Biosphere - N-Plants

  Quote

"Early February 2011: Decided to make an album inspired by the Japanese post-war economic miracle. While searching for more information I found an old photo of the Mihama nuclear plant. The fact that this futuristic-looking plant was situated in such a beautiful spot so close to the sea made me curious. Are they safe when it comes to earthquakes and tsunamis? Further reading revealed that many of these plants are situated in earthquake-prone areas, some of them are even located next to shores that had been hit in the past by tsunamis.

 

A photo of Mihama made me narrow down my focus only to Japanese nuclear plants. I wanted to make a soundtrack to some of them, concentrating on the architecture, design and localizations, but also questioning the potential radiation danger (a cooling system being destroyed by a landslide or earthquake, etc). As the head of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said: "the plants were so well designed that 'such a situation is practically impossible'.

 

The album was finished on February 13th. On March 17th I received the following message from a FB friend: "Geir, some time ago you asked people for a photo of a Japanese nuclear powerplant. Is this going to be the sleeve of your new coming album? But more importantly: how did you actually predict the future?

samples: http://www.kudosrecords.co.uk/index.php?page=detail&product=TO84

geir jenssen = predictor of massive disasters = new messiah

Also, this doesn't seem to be the long awaited album, but a concept album he quickly made in the meantime. I think. Not sure. Samples don't sound very Biosphere-esque at first.

not sure about the beats...

Definitely sounds like it's off at an angle to his career trajectory but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I'm pretty sure I want to hear more... i think once the detail in the songs can be heard properly it could be the cat's whiskers.

Album is on Touch, not Kudos, by the way. Vinyl out on Biophon Records. And yeah I have a feeling he has another coming out at the end of the year or somethin. As for the samples, I can dig it, but I still want the "real" thing so to speak.

have not heard the samples but I like the idea of Biosphere changing it up a little. especially after that last live album that rehashed some of Substrata.

"New album" or new album, who gives a fuck, first proper new Biosphere in 5 years = something worth celebrating.

  On 5/26/2011 at 11:03 AM, purlieu said:

"New album" or new album, who gives a fuck, first proper new Biosphere in 5 years = something worth celebrating.

indeed and it's not like Gier doesn't know what he's doing with beats innit?

Haven't really heard anything bad from him, ever, and he's only been getting better. These samples probably shouldn't be listened to, imagine samples from Dropsonde or Cirque. It'd sound boring since it didn't have time to build up. It's ambient after all.

How is Birmingham Frequencies btw, I don't know it, and it is a very nice title, I like The H.I.A. and I like the year it came out, it just seems like a good year for that kind of music somehow.

  On 5/27/2011 at 12:17 AM, Terpentintollwut said:

Haven't really heard anything bad from him, ever, and he's only been getting better. These samples probably shouldn't be listened to, imagine samples from Dropsonde or Cirque. It'd sound boring since it didn't have time to build up. It's ambient after all.

 

How is Birmingham Frequencies btw, I don't know it, and it is a very nice title, I like The H.I.A. and I like the year it came out, it just seems like a good year for that kind of music somehow.

Both HIA & Biosphere albums are awesome, especially Polar Sequences.

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http://www.touchmusic.org.uk/

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Full stream:

http://3voor12.vpro.nl/speler/luisterpaal/44861538#luisterpaal.44861538

yes this sounds a bit different from his older stuff

  On 6/24/2011 at 1:30 PM, uj78 said:

yes this sounds a bit different from his older stuff

that's precisely why it might be

Silicon N-plants.

a couple listenings after, and i can't enjoy this.

always admired geir's ability to give warmth and presence to his music, and this release feels just empty to me. i was kinda excited because of the power plant theme, but i just can't relate the music to it.

maybe a couple more listenings at different times can bring a different view

I think this album could be a grower.

Ordered this from Boomkat along with a few other things... hoping the postman delivers soon....

  On 6/26/2011 at 6:58 PM, ruiagnelo said:

always admired geir's ability to give warmth and presence to his music, and this release feels just empty to me.

I felt the exact same way about Autour De La Lune, when it came out. Listened to it again the other day and it still sounded totally devoid of "atmosphere". It sounded empty, just as you put it.

Maybe his new album is the second proof that Mr Jensen should really stick to his tried and tested musical formula, and not stray too far away from that.

  On 6/26/2011 at 6:58 PM, ruiagnelo said:

always admired geir's ability to give warmth and presence to his music, and this release feels just empty to me.

maybe that's because the album was made in less than 2 weeks

at a first quick listen, i'm kinda reminded of early pre-substrata biosphere, which is neat (swell (the bee's knee's )), but it seems to lack some depth

it would have been better if he spent more time on it, I think

  On 6/26/2011 at 9:39 PM, Archrival said:

I think this album could be a grower.

I'm hoping so as it's not really doing anything for me at the moment. Despite listening to the CD yesterday I can't remember a single second of the album ....

oh and i remember liking Atour De La Lune; listened to it a lot because it reminded me of being in some sort of desolated craft, like a spaceship or submarine, floating throught a void of complete blackness in a cold machine, so it had that particular atmosphere for me

probably the thing he was going for with that release

Yeah Autour De La Lune had quite an immediate impression for me as well. I think that day I'd just bought some decent headphones and the physical presence of the tracks were really intense and created a real sense of outer-space isolation. Enore Zaffiri's Musica Per Un Anno album ( http://boomkat.com/cds/114895-enore-zaffiri-musica-per-un-anno ) had a similar effect of drifting off into the infinite.

Autour De La Lune fun fact: The third track (Modifié) is actually the song "Ný Batterí" by Sigur Rós going through a ring modulation

i have been a biosphere fan for quite a long time now, as microgravity was one of the first records that got me into electronic music, and i wasn't even aware of the existence of a record called shenzhou, until the other day, when i first listened to it. even if i wanted to, i wouldn't be able to forget that first track. and the whole record is genius, the way he creates such atmospheres with classical elements put in.

the same happened with the somehow jazzy feeling of some of the tracks of dropsonde and the magnificent patashnik as well.

every biosphere record has surprised me from the very beginning in some way. maybe i just wanted to feel this again.

  On 6/27/2011 at 12:04 AM, triachus said:

Autour De La Lune fun fact: The third track (Modifié) is actually the song "Ný Batterí" by Sigur Rós going through a ring modulation

Shit me, so it is