001Biosphere-Cirque

Let's start things out here. So, I've been meaning to do this for awhile. Here goes...

Biosphere - Cirque (Touch 2000) (320)

This is my favorite album of his, even though Substrata is probably better.

Gorgeous ambience.

Here's the obligatory Boomkat review:

'Cirque' was originally released by Touch seven years ago in 2000, and they have finally seen fit to re-issue the record so those of us who missed it first time around can hear what all the fuss was about. Interestingly too, it hasn't dated much at all - of course there are things where you have to think about the context of the time, but Jenssen's expert blend of minimal dub-leaning techno and gorgeous ambience is masterful and hugely enjoyable. This is where he really began to experiment beat structures and the framework of 'dance' music, yet he submerged the rhythmic elements so far beneath his expertly crafted drones and field recordings that it's difficult to place this in the same genre as more dancefloor oriented work. Take the Basic Channel influenced 'When I Leave'; vinyl crackle and dissonant pads float around gloriously before being punctured by a pulsating bassline and then a simple, minimal 4/4 thud to bring the track together perfectly. Elsewhere 'Iberia Eterea' takes a jazzy hi-hat rhythm and pushes it through a haze of lo-fidelity noise and buzzing synthesizer drones giving it the quality of an ancient movie seen through the eyes of David Lynch. It's easy to see on this album where acts such as Deaf Center managed to mine so much inspiration - Geir Jenssen's work has served to influence so much modern electronic music that it is almost crucial to re-visit everything the man has to offer. A gorgeous record - buy.

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