Erik Honoré Heliographs Hubro ***1/2
Sampler Honoré, known for his work as joint presiding boffin/genius at live remixing festival Punkt in Norway and for his appearances with David Sylvian and Eivind Aarset among others, here on a debut solo project recorded in Oslo also using samples from concerts and live remixes, and featuring appearances on some tracks by singer Sidsel Endresen, percussionist Ingar Zach, sampler Jan Bang (the other Punkt presiding boffin/genius), guitarist Eivind Aarset, with violinist Jeffrey Bruinsma and trumpeter Arve Henriksen on a track apiece. The title of the album, according to Honoré, relates to the name of the first chapter of Honoré’s novel Orakelveggen, a fictional account of the development of the first photograph the inventor Joseph Niépce called heliography.
Even bearing in mind the longueurs on ‘Last Chance Gas & Water’ Heliographs is a rewarding listen drawing together as it does many strands from electronic music, and progressively-inclined jazz styles. A manifestation of advanced mixing technology and filtering from disparate sources the unearthly textures and soundscapery, improv and more manage to blend without any jarring viscosity at all. All this makes for a series of abstract aural collages marked by a mood of considerable serenity. SG
UK/Ireland release: 17 November