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 maja s.k. ratkje 		there are 12 titles featuring maja solveig kjelstrup ratkje in stock.
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$16.24

back in stock as of
august 15th, 2008

first in stock on
october 15th, 2007

threads:
harsh-noise
electro-acoustic-improvisation

bottrop-boy (germany) #b-boy 021 cd

maja solveig kjelstrup ratkje / lasse marhaug “music for loving” compact disc

  • a hymn, may be classified as influenced by baroque (6:25)
  • sliced minimalist meets sheep & easy, ool & dancing diva (8:40)
  • interference; swapped, stripped & fucked (6:02)
  • stuck in the sheep field with dancing diva (2:59)
  • -23, a tribute to arnold schönberg in heavy syrup (6:46)
  • let it be (6:42)
  • music for loving (9:00)
bottrop-boy press release...
maja s.k. ratkje & lasse marhaug
music for loving
cd / b-boy 021

second collaboration between norwegian masters of noise maja ratkje (spunk, fe-mail) and lasse marhaug (jazzkammer, del) after their 2002 vinyl-only album music for shopping on synesthetic records. music for loving is wild, frantic, nervous, loud, delirious and scattered all over the place. the perfect music to listen to with your loved one.

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$19.32

back in stock as of
october 9th, 2008

first in stock on
august 9th, 2006

threads:
digital-musics
harsh-noise
guitar-themed
live-electronic

dekorder (germany) #dekorder 15 cd

john hegre / maja solveig kjelstrup ratkje “ballads” compact disc

  • autumn leaves (4:25)
  • binoculars and traces (6:00)
  • private matter (3:18)
  • blues for silent bakers (3:08)
  • hesitating interruptions of spring (3:55)
  • a quiet day at the office (2:21)
  • art compass (2:42)
  • hammock moods (15:39)
click the play button to hear an excerpt of "private matter"
surprisingly light & breezy duo-session from these two nordic mongers... john hegre known for his work w/lasse marhaug in jaz(z)kam(m)er and solo as “golden serenades”, maja ratke for her duo fe-mail and her solo disc on rune grammophone...

the two get busy over a few real-book chestnuts, leaving plenty of space in the proceedings. more company week than rainbow electronics. pretty fantastic, actually...
dekorder press release...
[015] john hegre / maja ratkje "ballads" cd

"ballads" ist the first collaborative album by two key figures of the norwegian noise, improv, experimental, whatever-you-call-it music scene. anyone expecting a rackety wall of distorted feedback guitars and voices will be gently surprised though by the sparse and intimate sketches to be found on this wonderful record. songs are stripped down to their raw bones using only the most essential elements to reveal the soul behind every single sound. superfluous effects seem to be completely absent, creating an open space for miniscule details, always ready to implode into noisier tracks such as "private matter". the album culminates in "hammock moods", a quietly mesmerizing epic finale with maja ratkje humming a beautiful melody over hegre's gorgeous near-psychedelic guitar playing. let's all hope for a sequel to this album!

maja ratkje is a member of spunk (rune grammofon) and noise duo fe-mail. her solo album "voice" (produced in collaboration with jazzkammer) got an award of distinction at prix ars electronica in 2003. in 2001 she was the first composer ever to receive the arne nordheim distinction award. she has collaborated with jaap blonk, ikue mori, otomo yoshihide, wolf eyes, matmos, lasse marhaug, jason forrest, kim hiortoy, ulver and many others.

john hegre is a member of jazzkammer / jazkamer (smalltown supersound), kaptein kaliber, golden serenades, new boiling near the fjords (with members of alog) and others. his first solo 3"cd came out on dekorder in 2003. jazkamer will release their aptly titled new album "metal music machine" in spring 2006 and hegre is working on an as yet untitled solo album for dekorder.

