quête:win win

Sasu Ripatti's complete "Dancefloor Classics" series. Music for imaginary dancefloors, released on Ripatti's own label Rajaton.

”Look up, into the light” she said, while the camera shutter clicked. ”Like this? Does it look holy?” His neck felt stiff. Her reply: ”Yes, just like that. What do you mean holy? Like religious? ”No, more like trying to look very far, somewhere beyond what we can see.” ”Okay, stand still, I’m going to come close to you now. The light hits your face great.” click, click, click.
He noticed her fingernails. They were not polished. Natural. Even somewhat rugged, as if something wore out the fingers slightly. What had these hands held besides the camera? What made the edges of her fingernails drift off?
He thought it’s weird to look straight into the camera. The photographer had closed her left eye, the one not looking into the lens. Then it opened, she looked up, perusing the surroundings, then she closed her eye again, then looked up, closed, looking up, very quickly. It all seemed very professional. Maybe she calculated the light, making sure it’s close to perfect. ”What will these photos look like?” – the thought popped into his head briefly. It was liberating to think it wouldn’t matter.
”What’s that song playing?” he asked. ”Wait a sec, Ol’ Dirty Bastard?” she replied. ”Oh yeah, right. But the sample?” ”Hey, could you look up again, like that. No, lower.”
New directions: ”Look out from the window, turn left.” ”My left or yours?” ”Yours, I always try to think from the direction of my model.” How professional! This is a good shoot, so natural. Should I worry about how the photos look like? No, I don’t want to. His thoughts bounced around. What would the story be like? It’s a big newspaper, everyone will read it. Maybe someone drinks coffee and eats a stroopwafel while they do it. Will they place the waffle on top of the mug for a brief while, so that it gets hot and the syrup melts a little? Then it feels wet, and you can bend the cookie.
She broke his train of thought off midway through: ”Now turn right, but look left, and slightly up, but don’t turn your face right.” ”Umm, like this? Sounds like a set of pilates instructions.” she laughed ”You do pilates?” ”Yeah, it’s hard sometimes. Have you tried?” ”No”, she said. ”I’m not good for sports that are done in groups.” ”Yeah, but in pilates you can just be inside your mind, drowning in your private thoughts.”
”What are you thinking in pilates?” she asked, taking more photos. ”Well, mostly just which way is right. And which left.” click, click.

Q&A with Sasu Ripatti:

1) Tell us something about the EP series ”Dancefloor Classics”, what’s the idea and what can we expect?

I’ve been slowly writing these sort of dance music pieces and finally curated them together for a conceptual release. I like to create music for a dancefloor that exists only in my imagination and doesn’t try to suck up to the standardized reality.

2) Your vinyl format is 10” which is quite special (as opposed to LP / 12”). Why did you choose it?

It’s my favourite format, absolutely. The size is perfect, and you can make it sound really good @ 45 rpm. And you still can make great artwork.

3) You seem interested in sampling/repurposing, what does it mean to you as an artist to approach something already existing from a new angle? How does the source material inform you about the approach to take?

I guess i could flip it around and just say I’ve outgrown synths or electronic sounds to a great extend, and having gotten rid off all my synths already good while ago I’ve used samples as my main source material a lot. It’s obvious on this series that i’ve sampled existing music, but I also sample instruments and things in the studio and resample my own library that I have built over the years, it’s quite large. To me the end result matters, not so much how I get there. Once I have something on my keyboard and play around, it’s all an instrument, though with sampling other music it becomes a really interesting and complex one as you’re possibly playing rhythm, but also harmonic content and maybe hooks or whatever, all at once.
I never sample premeditadedly, like listening to records and looking for that mindblowing 3 sec part. I just throw the cards in the air and see what lands where, just full intuition and hopefully zero mind involved, playing tons of stuff, trying things, just recording hours of stuff. Then comes the interesting part to listen to hours of mostly crazy stuff and finding that mindblowing 3 sec part.

4) What is your relationship with the dancefloor (conceptually and/or in experiences / as a performer)?

Very complicated. I have never really felt comfortable on a dancefloor but have always wanted to. There’s something in club music, in theory, that really speaks to me. It has never really materialized for me – speaking mainly from a performer’s point of view who goes to check on a dancefloor for a moment after a concert. I never have DJ’d or felt much interest towards it. But again, I love the idea and concept of DJing. As well as producing music for imaginary DJs. Lately, as in the past 10+ years, I haven’t even performed in any sort of club spaces. So my relationship to the dancefloor is quite removed and reduced, but there’s quite a bit of passion and interest left.

