John Tilbury / Keith Rowe / Kjell Bjørgeengen: Worstward Ho, based on a text by Samuel Beckett (text recorded by Aleks Kolkowski) – **** (hard core minimalism, lacking some dynamics, but compensating this with gritty „Beckettism“, some people snorling, some enlightened in the dark – good trance induction!)
Streifenjunko + Sheriffs of Nothingness – **** (a wonderful exploration of instrumental possibilities, never academic, always with a beating heart, one minor quibble: they seemed a bit afraid of melodies:))
Håkon Stene: Lush Laments for Lazy Mammal with Sigbjørn Apeland, Ellen Ugelvik and Tanja Orning – **** (the spirit of Laurence Crane, Gavin Bryars and Eno’s Obscure records brought to life, one kind advice: no dry, shy announcements of the single pieces, better doing it all as one big piece)
——
PUNKT SEMINAR (1)
Michael Engelbrecht: Storytelling for burning songs (Or: how to make radio magic) – **** (I was good:))
Jana Winderen / Mike Harding: From Punk to Punkt – **** (entertaing mix of the story of the british label Touch and Jana’s field recording adventures)
A meeting with Laurie Anderson – **** (very personal, the person Laurie replacing the persona, the dog episode heartfelt, even the technical problems added to the authenticity)
——
Spacemonkey (Morten Qvenild / Gard Nilssen) – **** (a living beast, better than the Hubro record)
Live Remix: Eivind Aarset / Samuel Rohrer / Jan Bang – *** 1/2 (this one grew from uncertainty to thrill!)
Erik Honoré: Heliographs release concert w/Ingar Zach / Eivind Aarset / Jeffrey Bruinsma / Arve Henriksen – **** (a good introduction to Erik’s brilliant solo debut „Heliographs“)
Live Remix: Erik Honoré / Raffaele Casarano – ** (sorry, this was too much kitsch, sugar shock zone!)
Fennesz: Bécs – *** (not coming close to the album’s subtleties, but nevertheless an immersive experience)
Live Remix: Zapp 4 / Jan Bang / Erik Honoré – **** (Sophisticated)
—–
PUNKT SEMINAR (2)
Seducing the seducer: A conversational navaid to Bangsonics. Henning Bolte in conversation with Jan Bang – **** (informative and entertaining)
Morten Qvenild: The HyPer(sonal) Piano – **** (informative and entertaining, too – a look into Morten’s laboratory, not without self-irony)
—–
Zapp 4 / Jan Bang – **** (very sophisticated, the seed of a probably great studio recording)
Maria Laurette Friis / Kresten Osgood / Dodebum – * (free improv boredom desaster)
Live Remix: Nils Petter Molvaer / Hamid Drake / Eivind Aarset / Jan Bang – **** (the right medicine after the Danish exercise in going nowhere and never finding the exit: Hamid Drake was the vital heart of this group’s fire!)
An Evening with Laurie Anderson, Arve Henriksen and Fennesz – ** 1/2 (the big disappointment, Laurie Anderson was much too reluctant, nearly no stories, no songs, a lot was left to Arve and Christian who could not create the suspense expected from a Laurie Anderson performance. And the music was much too loud in parts. A wasted opportunity. And Laurie should have followed her own advice of the lecture the day before: never trust punchlines! The end of the concert was exactly that: a series of punchlines!)