BIOSPHERE Ground Level
Interview with Geir Jenssen
Hailing from the Norwegian town of Tromsø, situated north of the Arctic Circle, Geir Jenssen has, as Biosphere, redefined ambient music with albums such as Patashnik, Substrata or Shenzou. A former archaeology student and a keen mountaineer, Jenssen has, in the last ten years, produced one of the most consistent body of work. As he is just about to unveil his new album, Autour De La Lune, a piece based on the visionary nineteenth Century French author Jules Verne’s book De La Terre A La Lune, we caught up with the man to talk about his early days as one third of pop outfit Bel Canto, the transition between club influenced music to ambient, the gestation of his latest creation and the future of Biosphere.

JOHN CHANTLER Around The World
Interview with John Chantler
With just two albums under his belt, globe trotter musician John Chantler is already proving to be a very individual artist. Having moved from Brisbane to Japan then to London, where he currently resides, we have taken the opportunity of the release of his recent Locked In Hands to find out more about his music and inspirations, the influence of his diverse places of residence on his work, and his future projects.

DEATH OF THE SONARITES?
Sonar 2004, Barcelona, Spain, 17-19 June 2004
Too corporate and fashionable? Is Sonar victim of its own success? Serena Kutchinsky reports on Sonar 2004 and finds out.

SUSANNA & THE MAGICAL ORCHESTRA List Of Lights & Buoys
New signing from the excellent Rune Grammofon, Susanna & The Magical Orchestra follow their contribution to the label’s fifth anniversary compilation Money Will Ruin Everything with this exquisite debut.

OREN AMBARCHI Grapes From The Estate
Alongside Fennesz, Christopher Willitts and Joseph Suchy, Oren Ambarchi has for the last few years continuously redefined instrumental guitar-based music. With this, his third solo album, he creates a beautiful piece of work, simultaneously mysterious and accessible.

BIOSPHERE Autour De La Lune
The latest in a long list of commissions, Autour De La Lune was originally created for a one off performance at last year’s Le Festival De Radio France in Montpellier. This album is a slightly revisited version of the piece.

JOHN CHANTLER Locked In Hands
Globe-trotter musician John Chantler follows last year’s Monoke with this new collection of atmospheric compositions in which he combines acoustic and electronic instrumentation.

DAT POLITICS Go Pets Go
DAT Politics’ fifth album is kitsch, playful and serious all at once, making it something of a surprisingly accomplished record.

VLADISLAV DELAY Demo(n)tracks
Helsinki’s Sasu Ripatti returns as Vladislav Delay and projects with this strong collection of new compositions his dark ambient into deep space.

KIM HIORTHØY For The Ladies
Norwegian graphic designer, filmmaker and musician Kim Hiorthøy presents a collection of field recordings left untouched and unprocessed and reveal part of the essence of his work.

LARS HORNTVETH Pooka
Jaga Jazzist front man Lars Horntveth steps out in the limelight on his own with Pooka, his debut solo album, in which he combines jazz and classical music in a totally personal way.

LASSE MARHAUG The Shape Of Rock To Come
If noises can be more than a disturbance, Norwegian Lasse Marhaug, best known for being one-half of Jazzkammer, certainly knows how to sculpt them to create fascinating sonic pieces.

PRINCE PO The Slickness
Ex-Organized Konfusion Prince Po lands on Lex with his first solo album, recorded with a wide range of world-class collaborators.

SCANNER Double Fold
Scanner’s Robin Rimbaud returns with Double Fold, an album based on Nicholson Baker’s book of the same title, and built around sounds sourced from tapes between 1980 and 2002.

SONIC YOUTH Sonic Nurse
The legend return. Twenty-two years after their debut, they still hold the flame that got them to the top.

VENETIAN SNARES Huge Chrome Cylinder Box Unfolding
The prolific Aaron Funk returns to Planet Mu for his eleventh album in four years, but does his music actually means anything anymore?

MARSHALL WATSON The Time Was Later Than He Expected
Seattle-based Marshall Watson releases his debut solo album on Highpoint Lowlife. Eyeing at the more melodic and peaceful side of electronic music, this album is a confident piece of work.

VARIOUS ARTISTS Bip-Hop Generation Vol. 7
VARIOUS ARTISTS Eklectra
VARIOUS ARTISTS Region Zero: A Boltfish Sampler

SIGUR RÓS Ba Ba Ti Ki Di Do
ANIMAL COLLECTIVE Who Could Win A Rabbit