About the project

Sonisk Selskap brings musicians together in new constellations, in a uniquely supportive and inspiring environment, and challenges them collectively to generate new musical material through improvisational strategies led by selected directors, creating unique recordings, concerts and experiences.


Sonisk Selskap is inspired by annual gatherings of like-minded musicians that took place each summer during the early days of Wrap (in Ibsensgate 31).


Wrap’s AV Lab is an extremely flexible and technically sophisticated environment for music production. Together with the experienced engineers/technicians who understand its full potential, and Wraps unique artistic/curatorial leadership, this offers an opportunity to create very unique projects that offer unusual opportunities and possibilities. Sonisk Selskap will be a project that takes place several times per year, resulting in a concert as well as musical releases each time.


A new leader, known as the Sonic Sheriff, will be appointed to lead each period. Their job will be to define the desired musical genre, invite appropriate musicians, prepare each session during the relevant period, and lead these sessions in cooperation with an appropriate sound engineer and studio technician. They will also be responsible for any post-production, in collaboration with the technical crew.

Sonic sheriffs will be chosen that have broad experience of working within a particular musical sphere and leading musical projects. Sonic Selskap guidelines prevent a sonic sherif from inviting only people with whom they are currently working. It is important to us that the project is about exploring new collaborations and new dynamics, rather than providing an exclusive platform for established ensembles. Invitations must therefore be discussed and approved by Wrap.


The concerts

The concerts will usualy be part of our regular Søndagskrydder events, and will sometimes be combined with dance improvisation performed by ImproLaBergen.

The collaboration with ImproLaBergen invites dancers who are members of the lab to react to the concert with improvised movement. Individual dancers will inhabit individual spaces throughout Wrap. This is an artistic decision partially inspired by social distancing, and made possible with the use of advanced sound and video-over-network (not over internet) technology which will enable the dancers to react to the music in real time, and be seen on a projection screen behind the musicians on stage.

A choreographer or dance artist will also be invited by Wrap to lay a plan, starting point, score or direction for these improvisations. For the Global Grooves concert, Veronica Robles Thorseth will have this task. She will make a score inspired by contemplation around “the thinking body” and the work of the important dance pedagog and artist, Gill Clarke (UK). The dancers who will take part are Roskva Yasmin Andersen, Lilian Maria Bjertnes, Magdalena Camilla Delis, Rita Maria Farias Munoz, Brita Grov, Monica Reksten and Ine Terese Hogstad.


What happens to the recordings?

Time will be set aside between sessions for post-production in the form of editing, mixing, and the option of overdubs. Highlights of the recordings will be released after each period on a dedicated record label called Sonisk Plateselskap.

The focus of this label will be promote the recordings for synch (film, TV, advertising etc.) as well as for performing arts productions. The recordings will also be available for listeners/consumers through various channels, and some material will be showcased on sosial media.

All participating musicians will be registered with Gramo. We are also exploring the possibility that everyone who participates as a musician, sonic sherif or engineer will receive a proportional stake in the record label its self!


Genre and ethos

Sonisk Selskap understands improvisation to be a broad set of practices and strategies that can cover all genres of music. Some form of rules must usually apply in order for improvisation to “work” whether these rules consist of fixed scales and time signatures, abstract scores, or signals from a conductor or other band member. Our project aims to cover a wide range of genres and musicians by inviting sonic sheriffs from very different musical backgrounds and milieus to lead each period.

Sonisk Selskap March 2021. Discussing a strategy. Left to right: Kjetil Hana, Leo Preston, Paal Rasmussen, Linn Merethe Myrtveit, Stian Brungot.

Sonisk Selskap 2022

DeltaJazzLand - 15th - 16th October

Musicians (residency and concert):

David Pavels - Guitars & Slide (Sonic Sheriff)

Julio Valencia - Percussion

Tor Bjarne Bjelland - Drums

Torbjørn Hillersøy - Bass

Are Ovesen - Trumpet

Nave Pudnik - Harmonica

Lauritz Isaksen - Keys

Dancers:

Meg Dodini

Monica Reksten

Roskva Yasmin Andersen

Rita Maria F. Munoz

Anaïs Carreras

Malin Nøss Vangsnes (performer + score)

M. Veronica L. Robles Thorseth (performer + score)

Crew:

Sound Engineer - Leo Preston

Assistant Sound Engineer - Elaine Maltezos

Cameras and video-over-network - Øystein Nesheim

Streaming - Jonas Skarmark

Camera (concert) - Nils J Nesse

Technical Manager - Leo Preston


Voices That Create - 11th - 13th February

Vocalists/musicians (residency and concert):

Ingvill Espedal - singer (Sonic Sherrif)

Anett Omdahl Skansen - actress & singer

Tora Finne - singer, philosopher & student nurse

Alexander Fiske Fosse - singer & composer

Marcus Davidson - singer & composer

Greta Andersberg - singer

Dancers:

Rita Maria Farias Munoz

Ewa Lorenc

Monica Reksten

Ine Terese Hogstad

Brita Grov

Roskva Yasmin Andersen

M. Veronica L. Robles Thorseth (performer + score)

Crew:

Sound Engineer - Paal Rasmussen

Technical Coordinator - Leo Preston

Streaming - Jonas Skarmark

Video-over-network - Leo Preston

Real-time Projections - Stian Remvik

Camera - Marte Bleu

Camera - Nils J. Nesse

Camera - Sebastian Holmlund


Sonisk Selskap 2021

Drums & Drones - 12th - 14th November

Musicians:

Espen Lund - Trumpet/Electronics

Simon Kjelsvik - Double Bass (5 string)

Kristoffer Riis - Guitar

Bjørn Ognøy - Guitar

Jard Hole - Drums

Nils Are Drønen - Drums

Thore Warland - Drums

Dancers:

Rita Maria Farias Munoz

Ewa Lorenc

Monica Reksten

Ine Terese Hogstad

Marit Loe Bjørnstad

Anaïs Carreras

M. Veronica L. Robles Thorseth (performer + score)

Crew:

Sound Engineer - Paal Rasmussen

Technical Coordinator - Leo Preston

Technical Assistent - Aisté Žumbakyté


World Grooves - March

Musicians:

Stian Brungot - Bass

Nils Are Drønen - Drums

Kjetil Hana - Marimba and Percussion

Hades Heriberto Hernandes Rodriguez - Cuban Percussion

Linn Merethe Myrtveit - Vocals

Leo Preston - Guitar/Sonic Sherif

Carlos Salinas - Andean Flutes

Crew:

Paal Rasmussen - Sound Engineer

Suzanne Starr - Technical Assistant

Watch the latest Sonisk Selskap concert