SPUNK
Light
RDV2112
Rune Grammofon 2011
01 Track. 42mins29secs

Amazon UK: DVD Boomkat: DVD

For all intents and purposes, all-female Norwegian experimental noise improv ensemble Spunk are extremely difficult to pin down. Experimental, they are without a doubt, and noise is their primary field of expression, but reducing them to just this is most certainly missing the point entirely. All four members (Kristin Andersen – trumpet, Lene Grenager – cello, Maja Ratkje – voice and electronics, Hild Sofie Tajford – French horn and electronics) are highly regarded musicians and composers in their own rights, with respective careers to put to shame even the most fervent of serial collaborative individual on the Norwegian scene. They have performed together for over fifteen years, and recorded four albums, their most recent, Kantarell (2009), was released ten years after their debut.

This DVD captures the quartet in their most natural environment, improvising live in front of an audience. Commissioned by the Henie Onstad Art Centre, in Høvikodden, near Oslo, for its fortieth anniversary back in 2008, this performance was designed to fit in with the venue and takes place in a room with footage projected on all four walls. Unlike their records, the performance consists of one single forty minute exploration during which the quartet go through a series of drastic changes and push their collaborative effort as far as it can sustain. They are used to flirting with breaking points, and it is sometimes a wonder how they manage to extricate themselves from situations they have purposely created, but this is exactly what makes their records, and even more their live performances, such thrilling experiences. It is as if they thrived on taking the exact counterpoint of a situation, at times suddenly breaking a relatively peaceful moment with heavy slices of noise and distortion, or, following a terrorizing wall of sound with a delicate little melody played on a recorder or scintillating miniature electronics. Contrast, not noise, is the essence of their work.

The piece is subjected to a constant tidal movement as the density of sound and the complexity of the performance ebb and flow throughout, providing regular calmer spots in between the more uncompromising moments. This is, in all fairness, quite a relief as it regularly defuses the tension which ineluctably builds up through the more demanding passages. This also allows the quartet to explore a wealth of subtle textures and sonorities and occasionally lets musical elements in, away from the overwhelming sound formations they assemble.

While the quartet face each other through the whole performance, there is very little visual contact throughout, yet they are definitely working together here. It is actually difficult to know for sure who, if anyone, is leading at any point, so deep is their understanding of each other and of Spunk as their common platform of expression. All four operate solely with improv in their respective projects, yet, as Spunk, they attain a dimension all of its own, with no equivalent. The intriguing thing about them however is that, despite the sometimes extreme nature of their work, it remains surprisingly accessible and thoroughly exhilarating. This live DVD gives a chance to go beyond the band’s records an appreciate Spunk it its entirety.

4.7/5

Spunk | Spunk (MySpace) | Rune Grammofon
Amazon UK: DVD Boomkat: DVD