Browse by Artist: FJELLSTROM, MARCUS

Artist:	FJELLSTROM, MARCUS
Title:	Exercises In Estrangement
Label:	LAMPSE AUDIOVISUAL RECORDINGS (UK)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	LAMP 002CD

"The title of this album summarizes in two words what the listener's expectations should be. The word 'exercise' might have to protect ourselves from something alien that will make us want to turn away. What young composer Marcus Fjellström has given us is a collection of very dark and melancholic pieces with a strange beauty. Normally composing works for orchestras and chamber musicians, as well as scores for films, these two practises have filtered through in 'Exercises.' Long, haunting ambient tracks are reminiscent of dark Lynchian worlds. Frantic orchestral moments could be the soundtrack to a Svankmajer mechanical puppet show or even a surreal circus performance. Like all the above would not qualify for an easy viewing, so Marcus' music is not one to embrace very quickly. It requires repeated listening in order to peel through all the layers and find the hidden musical pathways he has laid for us. An obvious comparison is the works of avant-garde composers such as John Cage, Steve Reich and Luciano Berio. A stronger reference point though would be the early experimentations of leading electronic music composer and Cage's close friend Morton Subotnick, as well as the output of modern electronica mavericks Aphex Twin and Autechre. Marcus, like them, acknowledges the advantages of the electronic medium and doesn't hesitate to place it at the centre of his work. Exercises In Estrangement is a strong example of the possible directions in modern (classical) music. Already paved by names such as Ligeti, Thomas Köner, Supersilent and Deathprod, to name but a few, the path is long..."

Artist:	FJELLSTROM, MARCUS
Title:	Gebrauchsmusik
Label:	LAMPSE AUDIOVISUAL RECORDINGS (UK)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	LAMP 006CD

"Gebrauchsmusik is German for 'Utility Music', and Swedish composer and producer Marcus Fjellström's second excursion into post-classical experimentation is exactly that; thirteen tracks with each one written to suit a certain theme. War, art, festivity, sadness, death and resurrection are all interpreted by Fjellström in his unique style, taking a classical framework and distorting, confusing and manipulating it to suit his needs. String sections are crushed into a smokey Lynchian haze while staccato plucking is twisted to give out an almost Autechre-like resonance. While listening to Gebrauchsmusik it can be difficult to hear where the acoustic instruments stop and the electronic manipulation begins, a line which has been approached somewhat gingerly for some time now and rarely managed so effortlessly. The obvious comment on listening to music as unashamedly visual as this is that it sounds like a film score, Fjellström here has gone all the way on Gebrauchsmusik writing music which almost requires to be slotted into a piece of cinema -- 'War Music' should be paired with the disturbing images of battle, 'Fairytale Music' should skip and wisp around an enchanted forest and 'Death Music' should be signaling a funeral procession in it's solemn grandeur. Taking influence from John Cage, Morton Feldman and David Lynch's right hand man Angelo Badalamenti, Fjellström has developed a style which manages to transcend the current classical/electronic explosion. It is clear from the offset that the young musician has a deep understanding of what has come before as he blends elements of musique concrete, avant-classical and early electronic experimentations into his compositions. Instead of merely coming across as an homage, this album genuinely acts as a step forward in a crowded genre and is another daring leap for the forward-thinking Lampse label."

Artist:	FJELLSTROM, MARCUS
Title:	Schattenspieler
Label:	MIASMAH (UK)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	MIA 013CD

Swedish composer and multimedia artist Marcus Fjellström's debut Miasmah release follows two critically-acclaimed full length albums on Lampse. In addition, Marcus has had several commissioned works requested, leading to him working with, among others, the Swedish Royal Ballet, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, numerous ensembles, soloists and filmmakers. Currently based in Berlin, Fjellström's compositions often combine aspects of modern classical composition and arrangement and more avant forms of music, be that acoustic or electronic. Schattenspieler (which translates as "Shadowplayer") takes the form of eleven compositions which explore ambience and melody, texture and silence. Haunting synth and orchestral, instrument-based audio constructions flow from one moment to the next -- the fleeting ghosts of Fjellström's melodies rise, only to be buried under a claustrophobic clutter of percussion and creaking background noise. These pieces do indeed feel like you're listening to something more implied than obviously stated, as if Fjellström wants only to expose his listeners to the shadow of the music -- the implication being perhaps a more terrifying experience than to be confronted outright. The undeniably Angelo Badalamenti-esque descending synth strings of opening track "The Disjointed" lay the foundations for this album; music resting somewhere between the unsettling horror soundtracks of Jerry Goldsmith, the elevating melodies of Cliff Martinez, and the subtle audio constructions of Miasmah label-mates Kreng and Jacaszek. Marcus' wide-ranging abilities in composition and his willingness to let go of accepted form and function makes Schattenspieler a perfect choice of release for the Miasmah label. The suspense-laden "Antichrist Architect Management," with its harrowing and tense undertones, weaving synth lines and washes of static hiss and flicker, is a particular stand-out track. Schattenspieler also includes a four-part suite "House Without A Door," which was originally commissioned for the Bernd Behr film of the same name. "Uncanny Valleys," reflective in some ways of the opening track, is a haze of descending synth and organ tones. The imperfections in these often scratchy recordings makes for an alluring, almost drug-induced state of mind where all that is real is unreal.

Artist:	FJELLSTROM, MARCUS
Title:	Schattenspieler
Label:	MIASMAH (UK)
Format:	LP
Price:	$18.00
Catalog #:	MIA 013LP

LP version. Swedish composer and multimedia artist Marcus Fjellström's debut Miasmah release follows two critically-acclaimed full length albums on Lampse. In addition, Marcus has had several commissioned works requested, leading to him working with, among others, the Swedish Royal Ballet, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, numerous ensembles, soloists and filmmakers. Currently based in Berlin, Fjellström's compositions often combine aspects of modern classical composition and arrangement and more avant forms of music, be that acoustic or electronic. Schattenspieler (which translates as "Shadowplayer") takes the form of eleven compositions which explore ambience and melody, texture and silence. Haunting synth and orchestral, instrument-based audio constructions flow from one moment to the next -- the fleeting ghosts of Fjellström's melodies rise, only to be buried under a claustrophobic clutter of percussion and creaking background noise. These pieces do indeed feel like you're listening to something more implied than obviously stated, as if Fjellström wants only to expose his listeners to the shadow of the music -- the implication being perhaps a more terrifying experience than to be confronted outright. The undeniably Angelo Badalamenti-esque descending synth strings of opening track "The Disjointed" lay the foundations for this album; music resting somewhere between the unsettling horror soundtracks of Jerry Goldsmith, the elevating melodies of Cliff Martinez, and the subtle audio constructions of Miasmah label-mates Kreng and Jacaszek. Marcus' wide-ranging abilities in composition and his willingness to let go of accepted form and function makes Schattenspieler a perfect choice of release for the Miasmah label. The suspense-laden "Antichrist Architect Management," with its harrowing and tense undertones, weaving synth lines and washes of static hiss and flicker, is a particular stand-out track. Schattenspieler also includes a four-part suite "House Without A Door," which was originally commissioned for the Bernd Behr film of the same name. "Uncanny Valleys," reflective in some ways of the opening track, is a haze of descending synth and organ tones. The imperfections in these often scratchy recordings makes for an alluring, almost drug-induced state of mind where all that is real is unreal.

Previous Page Index of Artists Next Page