Afenginn

Psychedelic forest trolls hit the sky


For years Denmark’s Afenginn have maintained a bewilderingly high level in terms of composition, expression, and originality. At concerts audiences have been dazzled by a music, which features a very nordic tone, while sometimes reaching a tempo that few can follow. The rest of the world has been more than attentive, and the band has only recently returned from Australia, where they were the main act at several festival, to find themselves on the more humble stage of Global, but with an audience respondig well to the songs, which were taken primarily from the most recent album. The name is Lux, and it represents a quantum leap for the orchestra. Kim Nyberg has composed a suite of tunes with their own fervor, that steer clear of the energetic ska or klezmer characteristics of before.

The band played beautifully on this evening. The new Swedish bass player, Erik Olevik, transcended the usual role by playing a cello exstensively. He manipulated its sound with an octave pedal, so he could both play in the lower regions of the bass, but also accompany Niels Skovmand’s violin when required. Front man Kim Nyberg had added extra dimensions to his playing. Various sound effects gave almost psychedelic qualities, as if he has decided that the four double strings is the best impetus for sounds usually associated with the guitar. Out came music which in its construction reminded me of some of the weirder bands from the time of Swedish and Finnish progressive rock, as well as Hedningarna, that have always served as their source of inspiration since the beginning a good ten years ago.

And yet, Afenginn has its own unique identity. The tunes from the most recent album Lux – and let me take this opportunity to wholeheartedly recommend this masterpiece from last year – took on a shamanic quality on stage. Live the tunes generated a trance-inducing vibe, while sounds appeared that made me think of composers like Debussy. Before the end of the show, in which Afenginn got the whole audience singing along, we were all part of a lost and mysterious fatherland, and we had just rediscovered our national anthem, before they put they let their hair down with the burgeoning classic Iguana Segregatis and its outlandish choir, and its folk music going full blast.

Here in 2014, Afenginn is a band which delivers a unique experience. They master the deep-felt Nordic blues and intelligent musical progressions, where no form of rhythm seems impossible and is added on the fly with breathtaking virtuosity. One moment they play with subdued beauty, only to raise hell the next creating an ubridled celebration in which everyone is dancing their own dance with a band that is truly… unique.

It was an exquisite experience to be in the company of Afenginn last night.

Copyright of Torben Holleufer, Gaffa A/S



Translated by bopalle.com - GAFFA

" It's an album to delight and astonish, and easily the best of their career, taking them further and further from any pigeonhole? Definitely not Danish, other than most of the musicians, not folk, not jazz, not quite classical. It's Afenginn music. And, as ever, the packaging is wonderful. " "

Chris Nickson, Danish Music - Chirs Nickson

"Some kind of indefinable central European Balkan music with klezmer elements and classical influences. A very unique kind of music. Lux is the band's fifth album but my first, so I'm only now discovering a phenomenon that had great success on the continent. But I understand why." "

Mats Palmquist, LIRA - Mats Palmquist, LIRA

"LUX is an extrordinary well composed, well played and well produced whole, that has everything to pave the path for an international breakthrough..."
"a new, nostalgic and focused masterpiece!" " - Ivan Rod, Gaffa

Denmark's favorite madmen (the closest analogy as far as bizarre humor goes is 3 Mustaphas 3) are back with more of what's become their stock-in-trade: Balkan-influenced original music that veers from the bizarre to the sublime. The music, by mandolin player Kim Nyberg, is delightfully complex and full, bringing in not only the five-piece band but a number of guests here and there.
The musicianship is wonderful throughout (just listen to clarinetist Rasmus Krøyer wail, or the solos from bassist Andrzej krejniuk) and the sence of strange fun is as palpable as on their previous discs (you have to love a band that lists "trash" among their instruments). The liner notes are as interesting and amusing as the music and that's saying a lot. They've developed into a worldclass eccentric group, even though there's little of Denmark in their sound (okay, absolutely nothing). Take them for what they are, which is wonderful, and enjoy. Pure madness! - Sing out!

ou've got to love a band whose Cd booklet starts: "Retrograd ballroom dance instructions for urban moose." But they back up the humour (including the "shocking crach hit" Elg Suite, abouy a moose who swam from Sweden to Denmark), with some excellent music.

Balkan-inflected, but without ever really paying homage to any country or style, their compositions show not only huge imagination, but some severe chops; the bass solo on Kaszubstep has to be one of the most melodic ever recorded.

