Affiliated to the Tromsø
school of electronic music, Information are Per Henrik Svalastog and Jørgen
Knudsen. Although the later is actually from Bergen, in the south of Norway,
Information are in fact closely related to the wide open space music of
Biosphere and Alog. After two albums released on Beat Service between 1998
and 2000, Information have now landed a deal with label of extremes Rune
Grammofon and are presenting their third and most accomplished record to
date with Biomekano.
Following the beautiful
and experimental Successor with its phenomenal 99 tracks destined to be
played at random, creating an amazing 9801 possible listening combinations,
Biomekano sees Information returning to a more reasonable number of compositions
and a more straightforward listening experience. The crisp sound and beat
structures put together by Svalastog and Knudsen range from precise mechanical
organisations to intricate organic constructions supporting insistently
waxing and waning composed melodies. Often inverting the relationship between
soundscapes and beats, the later showing a tendency to leap in the foreground,
the duo defy the conformist approach to ambient music, distracting the
listener’s attention from the real focal point of their work and incidentally
allowing them to freely reorganise their sonic arrangements. At other times,
the same soundscapes are highlighted in much more obvious fashion, exposing
their rudimentary atmospheric nature. The pair never establishes any clear
definition between either format, favouring an intrinsically intuitive
organisation of their music instead. Svalastog and Knudsen also attach
a great importance to sound positioning. With a clever use of stereo, they
amplify the impact of their compositions by playing on the interaction
between each component of a track. This results in Biomekano being intense
and fluid from start to finish, with contrasting elements providing a constant
balance to the work.
Although connections with
the likes of Biosphere are unavoidable, Information develop their own concept
of ambient electronica, very much based on process found sounds and ethereal
melodies. With this album, Information not only prove to be a consistent
formation, but also one of the most progressive and creative of the Nordic
scene.
     |