Guitarist and composer Stein Urheim has been a prominent artist in the HUBRO catalog for over ten years. “Speilstillevariasjoner” is his seventh album for the label under his own name, in addition to contributions to albums by Erlend Apneseth, Benedicte Maurseth, a duo with Jørgen Træen, and most recently the critically acclaimed “Barefoot in Bryophyte” with Mari Kvien Brunvoll and Moskus.
For “Speilstillevariasjoner,” Urheim invited a group of highly distinctive musicians to collaborate, resulting in his most original and uncompromising album to date. The outcome is experienced as both poetic, atmospheric, and mind-expanding.
Already on his HUBRO debut, «Kosmolodi», (2012) and later on «Utopian Tales» (2017), Urheim’s interest in microtonality was evident. On his solo album “Simple Pieces and Paper Cut-Outs” (2019), the compositions were born from experimentation with open guitar tunings.
On “Speilstillevariasjoner,” this exploration of alternative tunings comes even more to the forefront. The interest in just intonation and microtonality dominates both the composition process and the expression. “The actual playing style on the guitar is inspired by both Chinese gu qin music and Norwegian folk music on the langeleik. I’ve also long been fascinated by composers who use various forms of just tunings as a compositional method, such as Eivind Groven, Lou Harrison, and La Monte Young.” says Urheim.
The guitars are fretless and have a unique combination of strings that suit the tuning. “The setup makes it impossible to think or play conventional, standard guitar, so you don’t fall into familiar patterns. Instead, you are led into a unique way of playing and creating, within a few fundamental keys. Much of the basis for the composition method comes the interplay between me, my fellow musicians’, and this unorthodox guitar setup, and what it affords in terms of possibilities. The ‘Speilstille tuning’ creates limitations, but has also opened up an entire musical world for me.»
“The idea for the ensemble of musicians was fairly intuitive and spontaneous – but I’ve worked with several of them before and find them all to be incredibly interesting performers,” says Urheim.
Violinist Hans Kjorstad and percussionist Siv Øyunn Kjenstad are among the foremost new Norwegian musicians of their generation. “We had previously worked together a few times when I guested in Frode Haltli’s Avant Folk ensemble a few years ago, and I was immediately captivated by their playing – Siv’s dynamic, powerful drumming and the range and exploratory style of Hans.”
Ikue Mori can be described as a living legend, having started her career as a drummer in the New York-based No Wave band DNA. In the decades since, she has become one of the world’s leading improvisational musicians. “I’ve been a fan of her music for many years, and we got to know each other through a concert series I was involved in organizing – she is just incredibly uncompromising and recognizable in her expression.”
Saxophonist Sam Gendel has recently released a string of fresh and innovative albums on several labels such as Nonesuch, and played with Stein for the first time as part of this project. “I became very curious about Sam after hearing him in concert some years ago. He has a fantastic tone and sensibility that resonates with me on many levels,” says Urheim.
“Speilstillevariasjoner” stands out in Urheim’s catalog, but at the same time, it is a logical progression from the path his discography has been leading toward over time. “What I immediately fell in love with about Urheim’s musical voice when we began our collaboration in 2012 was its warm clarity, and how it organically blended influences from everything from blues to various types of world music and microtonal exploration,” says HUBRO founder Andreas R. Meland. “It was clear from day one that Stein is a hungry and open listener who is constantly engaged and seeking new inspiration. It has been a joy to follow his artistry so closely, and he has opened my ears to a lot of new music.”
