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
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