The Timeless Nowhere

At times he coaxes sounds from his trumpet that are more reminiscent of a Japanese flute. When he sings without words, you could mistake his soprano for a woman’s voice. He plays harmonium and percussion, tinkers with field recordings, synthesizers and samples. The result can be disturbingly dark, or as mystical as the acoustic rendering of a dancing aurora borealis. In short: Arve Henriksen is unlike anyone else, which is why the Norwegian is now releasing a retrospective of the past ten years as a 4-LP box set containing exclusively unreleased pieces. Only “Towards Language – Live at Punkt” has previously been available, digitally. Alongside Henriksen, guests appear and disappear again. Eivind Aarset is suddenly standing there playing guitar when you least expect it. And of course the electronic sound master Jan Bang drops by for a dialogue – as do many others. “Captured Under Mountainsides”, “Cryosphere” and “Acousmograph” are the names of the other three LPs, on which at times there is barely more than an almost inaudible crackle and at times things get really quite loud. The musical references are so numerous that John Potter (formerly of the Hilliard Ensemble) has contributed a detailed essay. Four albums full of magical sounds, four albums for every Henriksen fan and for everyone who wants to become one. (ram)