All tracks composed and produced by Sasu Ripatti.
Artwork & photography by Marc Hohmann.
Mastering by Stephan Mathieu for Schwebung Mastering.
Vinyl cut by SST Brueggemann.
Publishing by WARP Music Ltd.

LITTLE RICHARD: I AM EVERYTHING tells the story of the Black queer origins of rock n’ roll, exploding the whitewashed canon of American pop music to reveal the innovator – the originator – Richard Penniman. The soundtrack of the award-winning documentary includes timeless hits from Little Richard like “Tutti Frutti”, “Rip It Up”, and “Long Tall Sally”, plus two covers from Valerie June and Cory Henry, and a piece from the film’s original score, composed by Tamar-Kali Brown. CD came out on 2nd Dec already

januar 2023 - corona lag hinter uns und ein jahr ohne erdmöbel stand ins haus. eine schlimme vorstellung so lange nicht kreativ sein zu können. ekki schickte sich an, seinen ursprünglichen beruf zu reaktivieren und neu zu erlernen. ein soloalbum sollte es sein. die beteiligung anderer musiker sollte minimal sein und die produktion schön rauh und schnell klingen. alltagslyric, kleine geschichten, beobachtungen, klitzekleine messages und metaphern ergeben beim zuhörer zusammen mit der musik ein wunderbares konzert selbst- und live-erlebter gefühle.

Divino Nino's new album Foam feels like catching up with a lifelong friend. There's undeniable songwriting chemistry between guitarist Camilo Medina and bassist Javier Forero, who met as kids in Bogota, Colombia and years later reconnected by sheer happenstance after their families had both moved to Miami. Both studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where they met guitarist Guillermo Rodriguez and eventually Drummer Pierce Codina. Now Chicagoans, their rhythmic, soulful - and at times bilingual - Latinx punk songs are a reflection of their continent-spanning bond and proof that Divino Nino couldn't have formed without unlikely but happy coincidences.The ten tracks on Foam feature wistfully romantic lyrics like the yearning plea on the title track ("I really wanna run away with you"), and sunny, honeyed arrangements. Songs like "Quiero" trade-off between English and Spanish with woozy guitars and harmonies anchoring the sweetness of the lyrics. The quartet's Latin American roots seep in throughout the LP's silky psychedelic flourishes but especially on single "Maria," which is sung entirely in Spanish. Inspired in equal parts by Argentine punk and the narratives of Mexican telenovelas, the personality-filled track is one of the most memorable on the record.

- Newly Expanded Deluxe Double LP Edition! - Double LP expanded edition includes outtakes, demos and instrumentals, including 10 previously unreleased recordings - 26 total tracks - Album remastered from pristine LHI master tapes by GRAMMYr-nominated mastering engineer John Baldwin - Liner notes by GRAMMYr-nominated reissue producer Hunter Lea including interviews with Torbjo?rn Axelman, Suzi Jane Hokom, Nina Lizell, Don Randi, Hal Blaine and Shel Talmy - Rare film production photos from the Torbjo?rn Axelman archive - Double LP housed in a gatefold jacket // Description: By the end of the 1960s Lee Hazlewood's LHI Records had burned piles of cash, gone through a half dozen distributors and failed to achieve the kind of chart success "Boots" had promised. Fortunately for Lee there was a land where he was still on the top of the charts, a place where women flowed like Bra?nnvin...Sweden was calling. Released as the last LHI LP, Cowboy in Sweden was a soundtrack to the 1970 cult classic film of the same name starring Lee Hazlewood. The film was a surreal psychedelic account of Lee's journey to his new homeland, while the soundtrack was a perfect compilation of Hazlewood's orchestral melancholy country pop songs. Recorded over a prolific globe trotting three year period, Lee's peak on LHI records was ironically the label's swan song.

