PHONOPHANI

Cat. no. Bio 1 CD, Biophon Records 1998
All tracks written and produced by Espen Sommer Eide.
Exclusive seven inch gate-fold sleeve. First edition limited to 500 copies.

SOLD OUT!

Stephen Fruitman, Hyperreal: "The first release on Biosphere´s (Geir Jenssen´s) own label bodes well for the future: It is a self-titled release by one Phonophani, the nom-de-musique of a Norwegian named Espen Sommar Eide, and is just lovely.  Grasping for a comparison, Substrata quickly comes to mind, with similarly-structured soundscapes dominating throughout, though warmer and yet somehow more "distant" and even less palpable. I could praise each track individually, but for the sake of brevity, suffice to say that each one is a unique creation combining to produce a seamless whole. This release just reconfirms my conviction that there´s something about living in close proximity to fjords that makes for marvelous ambient music. Subtle, shimmering and suggestive, this is the best new ambient I have heard in the thirteen days of 1998. And is likely to remain that for many months ahead."
 
 

TOM  OPDAHL: BLACK SMOKER CD

Cat. no. Bio 2 CD, Biophon Records 2001
Produced by Geir Jenssen/Biosphere
Distributed by VME

 EUR 15

  Booyaka.com: "Second release for Geir Jenssen's label, BLACK SMOKER is a very good ambient record. Remembering me the first Biosphere's records the sound of Opdahl is dark, pulsing , hypnotizing, deep and intense. The fourteen tracks melt one into the other in a perfect way (there's no fade in and fade out) and they seems one the direct consequence of the one before. Discovered by Geir Jenssen himself (he listened a demo tape Tom sent him and immediately he decided to produce his first work), Tom Opdahl released a perfect record which balance rhythmic tracks with spacey ones. Mellow sounds, echoes and synthesizer's pads duel with light bleeps and intriguing atmospheres giving to the tracks a touch of mistery which make me like this CD each time more. Try to get your hands on this record because you won't be disappointed: you bet!"

Stephen Fruitman, Sonomu.net: "Only the second release so far on Biosphere's Biophon label. Tom Opdahl  is a hitherto unheard name among the plethora of excellent ambient and electronica coming out of that country. But his debut 'Black Smoker' should place him firmly on the map.
To call this music "chilly" would be to fall prey to the cliche about "Arctic ambient". It does however somehow jibe aesthetically with that sound which seems so specific to Norwegian ambient - that low, low pulse that seems almost endemic to the music, the predilection for monochrome tones.
There are unabashedly "Biospherean" moments on 'Black Smoker', but ultimately the work as a whole does not come off as the product of an epigone. Opdahl's compositions are as wonderfully gloomy as the artwork adorning the slipcover, proffering a sense of turning a grand, wild landscape into something claustrophobic, shrouded in mystic mist."

Øyvind Holen, Dagsavisen: "STERK ELEKTRONISK UHYGGE
Her har en slått seg til ro med at hele Nord-Norge har flyttet til Bergen for å lage funky house, chillout og pop-elektronika. Men så dukker denne lille bomben opp. Tom Opdahl er et ubeskrevet blad, men «Black Smoker» er en bemerkelsesverdig debut, et sted mellom kjølig ambient, mørk støy og tekno med lav puls. Vi har Geir Jenssen å takke, som har både oppdaget, produsert og gitt ut Opdahl. «Black Smoker» kommer som en velkommen motvekt til dvask chillout og kjedelig café latte-musikk. Dette hører verken hjemme på klubb eller kaffebar, for musikken er preget av uhyggelige stemninger. Opdahl maler ut sin kjølige mollstemte elektronika med dystre klanger og maskinlignende lyder. Dette er arktisk ambient i møte med det industrielle og det støyende - som et musikalsk samarbeid mellom Jazzkammer og Biosphere. Samtidig vender «Black Smoker» tilbake til teknoens tidlige filosofi: Musikk som høres ut som den verken er skapt av eller for mennesker. «Jeg vil at musikken min skal høres ut som to datamaskiner som snakker sammen», har teknopionér Juan Atkins uttalt. Kanskje Opdahl tenker slik også? I så fall er dette en samtale mellom HAL fra «2001» og datamaskinen fra «War Games» - etter at de har utryddet mennesket fra jordens overflate.