Stian Larsen & Jørn Erik Ahlsen - kÖök [FMR Records - 2012]“kÖök” brings together Stian Larsen & Jørn Erik Ahlsen- two Oslo based improviser's who play a mixture of guitar & electronics. The album finds the pair offering up a active & sometimes quite dense mixture improvising that mangers to stay both edgy & moody. The CD features seven tracks in all, and these fall between just shy of the three minute mark & just shy of the twelve minute mark. The tracks move from dense & brooding beds of throbbing & angular electronics that are skewed with all manner of creative yet taut guitar texturing. Onto more moody electro droning & tolling drifts, which are a sail with atmospheric guitar soloing elements that dart with more traditional genre traits like blues, shadowy jazz licks, ect. Through to more quirky ‘n’ bobbing mixtures of electronics & improv guitar matter. Over the album’s length the pair mange to keep a nice balance between tension, mood & atmosphere. All told this is an enjoyable shot of electronic/ guitar based improv, with the pair managing to offer up a fairly varied selection of tracks that manger to dip into & mix together angular tension with more moody drifts. Roger Batty
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