Aptly titled Two Worlds, Tigers Jaws sophomore full-length draws on the strengths of the band's raw, minimalist atmospheres and driving grunge-rock rhythms, funneling them into a catchy, brooding and brilliantly focused album. Sounding as confident as ever in abandoning dependence on traditional pop structures, songs ebb and flow naturally as the band explores fresh tones and textures. Firmly planted in their own niche of the 90 s-era Midwestern emo sound, Two Worlds probes Superchunk's indie-punk stylings, Weezer's discordant pop moments and the far edges of Kurt Cobain's brain while managing to sound almost nothing like those groups. Chimey clean guitars weave in and out of the mix, juxtaposing a gain guitar laden with thick grit. Standing alone, the tones create familiar Tigers Jaw moods, but when combined, the effect lays the foundation for swelling walls of sound. Pulsing bass fills the low end, locked with the drums in rhythmic unison, alternately tracing guitar lines and stepping forward to grab the listener s car. Similarly, the drumming style perfectly compliments the songwriting with steady beats and measured flash. Lush and resonant cymbal splashes constantly flourish, adding color and a new spaciousness. Keyboards swell in a wave of warmth creating the band s defining ambiance, in parts taking on more adventurous melodies and chord tones. At its core, Two Worlds is a Tigers Jaw album through and through. It evokes many moods the band is known for, but adds a depth that will leave listeners discovering new reasons to love them with each new listen.

From acclaimed director James Carney (‘Once’, ‘Sing Street’, ‘Begin Again’, ‘Modern Love’). Album features tracks performed by the film’s actors, including Eve Hewson, Joseph Gordon- Levitt and Oren Kinlan, with additional vocals by Lianne Carr Wyllie, Adam Hunter and Gary Clarke.

Starring Eve Hewson (‘Bad Sisters’, ‘Behind Her Eyes’, ‘The Knick’, ‘Robin Hood’), Oren Kinlan (‘Sunlight’, ‘Taken Down’), Jack Reynor (‘Midsommar’, ‘Sing Street’, ‘Glassland’) and twice Emmy-winner Joseph Gordon-Levitt (‘Create Together’, ‘HitRECord on TV’, ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’, ‘Lincoln’).

Two tracks submitted for Oscar consideration - ‘Meet In The Middle’ and ‘High Life’.

Overview:
Nuggets vol. 2 as originally thought of by Lenny Kaye and released to celebrate the 50 years of the legendary compilation.

■ Die Nits sind eine niederländische Art-Pop-Rockgruppe, die 1974 in Amsterdam
gegründet wurde. Ihr musikalischer Stil hat sich im Laufe der Jahre ebenso geändert wie
ihre Besetzung, aber die Kernmitglieder sind der Leadsänger und Texter Henk Hofstede,
Robert-Jan Stips an den Keyboards (der mit Supersister, Gruppo Sportivo, The Golden
Earring zusammengearbeitet hat) und Rob Kloet am Schlagzeug.
Im Jahr 2024 feiert die Band ihr 50-jähriges Jubiläum mit einer Europatournee und
brandneuer Musik. Sechs frisch geschriebene Tracks sind auf der Mini-Album "Tree
House Fire" enthalten, wobei das zentrale Thema der Songs das Feuer ist, das das
Amsterdamer Studio der Band im Jahr 2022 vollständig zerstört hat. Diese
10-Zoll-Schallplatte ist als limitierte Edition von 500 einzeln nummerierten Copies auf
Flamino Coloured Vinyl erhältlich und enthält ein 4-seitiges Booklet.

The Vampisoul chicas are back. And for the third time. And, although collectors and connoisseurs have never stopped playing the songs by these Spanish female singers, here they are again, sounding as vibrant as they did half a century ago. Because these children of their times, the musical decades of the 60s and 70s covered by this compilation, boldly ventured into the limited spaces of freedom open to female artists back then. And they did so with attitude, in search of the right repertoire, proudly presenting new, daring personal projects often breaking away from the demure tone adopted by mainstream local female singers. And they were canny about it too. Realizing that the censors working back would just listen to the song that the record company flagged up as the listening target on the A side and not bother to flip the single over, they recorded many of their racier songs on the B side. That exciting dark side of singles, which have long tempted collectors. Lacking the freedom and visibility enjoyed today, these daring records by these female singers went as far as they could and a few managed to go beyond. The songs on this compilation tell everyday stories, narrating small socio-musical conquests revolving round the enduring theme of young love. Sass, sex, boy-girl rivalry, the defense of liberating women's fashion and, saying what women think loud and clear, all characterize these grooves. Performed in a variety of musical styles ranging from ye-yé, twist, disco, beat, popcorn, flamenco pop to Northern Soul, and, even more surprisingly, sung in an everyday, natural and self-assured tone that must have ruffled some feathers. As in previous volumes of "¡Chicas!", this third compilation includes female singers from outside Spain but whose career, their decision to sing in Spanish or their long tours and local stays, and occasionally permanent residence, meant their albums were created, recorded or produced here in Spain. It's a winning proposition for everyone. Take the band Los Bravos, four of the singers that passed through the ranks of this quintessentially Spanish group were foreigners. It's part of our open-door policy. Spain is different. In every sense. But let's get down to the serious stuff and the ritual: vinyl on the turntable and needle poised ready to play. Third volume of Vampis' ¡Chicas! series, an irresistible collection of ye-yé, twist, disco, beat, popcorn, flamenco pop and even Northern Soul! From the early 60s and in the middle of a difficult political and social context, Spanish female singers - and those who moved to Spain - disregarded conventions and overcame all barriers to be part of a music movement that shook the Spanish society of the period. Many of the 24 tracks are reissued for the first time, including very hard-to-find records. It includes extensive notes by Vicente Fabuel featuring all the original record sleeves and artist photos.