The Danish band, together since 2002, gets a remarkable full sound for a five-piece. They're not afraid of sudden mood swings, as on Tsar Nob-Yld, a klezmer piece that goes from full-on to classical violin prelude in the blink of an eye. But they're strong on texture too, with thoughtful, imaginative arrangements that tease out the melodies, especially on the fairy epic Nacken. But they reach a sum up the valiant swimming moose and his eventual sad fate (he was hit by a train and yes, it's a true story).

It's melodic, witty, and complex, a distillation of all Afenginn do. And they do a lot. On the CD they hint at Turkish, klezmer, Balkan, and even Mongolian music. At times they sound like a circus band that's escaped the asylum, but that's part of their joy.
They're shockingly good, with imaginations and technique that won't quit. If there's justice, they'll be huge.

Chris Nickson, fROOTS no. 274, April 2006
www.frootsmag.com - fRoots, Chris Nickson

Prog Archives: Reptilica Polaris
CD: Reptilica Polaris - ?????x


Reptilica Polaris is the third full length studio album from Danish avant garde act Afenginn. From the first notes it's unmistakably Afenginn you're listening to, but keep listening and you'll soon be surprised, because Afenginn has incorporated a new and very different element into their sound on Reptilica Polaris which means that it stands out from their first two albums Retrograd from 2004 and Akrobakkus from 2006.

Retrograd was a crazy bastard of an album. Strange and mostly uptempo avant garde songs with both ethnic Scandinavian and Balkan folk elements. Read more
You'll also find jazz and classical chamber music elements on that album. It's almost fully intrumental. Akrobakkus holds the same elements but adds a melancholic and beautiful touch to Afenginn's music. I'm very fond of both of those albums. The intrumentation is very organic. Intruments like clarinet, Violin, mandolin, mandocello and various sort of percussion are very prominant in the soundscape.

The new element Afenginn adds to their sound on Reptilica Polaris is a big choir. It's a significant change to their sound but what a powerful and sometimes symphonic element. Reptilica Polaris is a concept album and all songs seque into each other and form a long suite. The choir also means that there are actual lyrics on the album. The lyrics are a hilarious mix of latin and Danish ( maybe a bit of English too) and showcase Afenginn's great humour. The music is mostly melancholic ( which is a strange contrast to the hilarious lyrics), but the uptempo folky balkan parts still appear in songs like Iguana Segregatis and Massacre Gnu allthough they are not as dominant a part of Afenginn's music as they used to be. Another new feature in Afenginn's music appears in Hosianna Reinkarnator which for the first time as far as I can remember has ordinary drums.

There's a change to the lineup compared to the lineup on Akrobakkus from 2006 as bassist Andrzej Krejniuk has left Afenginn. He is replaced by Aske Jacoby on Reptilica Polaris. Aske Jacoby is one of the most prolific session musicians in Denmark. He has played with bands like News, C.V. Jørgensen, Sanne Salomonsen, Thomas Helmig, Kasper Winding and Danseorkesteret ( all famous Danish artists). According to his wiki page he has participated on more than two houndred albums since 1979. He usually plays guitar but he plays bass on Reptilica Polaris. The rest of the musicians are outstanding too. Composer Kim Nyberg needs to be given a special mention for his excellent compositional skills.

The production is beautiful and organic. One of the better productions IŽve heard in a while.

I have to mention the beautiful cover artwork on Reptilica Polaris too. A strange picture of a reptile riding a whale says a lot about the humour on this album, but the deep blue colours also tell you about the melancholic side of the music. Seldom has a cover been more suiting IMO.

Reptilica Polaris is an excellent album. This is not hard to access avant garde with strange dissonant sounds and weird time signatures. Reptilica Polaris is actually a pretty melodic album and even though it's very challenging I think it's fairly easy to access. This is a well deserved BIG 4 star rating. Challenge yourself with something unusual and give Reptilica Polaris a chance. It certainly deserves the attention. We can expect even greater things from Afenginn in the future.

Prog Archives - www.progarchives.com
- Prog Archives

Rumours about this five-piece Bastard Ethno Orchestra being a concert blast had already reached my ears. The debut-album had for some time been an exiting feature at my home stereo. But that the concert would be a mixture of a rejoicing audience and musical extravaganza was a bit unexpected, but it was certainly nice to see that these two ingredients can be combined in the same package.

