«There are aspects of Thomas Koner’s isolationist works but there’s something much more tactile about the group’s engagement with phantom topographies, more hands-on, that makes the sonics all the more thrilling.»
Press
«They get right into the rubbing, buzz and fuzz, building tension while no-input sinewaves float over the top, fading into intervals of calm and then back into exploratory spans that recede into other, quieter passages. The group keeps it moving, playing “Zen and the art of knowing when to shut the hell up” like pros.»
«…this is one of the most intriguing and downright exciting releases I’ve heard in some time. It promises to make converts of even the most stubborn doubters, and if there’s any sense in this universe it will break free of the associations of its genre to reach the wider audience it deserves.»
«Recorded live at Cafeteateret, Oslo in 2011, it’s a 40 minute journey of weird and wonderful sounds. Free improv at it’s best.»
«As the pieces develop – and even as the separate elements, one after another, momentarily flicker across the ear with fleeting clarity – there’s a sense that each musician is aiming to subsume his individual identity into a single, integrated vibration. Without the cathartic outlet of any peaks or spurts in volume, the sounds take on a dangerously muzzled aspect. Tantric improv, if you like.»
«Selektiv Hogst is easily the best free-improv recording I’ve heard in years.»
«A luscious, bright and rich disc then, another example of the blossoming relationship between these two Japanese musicians and Scandinavian collaborators that has brought a nice little flurry of enjoyable music of late.»
«Selektiv hogst rommer fri og interessant improvisasjon og maner frem en lydidentitet for vår tid.»
«With a name meaning Selection of dead trees, no one’s expecting this Norwegian/Japanese quintet to be making toe-tapping dance tunes. But the name does perfectly describe their stark and at times ominously beautiful debut album.»