Standing In The Light, das viel geliebte dritte Album von Level 42, ist wieder als LP in
einer streng limitierten audiophilen Gold-Vinyl-Pressung erhältlich.
Level 42 - der Bassist und Sänger Mark King, der Keyboarder und Sänger Mike Lindup,
der Gitarrist Boon Gould, der Schlagzeuger und Texter Phil Gould und der Studiotüftler
Wally Badarou - waren 1983 angesehene Überlebende der Britfunk-Explosion der frühen
80er Jahre, hatten aber noch nicht den ganz großen Durchbruch geschafft. Live waren sie
eine unübersehbare Attraktion, aber ein echter kommerzieller Erfolg blieb ihnen verwehrt.
Polydor erkannte dies und schickte die Gruppe nach LA, um mit Larry Dunn und Verdine
White von Earth, Wind & Fire zu arbeiten und ihrem Sound eine zusätzliche Dimension zu
verleihen.
Es sollte jedoch kein EWF-Horn- und Mystikfest werden; Standing In The Light optimierte
und kommerzialisierte den Sound der Gruppe, ohne dabei ihre einzigartige britische
Interpretation von Jazz-Funk zu verlieren. Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind war die erste
Singleauskopplung des Albums und verpasste nur knapp die britischen Top 40; die
nächste Veröffentlichung bescherte der Gruppe jedoch ihren ersten Top-10-Hit und einen
Vorgeschmack auf den Erfolg, den sie in den kommenden Jahren genießen sollte. Living It
Up (The Sun Goes Down) war ihr erster Top-10-Hit im Vereinigten Königreich und ist ein
funkbasierter Knaller. Infolgedessen war Standing In The Light das erste Top-10-Album
von Level 42. Es enthält auch das intensive, politische I Want Eyes, das Lieblingsstück
von Schlagzeuger Phil Gould in Zusammenarbeit mit Mark King, sowie fünf weitere
Beispiele für den einzigartigen Groove der Gruppe

Recorded in an abandoned water tank in rural northwest Colorado and inspired by Muriel Rukeyser’s circa-1935 poem of the same name, violinist Leslee Smucker explores the range and saturation of intense natural reverb on Breathing Landscape. The artist pushes her instrument to the limit –by turns percussive, sweeping, and scraping– and, on several tracks, utilizes her own voice as well, resulting in an album that combines breathtaking beauty and visceral texture. Leaning into the meditative quality being present in one moment can provide, this is music you can feel on your skin, calling out from our decomposing modernity into the indifferent sky above. Conjuring deep time but captured in one day, the album is simultaneously immediate and vaporous, primeval-sounding yet unapologetically modern. When you travel out of the mountains down into the rangelands of what we know today as western Colorado, the horizon opens up to reveal an ancient and scarred land. Cell phone coverage is spotty at best and towns are sparse. Time escapes our efforts to contain it and is instead etched into the hot, dry canyons. Approaching The Tank, outside the settlement of Rangely, oil pumps work ceaselessly on the other side of the gravel road, extracting a grim future. Inside The Tank it is 20 degrees warmer than outside, a zone of strange harmonics, exchanges of sound and stillness, and explorations of landscapes both exterior and interior. In what she describes as a "sauna of sound", Smucker "was transported by the reverberation to another realm. Birds and trucks passed outside, while the wind was an integral part to the sound making