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$12.96

back in stock as of
december 4th, 2007

first in stock on
february 2nd, 2007

threads:
electro-acoustic-improvisation
harsh-noise
digital-musics

important (usa) #imprec 112 cd

fe-mail / carlos giffoni “northern stains” compact disc

  • moral heritage (5:26)
  • come you are (9:37)
  • daymare blues (7:09)
  • northern stains (9:11)
  • not in santa's land (12:00)
click the play button to hear an excerpt of "come, you are"
important press release...
northern stains is the result of a collaboration between experimental phenomenon carlos giffoni and spunk/fe-mail members maja ratkje & hild tafjord. this trio finally met when giffoni booked fe-mail to headline the sunday night of his genere defining brooklyn based 3 day no fun festival in 2005. early in 2006 giffoni boarded a flight to norway and northern stains was born in spunk's oslo studio.

individualy and together, carlos giffoni and fe-mail make records that are rich, detailed, dense and complex, constantly straddling the line between improvised noise and modern composition. it's this attention to detail and warmth that make fe-mail & carlos giffoni such celebrated artists and kindred collaborators. northern stains is often absurd combination of live sounds, feedback, hilarious sampling with a genuine sentimental touch, which nods towards both the northern glaciers and the beauty and brutality of nature. tomorrow's music today.

the album was recorded live in spunk studio in oslo. cover artwork by maya miller of the double leopards.

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$13.13

back in stock as of
april 5th, 2008

first in stock on
february 2nd, 2007

threads:
concert-recordings
electro-acoustic-improvisation
harsh-noise

important (usa) #imprec 092 lp

maja solveig kjelstrup ratkje “stalker” picture disc long playing record

  • untitled

  • untitled
important press release...
this vinyl only picture disc release is limited to only 500 copies worldwide.

renowned international composer maja ratkje is a founding member in two of norway's most respected improvisational units - spunk & fe-mail. while her solo work on the rune grammofon release voice is without the electronic and instrumental elements of spunk and fe-mail, stalker finds maja merging elements of her other projects into her solo endeavors.

ranging from furious to tender, stalker was recorded in paris and at various live dates around europe. this live material was then brought back to a studio in norway and laboriously editited for release.

like much of ratkje's work stalker flawlessly contrasts these two disctinct emotional and audio extremes. while stalker is influenced the the hardest japanese noise it is also a quiet emotional drift based around bertold brecht's story of a girl who has drowned and is floating down a river while her body slowly dissolves leaving only her hair to remain. with this dichotomy hanging in limbo ratkje fills in the blanks with her signature compositional attention to detail and balance.

“i play with the material and it talks back to me. it's a game between the boundaries of total control and total anarchy. i try to include some of both.” maja ratkje

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$12.96

back in stock as of
december 4th, 2007

first in stock on
may 31st, 2005

threads:
harsh-noise
electro-acoustic-improvisation
digital-musics

important (usa) #imprec 033 cd

fe-mail “syklubb fra haelvete” double compact disc set

  • jacob’s toy
  • syklubb fra haelvete
  • modogin
  • nincompoop
  • gossip
  • residents
  • water music
  • a merry day in the woods
  • virus attachment 1
  • virus attachment 2
reissue of the tv5 (norway) lp with two extra tracks.
may your cold northern nights be warm ...
important press release...
‘out of norway comes the most exciting noise lp i've heard to date. these two women romp thru stimulating noise compositions fresh and clean w/ a distinct scandinavian frost. but there's always an undercurrent of warm embrace, sweet and masterful.' -- thurston moore.

already an incontestable figure of the scandinavian music scene, maja ratkje follows the release of her stunning first solo album, voice (rune grammaphone), with fe-mail.

together with fellow spunk-ette hild sofie tafjord, ratkje improvises with analogue electronic gear, samplers, voice, harmonica, and miscellaneous acoustic instruments to shape a more defined and delicate, if such a word can in any way define the realm in which fe-mail evolve, series of soundscapes.

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$15.71

back in stock as of
january 25th, 2008

first in stock on
june 22nd, 2007

threads:
free-improvisation
electro-acoustic-improvisation

rune grammofon (norway) #r 2048 cd

spunk “en aldeles forferdelig sykdom” compact disc

  • marbles (2:19)
  • mårenhår (2:41)
  • dead man watching (5:27)
  • lunleik (6:31)
  • twinkle wrinkle (4:41)
  • sans (2:56)
  • hvis en kantklipper fikk lov til å synge (4:27)
  • kameleon (8:29)
rune grammofon press release...
rcd 2048 - spunk: en aldeles forferdelig sykdom

their third studio album marks the 10th anniversary of this all female quartet. free collective improvising is one of the most demanding ways of making music: the pitfalls are many – self-absorption, incoherence, certain standardized “gestures” of free jazz, lack of dynamics, humourlessness – but spunk are alert to the dangers. bold, sometimes witty, always alert, they make engaging music, and keep the sound of surprise alive. they have no fear of bringing the music to the brink of anarchy - they are interested in extremes as well as subtleties - but their instincts as composers-in-action also serve them well. ”en aldeles forferdelig sykdom” (”an absolutely terrible disease”) is produced by jørgen træen (sir dupermann, magnet, jaga jazzist).

