After a collaborative studio session in Bergen, Norway 20 years ago, which sadly only resulted in a distorted tape, Bjørn Torske and Prins Thomas reunite to make music.
Bjørn Torske is a figurehead and grand old man of the electronic music scene in Norway, inspiring and laying the foundation for producers like Prins Thomas, Lindstrøm and Todd Terje. Torske and Thomas’s relationship goes back to the mid 90’s when they first bonded over a shared passion for oddball disco, dub and Detroit techno. ‘Square One,’ the first collaborative album between Torske and Thomas, completes their cycle of cosmic inspiration and education.
‘Square One’ is a collection of loose, abstract and free-form avant-disco jams (parallel world disco, maybe?). Whatever you call it, the album is a labour of love that shares a sound both Torske and Thomas have continuously adventured towards. Here they finally are, at square one.
The album was recorded live at Taakeheimen Studio in Oslo during the spring of 2015 with both Torske and Thomas playing an instrument in each overdub, piling the layers of sounds on top of each other. A year later, they took the now edited tracks and mixed them down in live takes with all hands on the desk in Malabar, another Oslo studio. After a couple of rounds with some very blunt scissors, the tracks became what are now included on the album.
‘Square One’ is a meeting of two minds, and probably as close to their musical soul as you can get.
| A1 | On U | 6:45 |
| A2 | Arthur | 7:05 |
| B1 | 12 Volt | 9:24 |
| B2 | Arthur's Return | 2:58 |
| C1 | K16 Del 1 | 5:59 |
| C2 | Steintongt | 5:03 |
| D1 | Kappe Tre | 6:10 |
| D2 | K16 Del 2 | 4:44 |