Mona Mur - ein Name, der für eine rauchig-coole Stimme, manisch-intensive Auftritte und eine illustre Liste von wechselnden Mitmusikern steht. Sie ist nicht nur Sängerin, sondern auch Songschreiberin und Produzentin. Als "80s survivor" hat sie sich in den letzten drei Jahrzehnten kontinuierlich in der Musikszene behauptet, auf Tour oder in ihrem eigenen Berliner Studio KATANA. Jetzt können Musikliebhaber ihr 2019er Album "Delinquent" als limitierte Vinyl-Edition auf dem Hamburger Label Cheezy Crust Records erleben. "Delinquent" ist eine Sammlung von 12 Songs auf Deutsch in hartem Schwarz-Weiß, - kurze Geschichten im Urban Desperado Style - körperlich schmerzhaft, schön und brutal wie die gegenwärtige Realität. Trotz ihrer Intensität sind sie tanzbar und verströmen eine unerwartete Leichtigkeit, sogar Humor. An der Seite von Mona Mur: Ralf Goldkind (bekannt durch Lucilectric und Die Fantastischen 4), Co-Produzent und Co-Autor von "Delinquent". Goldkinds hypnotische Twang-Gitarren und Minimal-Elektronik-Loops fungieren als kraftvolle Auslöser für den Elektro-Rock'n'Roll, der auf diesem Album zu hören ist. Die Zusammenarbeit zwischen Mona Mur und Ralf Goldkind hat einen knalligen und eingängigen Sound hervorgebracht. Goldkind, Hitproduzent und Punk der ersten Stunde, zeigte sich begeistert, endlich das Mona Mur-Album zu realisieren, von dem er schon immer geträumt hatte. Die Musik von Mona Mur ist eine einzigartige Mischung aus düsteren und intensiven Emotionen, die in einem elektrisierenden Soundgewand verpackt sind. Mit "Delinquent" setzt sie ein eindrucksvolles Zeichen in der Welt der alternativen Musik. "Delinquent" wird die Fans begeistern und neue Hörer in ihren Bann ziehen. Als Gastvokalistinnen sind Anja Huwe (X Mal Deutschland), Bettina Köster (Malaria) und Annika Line Trost (Cobra Killer) zu hören.

With their profound take on electronic music, Animistic Beliefs have steadily solidified their spot in the global underground. Influenced by cultural concepts such as ancestry, animism and mythology, as well as the languages of political techno, punk, bubbling and IDM, Linh Luu and Marvin Lalihatu consistently translate their visions into sensitive productions as well as high-octane live performances. On MERDEKA, the artists explore and embrace their cultural heritage in all of its pride, pain and complexity. It symbolizes Animistic Beliefs' breaking free, coming to terms with their changing selves and letting go of external expectations. The record rethinks childhood memories, confronts the generational trauma left by (post-)colonialism, and re-connects Linh and Marvin â?? respectively of Vietnamese-Chinese and Dutch-Moluccan descent â?? with their formative cultures. MERDEKA marks their first step in an overall departure from western club music. For its layered sound, Animistic Beliefs once again draw from the past, present and future of global club music, creating a sonic space where fast techno, warped breakbeats and ambient soundscapes make way for the augmented influence of (Southeast Asian) tribal music. The record incorporates Indonesian scales and recordings of the Tahuri (a wind instrument made out of a conch shell), Totobuang (Gamelan-like gongs) and Tifa drums, known as â??the Moluccan heartbeatâ??. In true Animistic Beliefs fashion, MERDEKA will set fire to sweltering clubs and (sleepless) dreams. Yet, for the artists, it is essential to amplify the stories that spark that flame and keep it burning. The release of MERDEKA follows CACHE/SPIRIT, their ongoing collaboration with visual artist Jeisson Drenth, which extensively explores the artistsâ?? intersectional identities. As such, the latest album is the next step within a bigger, introspective investigation. More unapologetic than ever, MERDEKA embodies a turning point on Animistic Beliefsâ?? ongoing journey towards self-acceptance â?? fuelled by the sound of urgency.

"Whiskey For The Holy Ghost" ist das zweite Soloalbum von MARK LANEGAN und erschien ursprünglich am 18. Januar 1994. Es baut auf dem Roots Music Fundamet auf, das LANEGAN mit seinem Solodebüt "The Winding Sheet" errichtete. Veröffentlicht während der Grunge Explosion der frühen Neunziger ist das Album ein schöner Anhaltspunkt, um LANEGANs wachsende Reife als Songwriter und Sänger in den Vordergrund zu stellen. Auf der textlichen Ebene taucht LANEGAN weiter in die düstere Seite der menschlichen Existenz ein - so wie bei "Borracho" und dem biblischen "Pendulum". "House A Home" erschien seinerzeit als Single mit dem passenden Video. Dan Peters von MUDHONEY taucht als Gast auf dem Album auf und spielt Schlagzeug bei den Songs "Borracho" und "House A Home".

