Kim Hiorthøy: My Last Day
Kim Hiorthøy is easily the most versatile, artistically successful and probing Norwegian artist at large today. His resume includes literature, films, exhibited art, illustrations, cover art, and, not least, music.
His sixth full length album “My Last Day” was released by Smalltown Supersound on November fifth. The Alarm awards ensued (Norway’s currently most important music awards) and the album won the prize for best electronica record. International critics have developed the kind of fondness and admiration of Hiorthøy that habitually make them bring out the true superlatives, as the recent reviews of My Last Day also testify:
“Subtle and lovely electronic watercolours with charmingly old-school breaks, a delicate, folksy sense of melody, and, just occasionally, some ghostly italio-house piano.” (The Guardian)
The Norwegian electro maestro returns with a new album which glides from streamlined electro to gentle piano loveliness. An instant and enduring set. (Music Week)
Scandinavian dance supreme Kim Hiorthøy produces hip-hop meets electro meets folk meets jazz sound using an MPC sampler, the original hip-hop instruments. The result is a great collection of futuristic sounds mish-mashed with loops of conversation and a sprinkle of a master at work. (The Crack)
Even the most unsurprising tunes on My Last Day are tough to resist-- catchy, smooth, and doled out with enticing restraint. There's something alluring about the way the sparse melodies of "Beats Mistake" and "Goodbye to Song" avoid becoming all-out hook-fests, or the way the cooled chords on "Skuggen" and "Wind of Failure" paint ambiences without descending into New Age chill. (Pitchforkmedia)
Headlines:
Himmelkvad
Celebrated vocal ensemble Nordic Voices is currently out on its promo tour for their new outing ‘Himmelkvad’, a critically acclaimed album presenting Norwegian composer Lasse Thoresen’s unique vocal universe. MIC Norway takes a closer look at the cutting-edge vocal ensemble and ground-breaking composer.
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