The Shadow of a Soundtrack

Søren Gemmer & Jessie Kleemann: »Lone Wolf Runner«

Kristoffer Møllegaard. © Kristoffer Møllegaard

As is often the case with soundtracks, musician and composer Søren Gemmer and the Greenlandic-Danish visual artist Jessie Kleemann tread a fine line on Lone Wolf Runner, whose music was originally written as the soundtrack to Kleemann’s performances of the same name in 2023 at the National Museum. How much of the original purpose (here, Kleemann’s performances) can and should be taken out of the equation for an album release to make sense?

In the PR material, the album is presented, among other things, as a postcolonial critique and an exploration of transcultural questions, which at first glance seems highly compelling – not least in light of the current geopolitical situation in which Greenland suddenly finds itself at the center. On a purely musical level, however, the release is not as gripping as one might have hoped. It lacks a stronger anchoring in a sense of purpose behind the music. Without having experienced Kleemann’s original performance, my impression is that the absence of precisely this aspect has left gaps too large for the otherwise, in many ways, intriguing music to fill on its own. Lone Wolf Runner is filled with references and hints of drama and storytelling that never quite come into their own.

There are nevertheless many interesting and exciting moments: Kleemann’s poetic voice, shifting not only between Greenlandic and Danish, but also between heavily vocoder-processed and seemingly untreated vocals. The atonal, hesitant, yet beautiful piano melodies in, among others, »The Dancer« and »Marble«, which create calm moments infused with tension. The industrial »The Skin«, halfway through the album, plants doubt about which direction the music is leading the listener. But in the end, Lone Wolf Runner lacks precisely what was cut away in the album’s process of becoming: a performance that can bind it all together.

playlist

06.04

My name is Håkon Berre – would you like to see my playlist?

»Music for me is a world full of sound that you can explore, juggle with, systematize, be inspired by and form a starting point for meetings between people across cultures and generations.«

Håkon Berre (b. 1980) has made his mark as a central figure on the Danish improvised music scene. His practice is characterized by an expanded approach to percussion, where both traditional instruments and everyday objects – such as doorbells, tin plates, chains and kitchen utensils – are included in a nuanced and often unpredictable sonic expression. He has performed at clubs and festivals internationally and collaborated with a wide range of notable musicians, including Peter Brötzmann, Phil Minton, Axel Dörner, John Tchicai, Jamie Branch and Otomo Yoshihide. Berre contributes to an extensive discography with more than 40 releases, many of which on the artist-run label Barefoot Records, which he co-founded. He has also composed and arranged music for theatre and exhibitions, and worked on interactive sound installations shown in museums in Denmark and Germany. He is active in a number of ensembles and collaborations, including Ytterlandet, TEETH, VÍÍK and Mirror Matter, as well as in various duo and quartet constellations.

playlist

03.04

My name is James Black – would you like to see my playlist?

»Music is a deep, but not serious, spiritual practice, in which creator, collaborator, and consumer alike are their own personal pope.«

James Black (b. 1990) is a composer, performer, and artistic director of Klang Festival – Copenhagen Experimental Music. Originally from Bristol, England, they moved to Copenhagen in 2013. Black's works have attracted a large amount of attention both nationally and internationally for their signature combination of artistic courage and vulnerability, described by the Danish Arts Council as »a universe of real madness where everything goes«. Their work is a deep and personal exploration of topics such as religion, loss, and queer identity, that is unafraid to be stupid or serious in any direction.

playlist

02.04

My name is Christian Juncker – would you like to see my playlist?

»Music is just something for me.«

Christian Juncker is a Danish musician and songwriter who has released a number of Danish-language albums. He debuted in 1995 with the band Bloom. Together with his friend Jakob Groth Bastiansen, he formed the duo Juncker in 2002. He is also behind the Christmas carol »Luk julefreden ind« from 2024.

playlist

01.04

My name is Idan Elmalem – would you like to see my playlist?

»Music, for me, reveals the emptiness of boundaries and definitions – in consciousness, in space, and in music itself.«

Idan Elmalem is an oud player and composer working across world and popular music, now presenting his debut instrumental EP and live performance project. Following years of collaboration within the Israeli music scene, he turns toward a more personal and intimate musical voice, blending traditional oud with a contemporary sensibility. Influenced by his studies with master Nissim Dakwar, Elmalem’s music explores the space between tradition and innovation. His debut EP, Time, features three live-recorded pieces that move between past, present, and future, combining classical Arabic and Persian elements with jazz, minimalism, and cinematic sound. Based in Tel Aviv, Elmalem draws on his Moroccan-Danish heritage in his work. He is a graduate of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Ethnomusicology at the University of Haifa, alongside his work as a player and composer.

31.03

Local Forces Behind New Electronic Festival in Aalborg

On May 29, the Aalborg-based collective Datahaven9000 takes over the venue Skråen, transforming its main hall into a concentrated one-day festival of electronic music. The event is part of the concert series Bystanders #3, where the stage is handed over to local scenes rather than the venue’s in-house programming.