New Zealand juggernaut Fat Freddy’s Drop return with a new studio album, ‘Special Edition Part 1’, due for digital release on 15th November, with 2LP Vinyl and CD following up on 10th January. The 45rpm vinyl edition is produced with
a different track order across four sides and promises to deliver super fat loud audio.

Part 1 of a double album, ‘Special Edition Part 1’, comprises of six tracks of which ‘Raleigh Twenty’, ‘Trickle Down’ and
‘Six-Eight Instrumental’ were written and recorded undercover at the band’s Wellington studio, BAYS, while the other
tracks; ‘Special Edition, ‘Kamo Kamo’, and ‘OneFourteen’, have all been developed and evolved from the band’s celebrated live jam sessions, whilst on the road in front of audiences worldwide.
Supremely crafted at Freddy’s own BAYS studio in hometown Wellington, the deep musical and rich vocal layers reflect
Freddy’s inspiration from the black music lexicon and is a response to the crowd energy at their world dominating live
shows.

‘Special Edition Part 1’ is the first release of a long envisaged double album project with separate chapters. The next
journey, Part 2 will be released in 2020 after stringent road-testing with audiences over 35 shows across New Zealand, UK and Europe celebrating the release of the Part 1. These upcoming live performances will allow the band to fully explore new song-writing technology and give rise to a slamming Part 2. The new album follows on from 2015’s ‘BAYS’ LP, which saw support from Financial Times, Resident Advisor, Dummy, the DJ Mag and Clash-acclaimed ‘Blackbird,’ second album ‘Dr Boondigga and the Big BW’ - which gained rave reviews by The Guardian and BBC Music - and the band’s record breaking debut album ‘Based on a True Story’, which went nine times platinum and remained in New Zealand’s top 40 charts for over two years after its release in
2005.
The album cover artwork is by Wellington artist Otis Chamberlain, a continuing evolution from his creation for the its first single ‘Trickle Down’, a work that's morphed from digital cover art to the band’s massive summer tour backdrop and the recently released late-night buttery steppers ‘Kamo Kamo’. Fat Freddy’s Drop have been performing and recording together for more than 15 years, establishing themselves as one of New Zealand's most internationally successful acts. Considered one of the best live experiences in the world, they will embark on their biggest European and UK tour since they sold out a double hitter at London’s 02 Academy Brixton in 2018. Including an already sold out show in Dublin, the band will headline Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena on 29th April 2020, Liverpool’s Invisible Wind Factory on 30th April, returning back to London’s Alexandra Palace on 1st May – the palace was the scene of two triumphant sold out headline concerts in 2014 and 2017 - before heading north to Glasgow’s Barrowland on 3rd May.

On Natura Morta, Sven Wunder is exploring art as a bridge between nature and the human ability to judge and observe in eleven musical compositions with brightly colored textures and an emphasis on vibrant melodies.

Throughout human history, we have depicted the world we live in through art. By reworking what we see in the world, the simplest things have helped us understand the beauty of nature and to evaluate the material world that we have created around us, as a window to a constantly changing reality, through our own perception. It is that absolute reality that appears in the seam of human and nature and that can be revealed through art.

Still life painting, also referred to as Natura Morta (”dead nature”) in Italian, stretches back to ancient times. Some of the earliest works, found in Pompeii, depict commonplace objects such as fresh autumn fruits alongside man-made objects such as a small amphora and a small terracotta heap with dried fruits. These two-thousand-year-old paintings give a snapshot of Roman life, and also creates a link to time and space. A slice of life has been created by binding the earth’s pigments with extracts of oil, made from nuts and seeds, painted with brushes, made from a variety of fibers, such as trees and hair from animals. While life wanes with each brushstroke, by shifting reality into the past, art exists to make us come alive, being a living image of a dead thing, a surface and a symbol with symbolic powers of its own. Still life works celebrate material and ephemeral pleasures by returning to nature as the ultimate source for our standards in art as well as in life itself.

Natura Morta collects pieces from a continuous variety of melodies — supported by a decisive rhythm section — creating a musical kaleidoscope of ever-changing colors. Sven Wunder brings life into this rich assortment of musical implications by fusing and combining melodic instruments with each other in a setting that spans from a classical to a modern idiom. The author evokes this panoramic portrait by articulating an instrumental dialog between a chamber orchestra and a jazz ensemble. The result is a musical celebration of material pleasures that also serves as a reminder of the brevity of human life. This album was produced with financial support from the Swedish Arts Council.