Aarset is a different kind of guitarist, one who knows the tonal capabilities of his instrument and ignores them, creating new ones. His adventurism is infectiously enthusiastic. This is pure sound for sound’s sake alone and, as such, is a mighty testament to the width and breath of this guitarist’s dyssey. Maybe keep searching like this for years to come. Bravo!
This hallucinatory fusion of experimental rock, avant-garde, ambient and noise is a thoroughly engrossing trip to Aarset’s mystified musical cosmos.
Phantasmagoria is a wonder.
Eivind Aarset has always been referred to as a master in the use of pedals and effects for his guitar. In “Panthasma-goria” the effects dissolve the hierarchies connecting the instruments to each other in a chameleonic circuit, which generates new sophisticated textures.
Today, there are a lot of practitioners of the electro-acoustic, rock-oriented style of jazz that once upon a time only Eivind Aarset and a handful of others were doing. But as Phantasmagoria, or A Different Kind of Journey shows, there’s currently no one who’s doing it better than he does.
When Eivind Aarset debuted on Jazzland with Electronique Noire back in 1998, it was clear he was a guitarist with a conception and style quite unlike any guitarist, past or present - in fact, he seemed to be sending us messages from the future. Almost a quarter of a century later he still retains a sorcerer´s zeal as an electronic colorist.
Norwegian jazzers take on space rock - Phantasmagoria, or A Different Kind of Journey instantly sets its controls for an excursion into the interstellar void between gaseous and solid objects.
Aarset favours textural expression in a way that deepens the dreamlike ambiance of the playing and shows himself to be an endlessly versatile player who's as comfortable dishing out engulfing washes as sharp-edged slabs.
Norwegian guitarist Eivind Aarset has a unique sound print, expressionistic and immediately recognizable, layered and incorporating elements of ambient music, psychedelic rock and art-rock, modern jazz and noise, and intensified with electronic sonic manipulations and addictive grooves. «Phantasmagoria, or A Different Kind of Journey» is another chapter in Aarset’s multifaceted sonic experience.
As a musician that’s always pushed his instrument past its intended boundaries, Aarset keeps his ears open to any tweak or modification that gets him over his musical goal line. On Phantasmagoria, those tweaks just happen to include stripping down to more traditional methods of guitaring. It’s not a step backward, but a simultaneous rediscovery and addition of another incisive arrow to his quiver.
However far out Aarset travels, he never loses touch with melody, and his ninth album as a leader
could be his best.
Eivind Aarset’s ‘Phantasmagoria’ is a modern masterpiece [...] You might have trouble defining the elements inside Eivind Aarset's sound. You also probably won't care as the magnificent sounds wash over you.
Aarset vereint das Beste aus den Welten Ambient-Jazz und psychedelischem Rock.
Grandios vielschichtige, rhythmisch wie melodisch vertrackte, beinhart zupackende Überwältigungsartistik.
Eine Reise, die das Innere beseelen kann.
Sphärische Instrumentalstücke schaffen einen weiteren Meilenstein im Schaffensdrang Eivind Aarsets.. Zeitlos!
Zwischen Ambient Jazz, Psychedelic und Kraturock-Anleihen steigern sich Aarset und seine Mannen in eine Art Trance, der man als Hörer auf Anhieb erliegen muss.
Richtungsweisend und bahnbrechend.
Die große Kunst dieses beeindruckenden Musikers... Großartiger und breitformatiger Trip durch Zeiten und Räume.
An apotheosis of rare quality that will reverberate for a long time to come. [...] Experiencing Aarset with this rhythm unit was nothing less
than a bold dream. Aarset's wild calmness integrated his many sonic sides here in full grandeur.
Guitarist Eivind Aarset is tickeling the ears by bulding up immersive musical worlds from thickly stacked textures. However far out Aarset travels, he never loses touch with melody.
Eivind nimmt den Hörer auf seinem neuen Album auf eine wundervolle Reise mit.
Der Gitarren- und Sound-Magier lädt zum chillig-aufregenden Avantgarde-Happening. Klangglück für offene Ohren und Gemüter - eine Reise, die das Innere beseelen kann.
Aarset remains a tinkerer of tones, who inscribes weight and character into each individual when he adds it to his hypnotically rhythmic sound paintings. It increases and rests in itself.
Aarset shows the roots of its origins on this great and wide-format trip through times and spaces without nostalgia. Art rock, ambient and beats dominate the sound, effects and clear guitar sound meander up to blissful Krautrock borrowings that are brought into an imaginary present.
It is groundbreaking, with what thirst for adventure Eivind Aarset creates with other free spirits like Arve Henriksen (trumpet) and Jan Bang (electronics) meditative-spherical to impulsive-dynamic sound worlds.
His style is always unique.
Eivind Aarset is one of the most important Scandinavian jazz / avant-garde artists.
Wie diese Band den Zuhörer auf eine Klangreise durch Beats, geheimnisvolle Sounds und Reminiszenzen mitnahm, war wunderbar zu erleben.
Aarset entfaltet ein beeindruckendes Klangpanorama, in dem seine oft stark verfremdete Gitarre allgegenwärtig ist und von verzerrten Attacken bis zu an elektronische Störgeräusche erinnernde Sounds eine breite Klangpalette abdeckt.
Norway's most exciting guitarist Eivind Aarset lets off steam with a grandiose band and guests such as trumpeter Arve Henriksen. As the playing time increases, the album becomes darker, only to move back into more peaceful realms.