This is where it all began; where a Norwegian trio of avant-garde jazzers known as Veslefrekk lets its engineer become a member of the group; where the trio with only a local reputation becomes an internationally acclaimed quartet; where a newly established record label takes a big risk by making its first release a triple-CD set -- a risk worth it, since Rune Grammofon has become the leading exponent of Norwegian new music.
1-3 is three discs, three hours of the noisiest music put on record by
Supersilent. On their next albums,
Arve Henriksen (trumpet, electronics),
Ståle Storløkken (keyboards),
Helge Sten (aka
Deathprod, electronics), and
Jarle Vespestad (drums) will adopt a more relaxed attitude and focus more on textures than stamina. But back in August of 1997, the musicians were vehement. If the music lacks in subtlety and depth of interplay compared to later albums, it features a vivacity, excitement, and sense of danger unheard of. In the course of these long improvisations (each disc contains a track at least 25 minutes long and many others reach 15 minutes), the group moves through countless moods, drawing from ecstatic jazz, avant rock, noise, and electro-acoustics to produce captivating music that pushes far into experimentation and yet remains immediate, even at times accessible.
Henriksen's finely chiseled lines evoke
Miles Davis' fusion period, while
Sten's electronics occasionally bring to mind
Merzbow's harsh constructions. In between, listeners get the full avant jam treatment without the psychedelic leanings of
Jackie-O Motherfucker or
the No-Neck Blues Band -- and something in the cold warmth of the music (yes, an oxymoron) that will become almost a trademark of Scandinavian experimentalism at the turn of the millennium. Highly recommended, although if you are looking for just a taste of
Supersilent, you should start with a single-disc release. ~ François Couture