release date: 07.06.2024 on Gateway Music
” … this is Requiem to the Dreams, this recording, the space in your head occupied only in your subconsciousness, one you have no access to in a daylight, unless you can pass the secret gates, which are hidden in those tracks, and only if your inner sensitivity is capable to track & find them … ” – Greg Drygala Jazzpress
Synaptic Biosphere comes as a gatefold CD with a 12-page booklet, prominently featuring the drawings of nine phantasmal animals – one for each track – by painter Dorian Noel. The listener is invited to follow the music into the Biosphere of these Animals: From the tranquil serenity of soaring skies to the eerie depths of echoing caves, the music conjures landscapes filled with life and countless details.
At its core, Synaptic Biosphere is a soundtrack to dreams. It is a narrative that guides listeners through myriad facets of the subconscious imagery: The world in our mind, the synaptic biosphere. It is an exploration of the imagination, a celebration of creativity, and a testament to but one of the boundless possibilities of artistic collaboration.
Having each released dozens of albums as leaders and sidemen, Matt Choboter, John Arne Rånes and Jan Kadereit got together to record in a trio setting.
“At first, it was just three friends getting together and improvising music. Just because it was fun and simply felt great”, says Jan, percussionist and flautist of the album. “But then, the music and this album turned out to be so much more than I’d ever imagined in the beginning.”
The music of this album can be seen as a soundtrack to dreams: Sometimes the flute soars like a bird over a wide, peaceful soundscape created by the electric guitar and piano. At other times, pitched stones eerily roll and scratch each other to summon the texture and impression of a cave deep in the mountains. Then, in another dream, the fast percussion phrases and aggressive guitar sounds bring out the dark, aggressive side of the subconsciousness. The whole flow of this dream and its soundtrack is open to the moment and shifts through multiple facets.
Reflecting on their journey, John Arne expressed his astonishment at the evolution of their project: “Once we delved deeper into the recording session, we unearthed a wealth of sonic treasures – vibrant soundscapes and captivating textures. There was this richness in sounds, but it was still caught in a somewhat one-dimensional format. So we asked ourselves: How can we make all this sound four-dimensional?”
The album really took a turn when John Arne started post-editing, weaving intricate effects into the fabric of the music and enhancing the unique sonic textures. The result was a tapestry so rich and immersive that it begged for an outside mind for further polishing. The trio handed the music to Adrian von Ripka, an outstanding Ton-meister, who tweaked further details and mixed and mastered the music.
“ When Adrian sent us the finished mix-down of the music we had created, it had become so cinematic, so multi-dimensional, that we felt we needed a visual artistic level to it as well. So we approached painter Dorian Noel, who painted an animal for each track (see four animals below) while listening to the music. The result is, in our opinion, stunningly beautiful.” The culmination of these efforts is an art piece that goes far beyond the trio of improvisations that started it. It is a glimpse into strange, otherworldly landscapes inhabited by phantasmal creatures. And yet it leaves enough room for imagination; it is but an entry point so we, as the audience, can lift the veil and look at our inner world, our synaptic biosphere, as well.
* ** BIO ***
Album info:
Artist: Choboter / Rånes / Kadereit
Title: Synaptic Biosphere
Catalogue Number: GTW587LP
Format: CD, Digital
Label: Gateway Music
Origin: Denmark
Barcode CD: 5707471093115
Release Date (CD): June 7th 2024
Single: Track 9: Elasmobranchii Alba
https://synapticbiosphere.bandcamp.com
Tracklist:
1. Muraenidae Sirtalis
2. Asteroidea Brachyura
3. Lepidoptera Coruscans
4. Macrocystis Eurypharynx
5. Felifornia Crocuta
6. Chiroptera Araneus
7. Tetrapoda Noctiluca
8. Cingulata Scrotifera
9. Elasmobranchii Alba
Line up:
Matt Choboter: extended Piano
John Arne Rånes: Guitar and electronic effects
Jan Kadereit: Tabla, Janggu, Shakuhachi, various Percussion
All paintings by Dorian Noel
Mix and Master: Adrian von Ripka
Design: Örn Ingi Unnsteinsson
Producer: Jan Kadereit and John Arne Rånes
Post-Production: John Arne Rånes, additional edits by Jan Kadereit
Recorded by Jan Kadereit
Recorded at Green View studios