spunk is maja ratkje, hild sofie tafjord, kristin andersen and lene grenager.

released 07.11.05

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back in stock as of
january 25th, 2008

first in stock on
june 22nd, 2007

threads:
digital-musics
electro-acoustic-composition
electro-acoustic-improvisation

rune grammofon (norway) #r 2038 cd

phonophani “oak or rock” compact disc

  • earth diver (5:31)
  • a lion lies listening (2:59)
  • the boiling fjords orchestra (4:04)
  • blind birds of the antarctic (5:12)
  • take off your wooden coat (3:52)
  • cloudberry (4:17)
  • the melancholic giant (4:44)
  • animals (4:21)
  • you must welcome the stranger (3:40)
  • oak or rock (4:37)
rune grammofon press release...
rcd 2038 - phonophani: rock or oak

this is the third phonophani album, the second for rune grammofon. the title refers to mysterious connections between material things, and the album is all about rediscovering the great mystery of music. through dissecting the sound of ordinary or "real" instruments such as cello, vibraphone, guitars and the human voice and dissolving melodies into their elementary particles, espen sommer eide seeks to excavate the "ur" music itself. instruments are often sampled and manipulated using software designed and made by himself, being a keen programmer who prefers this to the so-called industry standards, giving the album a personal and unique sound. maja ratkje is appearing on one of the tracks.

release: 30.08.04

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back in stock as of
january 25th, 2008

first in stock on
june 22nd, 2007

threads:
free-improvisation
harsh-noise
electro-acoustic-composition
electro-acoustic-improvisation

rune grammofon (norway) #r 2028 cd

maja solveig kjelstrup ratkje “voice” compact disc

  • intro (4:20)
  • joy (2:22)
  • trio (4:45)
  • octo (0:59)
  • vacuum (12:02)
  • dictaphone jam (3:06)
  • voice (6:16)
  • chipmunk party (2:24)
  • interlude (0:11)
  • acid (1:34)
  • insomnia (9:46)
rune grammofon press release...
rcd 2028 - maja ratkje: voice

the debut solo album from spunk member maja ratkje will secure her a place among the finest experimental singers. from the weird and furious to the enchanting and beautiful, this is an album rich in atmosphere, colour and creative madness. co-produced by jazzkammer.

released 21.10.02

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back in stock as of
january 25th, 2008

first in stock on
june 22nd, 2007

threads:
free-improvisation
electro-acoustic-improvisation

rune grammofon (norway) #r 2026 cd

spunk “den øverste toppen på en blåmalt flaggstang” compact disc

  • kamelmusikk (6:37)
  • flagre (5:37)
  • møff (1:30)
  • togturen til andes (11:37)
  • epleslang (3:16)
  • wilderbeast (6:23)
  • retur (3:58)
  • norge i rødt (1:06)
  • sing a-long (2:38)
  • home party (5:27)
  • strøm (6:03)
  • i have a dream (5:43)
rune grammofon press release...
rcd 2026 - spunk: den øverste toppen på en blåmalt flaggstangthe new studio album from this increasingly exciting and colourful quartet boasts yet another pippi longstocking related title. this free spirited and anti authoritarian character is one of the most loved and wellknown from the late, great swedish author of childrens books, astrid lindgren. it translates "the very top of a bluepainted flagpole" and on reflection it gets clearer and clearer why the four young women (all still in their twenties) in spunk so easily will identify with this character, going their own pathways and relentlessly breaking most rules in the book. in many ways both more accesible, varied and distinct than their debut from 1999.