When music is at its best, it can make you high and Afenginn succeeded in doing so with their energetic blend of Scandinavian folk music, Jewish music traditions and a pushing, punk-like energy, which was followed up by a line of anecdotes and of an effortless and glowing ensemble playing. Nowhere this was stressed more than in the bands tour de force, the "Elk Suite" - a composition in four movements, describing the poor elk, which in 1999 strayed into Denmark from Sweden just to loose its life, abruptly killed by a train. Not only was the piece introduced excellently � the fourth movement was described as the resurrection of the animal after being smashed by the front of the "Death Train" - but musically it contained all to wish for: From shouting sing along to quiet melancholy to an outright pulverizing culmination. Everything provided with an energy and humour that could make even the greatest pessimist smile and stamp his feet on the floor.

The optimal conditions to experience Afenginn would be in a cosy venue with sand on the floor � for it is definitely funny, popular and amusing. But luckily it is not in a banal, poor way. For at the SPOT festival the band proved, that is possible to have a broad appeal without being dumb and crazy - on the contrary they showed that you can experiment tremendously, especially with mixing genres without being stiff, unsympathetic and self-centred. For that very fact it is worth stopping by, if Afenginn is visiting your local venue.

Link: www.geiger.dk Steffen B. Pedersen, GEIGER - Geiger

Sing Out!: Reptilica Polaris
CD: Reptilca Polaris


For their new venture, Denmark's only Balkan-inflected band (maybe) have gone decidedly all arty, producing a long work they call symphonic, which is, perhaps, an apt description. As well as having the best packaging ever on a CD (worth the price of admission alone), the epic work not only features the five piece ensemble, but also a 12-piece brass band and a male choir, performing music by band mandolinist Kim Nyberg, with lyrics in a made-up language by Finnish poet Timo Haapaniemi. Phew. Read more
It's epic, ambitious and a decided step on from their previous work. Where that was grounded, this is more abstract, and although the band does a lot, for a portion of the work it's brass and voices that take center stage, although newest Afenginn member Aske Jacoby works a lot, not only on bass, but also guitars (of course, the fact that he's also Denmark's leading session guitarist probably has no influence there ...).
As a work it sprawls comfortably, and there's little of the Balkans to be found here. If anything, there are hints of Russia--which might be due to the beefy male choir--as well as Sweden in some of the melodies. It's a demanding piece, and the band themselves are more than up to it (violin and clarinet have some gorgeously lyrical passages), confirming Nyberg as an important young composer.
It's serious, without the obvious playfulness that's characterized their earlier work, but there's a maturity and gravitas about it that's very satisfying. Time will tell if this is an important work, but it's certainly impressive and vital in Afenginn's career.--CN

Chris Nickson, Sing Out!, August 2008. www.singout.com
- Sing Out!

Sing Out!: Reptilica Polaris
CD: Reptilca Polaris


For their new venture, Denmark's only Balkan-inflected band (maybe) have gone decidedly all arty, producing a long work they call symphonic, which is, perhaps, an apt description. As well as having the best packaging ever on a CD (worth the price of admission alone), the epic work not only features the five piece ensemble, but also a 12-piece brass band and a male choir, performing music by band mandolinist Kim Nyberg, with lyrics in a made-up language by Finnish poet Timo Haapaniemi. Phew. Read more
It's epic, ambitious and a decided step on from their previous work. Where that was grounded, this is more abstract, and although the band does a lot, for a portion of the work it's brass and voices that take center stage, although newest Afenginn member Aske Jacoby works a lot, not only on bass, but also guitars (of course, the fact that he's also Denmark's leading session guitarist probably has no influence there ...).
As a work it sprawls comfortably, and there's little of the Balkans to be found here. If anything, there are hints of Russia--which might be due to the beefy male choir--as well as Sweden in some of the melodies. It's a demanding piece, and the band themselves are more than up to it (violin and clarinet have some gorgeously lyrical passages), confirming Nyberg as an important young composer.
It's serious, without the obvious playfulness that's characterized their earlier work, but there's a maturity and gravitas about it that's very satisfying. Time will tell if this is an important work, but it's certainly impressive and vital in Afenginn's career.--CN

Chris Nickson, Sing Out!, August 2008. www.singout.com
- Sing Out!