New Biosphere Album

One of the true veterans on the Norwegian electronica scene, Biosphere, returns with his seventh album "Autour De La Lune" - inspired by the 1870 Jules Verne novel.

28.06.2004 | By: Tomas Lauvland Pettersen

On his latest album, “Autour De La Lune”, Norwegian electronic pioneer Biosphere continues his fascination for everything that’s associated with space travel.

Widely regarded as one of Norwegian electronic music's most important artists, Biosphere's [Geir Jenssen] career spans nearly two decades, six albums, lots of remixes, various sound installations, commissions, soundtracks and even the odd Himalayan summit.



Says Jenssen on his latest commission: "Radio France Culture contacted me some time ago and proposed a commission that was to be premiered on the radio programme «l'Atelier de Création Radiophonique». I was granted access to Radio France's archives and given permission to use this vast source of audio material. I settled on this early 60s dramatisation of Jules Verne's "Autour de la Lune" that totally captivated me. The story is quite amazing - Verne wrote it in 1870; still he managed to describe a manned space flight in such detail one is stunned. In "Autour de la Lune" Verne describes a space mission that sees the astronauts launched from Florida and returning from space to land in the Pacific Ocean – exactly the same procedure that the US space program would follow nearly one hundred years later.

Following the original broadcast, Jenssen continued to work on the recording which now sees the light of day as "Autour de la Lune", a 74 minute symphony made up of nine 'movements'. The propulsive opening sequence "translation" gives way to the crosstalk and scrambled communications of "rotation" and "modifié", before the listener is enveloped in a dense and seemingly endless space (the sound of zero gravity?).

The circular flight of "Autour de la Lune" is Biosphere at his most expansive. Featuring a specially-commissioned painting by Tor-Magnus Lundeby, one of Norway's most prominent visual artists, this new release is set to compete with Brian Eno's "Apollo" recordings as the definitive homage to the space age.

Prior to last year’s Radio France premiere of “Autour de la Lune”, MIC interviewed the Tromsø-based composer/producer. Read the entire interview here.

Biosphere is scheduled to play The Big Chill Festival at Eastnor Castle, Malvern Hills Herefordshire on 31st of July at the Sanctuary Stage (at 2:30/3:40 am).

Biosphere’s albums are released internationally on Touch.

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