released 29.04.02

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back in stock as of
january 25th, 2008

first in stock on
june 22nd, 2007

threads:
free-improvisation
digital-musics
beat-research
harsh-noise
electro-acoustic-composition
electro-acoustic-improvisation

rune grammofon (norway) #r 2022 cd

spunk “filtered through friends” compact disc

  • martin horntveth - det eneste jeg vet er at det var et horn engang (3:57)
  • kim hiorthøy - akershus pubertet (6:04)
  • upper rooms - thing that hurt (3:34)
  • phonophani - fjernfjernkontrollkontroll (4:39)
  • svalastog - feil remix (5:38)
  • kristin andresen - truly falling slowly (7:26)
  • (x,y,z) - tapeunderlaget på ball (1:33)
  • andreas meland - buljong (4:40)
  • jørgen træen - trav'lin'light (3:23)
  • sun demon - akershus (demon dub) (3:28)
  • risto holopainen - aker brygge (3:13)
  • lasse marhaug - septemberunderlaget 2 (3:56)
  • andreas mjøs - sticky tapedeck (8:39)
rune grammofon press release...
rcd 2022 - spunk: filtered by friends

central artists from norway's flowering electronica and noise scene join forces to remix female chamber anarchist quartet spunk, the source being the group's debut album from 1999, "det eneste jeg vet er at det ikke er en støvsuger" (rcd 2010).

contributions from martin horntveth (jaga jazzist), kim hiorthøy, upper rooms, phonophani, svalastog, kristin andersen (spunk), (x, y, z), andreas meland (düplo), jørgen træen, sun demon, risto holopainen, lasse marhaug (jazzkammer) and andreas mjøs (jaga jazzist, rotoscope).released 26.11.01

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back in stock as of
january 25th, 2008

first in stock on
june 22nd, 2007

threads:
free-improvisation
electro-acoustic-improvisation

rune grammofon (norway) #r 2010 cd

spunk “det eneste jeg vet er at det ikke er en støvsuger” compact disc

  • tapeunderlaget (12:54)
  • hornkonserten (7:27)
  • septemberunderlaget (6:25)
  • thing that (7:25)
  • akershus (19:12)
rune grammofon press release...
rcd 2010 - spunk: det eneste jeg vet er at det ikke er en støvsuger

improvisation from four young female musicians with backgrounds from jazz, classical, contemporary, rock and country. weird, wonderful and completely beyond categorisation, the quartet was formed in 1995. this is their debut recording.

released 22.02.99

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back in stock as of
august 15th, 2008

first in stock on
october 15th, 2007

threads:
electro-acoustic-composition
sound-art

semishigure (germany) #semi 009 cd

maja solveig kjelstrup ratkje “adventura anatomica” compact disc

  • bark up a tree and get leaves in your mouth (5:21)
  • ground creature (1:22)
  • the red hooded lady of the woods (6:08)
  • too many trees (7:16)
  • once upon a time (4:32)
  • floating
  • hiding
  • posing (8:16)
  • the wolf (6:07)
  • woods have ears (5:25)
semishigure press release...
maja ratkje
adventura anatomica
cd / semi 009

there once was….the incomparable voice of maja ratkje. fairytales sometimes come true, certainly in the case of this norwegian composer and voice acrobat - the infernal twists and turns she manages to contort her voice in are breathtaking. with the help of modern electronica and the most agile vocal cords of the western world ratkje manages to create her own magical domain. in that sense, she is consciously following in the footsteps of such female vocal pioneers as meredith monk, diamanda galas and laurie anderson, constantly searching for cross-fertilisation between voice improvisation, musical drama and technological innovation.

 a fairy tale world comes to life in sublime fashion on maja ratkje’s latest collaboration adventura anatomica, a musical work for theatre she created with choreographer/danser odd johan fritzøe and stage designer in november 2005. this is a world of bittersweet fairytales, of wolves and innocent maidens losing their way in a dark wood, a world of fear and despair and joyful ecstasy. in any case, emotions such as these coexist closely in ratkje’s world. on aa she deploys her entire vocal arsenal: whispering softly, cooing, emitting deep throat sounds usually culminating in an overwhelming vocal deluge. her vocal outpourings are amplified through electronica, creating a blazing dialogue between her own voices. øyvind brandtsegg created a live sampling instrument called improsculpt especially for the purpose and ratkje knows like no other how to make it serve her needs.

 aa develops into a sound ritual for voice, electronica, harmonica, flute, dictaphone and metal objects. in addition, she manipulates the live sound made by the dancer.  ratkje then chose to record everything in real time for this cd, whereby every little sound of the performance was faithfully recorded.

 aa is maja ratkje’s first solo release on semishigure. previously, bottrop-boy brought out a collaboration between her and compatriot lasse marhaug titled music for loving (b-boy 021). ratkje also worked with artist monica bonvicini on erwartung as part of the en/of series (en/of 027).

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 maja s.k. ratkje 		...and that's everything in stock featuring maja solveig kjelstrup ratkje.
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