Biosphere UK Picturehouse Tour

Biosphere UK Picturehouse Tour

***A TOUR OF CINEMAS IN LONDON, LIVERPOOL AND BRIGHTON WITH FULL-SCREEN VISUALS BY MULTIPLE AWARD-WINNING VIDEO ARTIST EGBERT MITTELSTAEDT***

“Prepare to be moved. Things happen when you listen to Biosphere; subtle flickering sounds become widescreen images; a distant dog bark becomes a subliminal rhythm track. Sounds conjure images of vast panoramic wastes, yet feel warm and comforting. Arguably Norwegian electronics' most important artist, Geir Jenssen has amassed almost two decades of work as Biosphere producing intense minimal crystalline works. ‘Dropsonde’ sees Biosphere moving towards an almost ghostly jazz influence with the flickering snare on ‘Birds fly…’ and ‘Triple Time’. Sublime.” (Straight No Chaser)

Widely regarded as one of Norwegian electronic music's most important artists, Geir Jenssen aka Biosphere's career spans nearly two decades, several albums, various sound installations, commissions, soundtracks, lots of remixes and even the odd Himalayan summit. You may recognise his work without knowing it, so frequently does it crop up on TV trailers and idents. Since his days as a pioneer of ambient music in the early 1990s, he has refined his sound into something more magnetic and enduring, something with an appeal that reaches far beyond the cerebral electronica set, a must-listen for fans of Sigur Ros, Cinematic Orchestra and Mogwai.

His new album 'Dropsonde' (Touch Recordings - released March 20th 2006) isn't a soundtrack like the interwoven 'Substrata' nor an episodic journey in the way that 'Autour de la Lune' is. Here Geir Jenssen is pushing new directions towards the jazz colours of Miles Davis and Jon Hassell, whilst re-invigorating the pulse and projection of his signature sound: a hypnotic combination of pleasure and dread.

Cologne-based artist Egbert Mittelstaedt's videos, photographs and installations explore the principle of time and have won him awards including at the European Media Art Festival, the Institut National de l’Audiovisuel, the Backup Festival and a Digital New Art Award. His image processing makes it possible to show movement not as we know, but in a slowly sliding, continuous float of patterns, structures and courses. His "Slit-Scan" method neglects the constants of space: movement is stretched and pulled out of shape while still remaining recognisable and time puts herself in concrete terms. His cooperation with Biosphere developed spontaneously at a Biosphere concert and a simultaneous presentation of his video work in Cologne. The two artists have appeared together since the end of 2004. Mittelstädts visuals work in stunning harmony with Biosphere's music, creating a remarkable synthesis of video art show and music concert.

A parallel activity to Biosphere’s recording has been to conduct live concerts in scenic locations: last year saw him play in a remote corner of Scotland – anyone wanting to catch the gig had to hike several miles through the highlands to get to the venue, literally a rock face in the middle of nowhere. Thankfully people won’t have to do more than travel to their nearest Picturehouse cinema to catch his acclaimed live electronica & visuals show.

"The ever-changing drifting accumulation of notes and rolling, almost jazz-stye drums are hypnotic in the best possible way. Sure, Dropsonde’s gorgeousness is sombre, but it is gorgeous, and the mood-lifting properties of these six instrumentals are inestimable.” (Word)

“Geir Jenssen, who records as Biosphere, is based in Tromsø, in the remote north of Norway, deep within the Arctic Circle. His approach to making Ambient music is unhurried and thought through, and it yields results that transcend standard expectations of the genre.” (The Wire)

“Cold clarity up against real depth of field, synth cycles dissolving into sudden moments of sonic revelation that sound like a waking dream. What a good record.” (MOJO)

All tickets £10.50 / £8.50 Members

Wed 19 Apr – GATE Cinema, Notting Hill
87 Notting Hill Gate, London W11
08707 55 00 63