classical Instruments”. In this session he is supported by the two Australian improjazz musicians Tony Buck (The Necks) and Mike Majkowski.

With a spectacular drive and power Marius Neset and his septet venture into dynamic melodies and knotty structures. At their core they’re jazz musicians but digressions into math, avant-garde and rock is what gives the music its unpredictable and very vibrant feel.

Three musicians who each in their own way experiment with music come together in this recording and create fragile and crackling figures of sound. It is the sound of a subtle collision of details delicately lured out of their respective instruments – the harpe, clarinet and harmonium. The minimalistic lightning is created by the Danish groundbreaking visual artists Dark Matters.

Long lost 60′s acid folk gem Ed Askew has finally resurfaced with his piercingly beautiful voice and his lyrical universe of small peculiar stories and reflexions on art, music and time. There is a melancholy nerve and a heartwarming comfort in Askew’s music. Together with his harmonica – which he masters like only a few folk musicians do – and his band he delivers pop folk songs that will immediately leave a memorable imprint.

Lonnie Holley is an improvisor in all the arts that he practices. For decades he has been a sculptor and a painter where he has created art of out whatever was at hand. Holley’s music is also a product of his on-the-spot improvisations and a continual creative process working with stream-of-consciousness vocals and lyrics and never obeying conventional rhythm structures.

Bill Orcutt approaches his instrument, the guitar, in a unique manner. First of all, his six string guitar only has four strings which allows him to create his trademark sound. It is the sound of blues, but blues being deconstructed through Orcutt’s intense playing style with powerful tempo changes. But Orcutt’s music is not just about the guitar. His subdued humming makes it seem like his voice and guitar are a duo.

Julia Holter knows the difficult art of writing melodic, catchy songs that will keep challenging you even after several hours of listening. She creates her avant-garde pop of elements from indie, jazz and modern composition and she knows how to navigate in and out of each genre with her four-piece band. This is a recording of “Horns Surrounding Me” from the album “Loud City Song”.

Nothing less than 28 Swedish musicians conquer the stage when Fire! Orchestra takes the big band concept to another level. Free jazz flagship Mats Gustafsson guides his orchestra through soul music, krautrock, improvisation, avant-garde rock and of course all aspects of jazz. It is an organised chaos that in turn leaves room for each musician’s individual sound and for sonic explosions.

Brian Chippendale is no ordinary musician. First of all, he is a spectacular drummer with a powerful, fast, and energetic style. Second of all, he is an effect experimentalist who turns both his drum kit and his voice into the remaining members of his band, Black Pus. His rhythms holds the anarchistic force of free jazz and his soundscapes are dense with deep bass layers and oscillated noise.

Dylan Carlson is a master of the guitar, but not in the typical sense with long, voluminous shredding passages. No, Carlson is a minimalist at heart and he uses the guitar to find and build structures of repetition. His music – playing solo or with his long-time, legendary band Earth – draws on the gloomy mood of country rock, occultish English folklore ballads and experimental jazz, but Carlson doesn’t just replicate his influences, he stretches them out and spins them into his own musical cycles.

The pulse coming from the Liebezeit’s’ relaxed structures are wrapped in organic ambient matter created by the man behind the machines, Burnt Friedman. Together they create rhythms they have unearthed in a music tradition closer to Arabic and African than their own European. Liebezeit is the krautrock legend and pioneer who in the 70’s with his band Can created a landmark with their experimental rock mixing world music, jazz and sound collage. 

Carsten Dahl is a self-taught Danish pianist with a never-ending interest in exploring what the piano has to offer. Dahl practices the harmonic complexities along with the the simple aspects of jazz in his improvisations. In this recording Jesper Zeuthen teams up with Dahl, and he adds his freely moving signature saxophone to Dahl’s improvisations.

Free jazz in a free fall with two drummers and a lot of effect pedals. This is Danish outfit Selvhenter. In an exploration of drony compositions and powerful, meditative beats, Selvhenter produces a sound that takes jazz and noise to uncharted territory. Their sound is heavy, very heavy, when the powerhouse drummers are set in motion and the trombone, saxophone and violin blast away, however, the all female outfit has an undercurrent of melodic playfulness that makes their music open for anyone.

Violinist, pianist, composer and singer are labels to be put on Jordan Hunt,  and with a base in subtle pop songs, Hunt reveals his classical composer roots along with eminent songwriting skills. The Brit has previously played the violin for art-pop outfit The Irrepressibles and is the co-founder of composer collective Principle Six.

A beautiful meeting between two remarkable figures each with a distinct avant-garde musical nerve. Baby Dee & Little Annie’s songs touch the edges of neofolk, avantgarde and cabaret all with a genuine grandiose feel. Baby Dee and Little Annie have both had versatile careers taking them through punk, performance, noise and all sorts of genre crossovers eventually bringing them together. In this recordings British violinist Jordan Hunt accompanies the duo.

A beautiful meeting between two remarkable figures each with a distinct avant-garde musical nerve. Baby Dee & Little Annie’s songs touch the edges of neofolk, avant-garde and cabaret all with a genuine grandiose feel. The two Americans have both had versatile careers taking them through punk, performance, noise and all sorts of genre crossovers eventually bringing them together.

Musik for Seks Elektriske Guitarer is a journey through improvisational minimalism where rhythmical figures expand and condense depending on the musical space. It is a cornucopia of guitars conducted by Danish mega-multi instrumentalist Anders Lauge Meldgaard. On this recording the guitar ensemble is joined by Japanse ex-Boredoms drummer Muneomi Senju adding a layer to a composition that was meant purely for guitars.

Norwegian experimental art-pop singer and songwriter Jenny Hval’s music evolves not only through her musicality but also through her countless creative works such as writing and installation art. Her lyrical universe is sexually and politically charged and her Siren-like voice is the vessel that delivers the songs with a piercing softness yet thrusting wildness.