Postpartum – lack of sleep, emotional vulnerability, an extreme focus on something outside oneself; providing nourishment and love to the newborn. A minor state of emergency where small moments can inspire to musical fragments and contemplation on the beginning of life, eternity and transience. In this state, this music was conceived.
Slagr’s music is detached from time, place and the concrete materiality of life. The dark resonance of the cello and the rough vibrations of the Hardanger fiddle, bound together by the transparency of the glasses and the aural tapestries of the vibraphone, draw the listener along with them, beyond geography and culture. The music opens a door to new associations and reflections, without forcing the listener to inhabit a specific space.
Slagr provides a contrast to information overload, multitasking, technology, and the constantly increasing pace and transitory nature of every part of our lives. Slagr’s music is an alternative to the current social trends and represents thousands of hours spent on perfecting an ancient craft, an insistence on serenity and the art of listening – both externally and internally, and a binding collective collaboration of many years’ standing. Slagr is archaic, but at the same time radical.
Slagr is the Norse expression for the word ’tune’, ’melody’. The word is derived from the verb slá (hit) with the connotation hit to create tones (pluck), and has originally been used about tunes played on plucked instruments.
Slagr was founded in 2004. They have released 5 album: solaris (2007), straum, stille (2011) and Songs by Geirr Tveitt with singer Camilla Granlien (2013). They also play on jazz pianist Andreas Ulvo’s album Softspeaker (2012). Their album short stories (2015) was awarded Spellemannprisen (the Norwegian Grammy) for best album in the open category.
