in brieflive
24.02.2025

Dido and Doom

Vinterjazz: Alice: Slim0
Alice, 22.02
© Slim0
© Martin Funder Martin Funder

Doom was in the air when Slim0 took the stage on Saturday night at a sold-out Alice. In October, the band released the 17-track album FORGIVENESS—an album that takes a slow step into the riff-laden terrain of stoner rock. For this evening’s occasion, the Slim0 trio had been expanded with a lineup featuring Agnete Hannibal on cello, Aase Nielsen on saxophone, and Johan Polder on bass.

The sound exists somewhere between the English singer Dido, the drone-metal band Earth, and the drill trio Shooter Gang from Trillegården – an abstract comparison that hardly does justice to the uniqueness of the songs, as Slim0’s long referential tentacles stretch far beyond the music’s sharp contrasts. With its sacral-sounding choir and heavy drum passages, the single »Trenches« fit perfectly into the live setting. The darkness and the shifts between the three vocalists – from shared harmonies to growl – intensified the theatrical metal expression.

In a similar way, a nostalgic sigh arose when Dido’s catchy vocal lines from the hit »Thank You« emerged in the double cover »I Have But One Heart.« The perhaps lesser-known instrumental part, consisting of Earth’s »Coda Maestro in F Flat Minor«, turned the piece into a prime example of Slim0’s referential swamp brew. Although the many contrasts made for a rather epic concert, they also left me feeling somewhat conflicted. Conflicted because I genuinely enjoy Slim0’s heavy and fragmented universe, yet the lack of voluminous weight left me craving a more bone-rattling sound that could carve the sharp contrasts even more deeply. Hunger for more doom is certainly not a bad feeling, and I look forward to hearing the epic expression grow louder and even heavier.

Slim0
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playlist
22.10

My name is Kaspar Kaae – would you like to see my playlist?

© Paw Ager

»For me, music is about curiosity and surprises – yet it’s also something in which you can feel right at home. Music resides within us all, in a physical way that sets it apart from any other art form. To me, music is something greater than the individual – something that will always outlive the individual. The good stuff, in other words ;) « 

Kaspar Kaae is an award-winning film composer, music producer, and songwriter, known for his work with bands such as CODY and Bug Chaser. He holds a Master’s degree in film composition from SDMK.  He has previously been a guitarist in a number of bands on the Danish indie scene, such as CODY, Broken Twin, and Bug Chaser. The latter is releasing the album My First Crippled Love in November. He was born in 1983 on Bornholm, but has lived in Copenhagen and Berlin throughout his adult life.

playlist
21.10

My name is Francesco Rista – would you like to see my playlist?

© PR

»Music is like a black hole that sucks you in and shoots you out on the other side of the universe.«

Francesco Rista is a guitarist working across classical and electric guitar. His recordings have been reviewed by international music magazines and broadcast on BBC and RAI Radio 3. After studying at the Royal Danish Academy of Music and Lund University, he focused on studio recordings, exploring guitar repertoire from the Baroque and Romantic periods to contemporary music, as well as the instrument’s varied tonal possibilities. Rista is currently based in Iceland, where he teaches guitar, composes music, and collaborates with contemporary composers.

 

news
21.10

David Hildebrandt Receives Award From the Wilhelm Hansen Foundation

© Villads Hoffmann
© Villads Hoffmann

Percussionist and composer David Hildebrandt is honoured for his virtuosic work with new music and his efforts to push the boundaries of what rhythm can be.

David Hildebrandt is among the recipients of this year’s honorary awards from the Wilhelm Hansen Foundation. He receives DKK 200,000 in recognition of his uncompromising work with new music and multi-percussion, as well as his ability to challenge conventional ideas about rhythm.

news
20.10

Winners of the 2026 Nordic Council Music Prize announced

© Thor Brødreskift
© Thor Brødreskift
The 2026 Nordic Council Music Prize goes to Norwegian composers Kristine Tjøgersen and Benedicte Maurseth for Elja, a suite for the Kronos Quartet and Hardanger fiddle.
 
Rationale
playlist
20.10

My name is Henrik Marstal – would you like to see my playlist?

© Carsten Seidel

»Who ever said that music is ‘just’ music? To me, it is anything but that: an urge to understand and explain it all. A piece of jewelry I wear every single day. A joy that can, at times, run deep. An ever-changing imprint of millions of stitches in my heart. A longing to disappear.«

Henrik Marstal is a musician, author, and music researcher. He holds a PhD in musicology, is a senior lecturer at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory, and frequently appears in the media as an expert source on music. His areas of interest include contemporary music, such as electronic music. This winter, he will release both a new album with the pop group ibens and a book about Else Marie Pade, published by the British publishing house Bloomsbury.