BOL is one of Tone Åse’s main projects, a trio that has existed since 1995.
Tone Åse – voice, electronics
Ståle Storløkken – keyboards, sampling
Tor Haugerud – drums, electronics
The Span in their Universe of Electronica is delightfully extensive, from the obsessive to the nearby transparent fragile. Svein Andersen, Aftenposten Oslopuls
More info:www.bol.no
Skylab Audiovision live at verkstedhallen -excerpts:
Åse/Strønen duo
“And what might tomorrow’s sound be, if you could hear it today? Enter a wormhole as you brave Norwegian Tone Åse’s new album Voxpheria (Gigafon), a semi-dissonant duo with percussionist Thomas Stronen. Åse is an unearthly, achingly soulful singer; the two improvise with raw, symbiotic melding of electronicized human and inanimate sound in expressive ‘singularity’. Åse cracks all category orientations apart and invents new language.” The New York City Jazz Record, June 2012
The Åse/Strønen duo-project “Voxpheria”, is the very special soundscape created when these electro-acoustic improvisers join forces: Åse, who through her use of electronics continually seeks to explore and expand the singer’s musical palette, from being the traditional bearer and interpreter of melody and text, to filling the role as a source of sound in an electronic universe, and everything in between. Strønen, who explores the drums and percussion by way of grooves and soundscapes, and utilizing them as a source for electronic processing. They improvise freely with a broad musical field of inspiration, ranging from techno / rock / pop / jazz, through contemporary music to Eastern traditional music.
With their highly personal voices and fingerspitzengefühl they manage to lure you in to their own unique musical universe without losing the thread that brings you safely back down to earth again.
Voxpheria is organic beat-conglomerates that´s messing around with playful linguistics in electronic disguise,transparent orchestration surrounding lyrical vocal lines, and bells in slow motion. And much more. Welcome.
Reviews “Voxpheria”➔
Åse/Johansen/Jonsson: UNDERCOVER
Tone Åse- vocal & electronics
Per Oddvar Johansen- drums & electronics
Krister Jonsson – guitar & electronics
Three dedicated improvisers exploring some of their beloved “standards” from the rock/pop tradition with a more or less free point of departure. Their music is made in the meeting of the acoustic and the electronic, the improvisational frameworks merging with their lyrics and tunes.The three musicians are known as profiled musicians in the field of improvisation from their work in other constellations such as BOL, Trondheim Voices, Marilyn Mazur’s Future Song, The Source, Close Erase, Fredrik Lundin Overdrive and Tore Brunborg kvartett amongst others.
Undercover- Mercy Street (listen)
NORCD (2007)
Katalognr.: NORCD0772
SKYLAB 6:37 (listen)
EARTH CONTROL 2:24
DEADLY HOUSEWIFE 4:29
HUSH 6:01
BRIEFING 0:18
THE FAT GIRL’S REVENGE 5:57
SPINNING 4:30 (listen)
WITHOUT A SOUND 4:46
BURNING 7:32
SINGING AGAIN 5:05
SKYLAB II 5:24
CURLING LEGS (2005)
Catalog no.: CLPCD89
SILVER SUN 7:30
CARING 2:50
CALLING TO MYSELF 3:39
FORBIDDEN ACTS 5:32
CURIOUS 4:22
WEDDING SONG 6:11
COULD I BE THERE 5:01
WARRIOR 7:19
SONG TREAD LIGHTLY 5:15
VIA MUSIC (2001)
Katalognr.: VCD383
TIME 4:21
DANCING 4:31
THE FLYING SNAKE 4:39
TURKISH MARCH 4:10
BASED ON A TRUE STORY 5:02
ANTONIN A. 7:30
EVIGHETENS VEI 3:32
3 3:59
GOGIKK 4:27
EG KOMME TE Å SE 2:10
CURLING LEGS (2002)
Catalog no.: CLPCD70
EDEN SOM PROLOG 2:34
BABY WON´T YOU PLEASE COME HOME 2:15
DIXIELAND 2:02
I´M ON MY WAY 3:03
IKAROS I MIKROKOSMOS 2:36
VED JOMFRUDØMMETS PORT 1:40
BLAME IT ON MY YOUTH – ONANIVERSJONEN 2:46
PRELUDIUM I NOTRE-DAME 1:14
SKJØNNHETEN OG UDYRET 1:35
POSTLUDIUM TIL NOTRE-DAME 3:10
JEG ER INGEN HURRAGUTT 1:09
SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME 1:37
TRICOLOR 1:55
IF YOU WHERE MINE 1:34
FORESTILLINGEN OM DEG 1:22
FINE AN MELLOW/ AFTER YOU´VE GONE 2:22
VÅREN 2:05
VI ER HAVREN 1:27
VIET GUD 1:20
GEE BABY AIN´T I GOOD TO YOU 2:37
BLAME IT ON MY YOUTH – SOLVEIGVERSJONEN 4:22
BELG 1:41
KAMELER OG KOMPROMISSER 1:35
VÆREN 2:27
NOBODY KNOWS YOU 3:47
EDEN SOM EPILOG 1:16
CURLING LEGS (1999)
Catalog no.: CLPCD50
THERE WAS A LITTLE GIRL 1:52
BROTHERHOOD 4:12
KEDO 4:07
TETT 4:02
TOUCHING YOU I SAY 6:57
CAIDA 5:38
JILL AND JACK 3:25
DOMSTOL 3:02
MASKINELL 3:14
KJØNNSROLLER 3:47
SOM EN BØLGE BØLGER 6:23
OPPLEVELSE 2:22
PETIT VOCALISE 3:14
CURLING LEGS (1996)
Catalog no.: CLPCD26
TAILPIECE 0:55
WHOWHATWHENWHERE 2:47
RÈSUMÉ 2:11
I WON’T GROW UP 3:36
PROVERB 14:29
COMMENT 0:36
EXTEMPORANEA 1:54
OST I OST 3:42
BLACK COFFEE 5:44
WOMEN 1:14
MEN 2:40
SLEEP 3:01
The voice and the machine and the voice in the machine (- now you see me, now you don’t)
For the period of oct 2008- jan.2012 , I was a fellow researcher at NTNU Department of Music, as part of the The National Norwegian Artistic Research Fellowships Programme
For this 3-year project I explored new possibilities and roles as a vocalist, working with the combination of electronic processing of voice sound and acoustic voice sound in realtime ensemble improvisation. Further, I explored artistic possibilities in the continuum ranging from narrative speech (with referential meaning) to ”abstract”, processed sound (without referential meaning – if this is possible) within the same performance/form. This I did within the format of a solo performance
These two approaches to performing, containing a mix of processed and acoustic voice sounds, was partly overlapped and partly focused on in two different types of artistic products.
The end results of this project , january 2012 , was :
– Concerts, with some of the musical settings I had been working with.These ensembles represents different frameworks for improvisation within a contemporary European jazz/impro tradition.
– A performance; a musical ”monologue” that explored and combined my roles as storyteller and musician, with vocal expressions ranging from referential to non- referential meaning/abstracted voice sound, and the field inbetween. .
– Studio recordings and live recordings of the musical projects, both released as cd and/or made available on my website.
– A web document connected to this webpage, where examples of my solo work and recordings of the different settings I have been working with through the period will be connected to my written reflections and findings.
My goal was, as an improvising vocalist, to develop and refine new musical strategies and technics, both regarding the electronic processing and manipulation of voice sound, and regarding the experience of meaning in sound.
