Erik Honoré releases the final album in a trilogy that started with ”Heliographs” (2014) and ”Unrest” (2017). On ”Triage”, Honoré’s sonic collages are constructed from contributions by a stellar ensemble: Sidsel Endresen, Nils Petter Molvær, Arve Henriksen, David Toop, Eivind Aarset, Bjørn Charles Dreyer, Jan Bang, Kirke Karja, Mats Eilertsen and Anders Engen.
Erik Honoré's new solo album emerges as an intriguing exploration of sound, narrative and emotion, intertwining advanced sample-based techniques with literary inspiration and the distinct musical virtuosity of artists like Nils Petter Molvær, Arve Henriksen, and Sidsel Endresen. The compositions are carefully woven together by Honoré, who in addition to live-sampling and other laptop based strategies also worked extensively with synthesizers, treatments and field recordings. Although most of the album is created by Honoré’s restructuring and rearranging of instruments and voices that seldom existed in the same room at the same time, the album maintains the seamless quality that he always strives for in his productions.
Delving deeper into the realm of artistic fusion, ”Triage” also intricately weaves text extracts from writers such as Ezra Pound, Helen Coale Crew and Emily Dickinson, alongside poignant passages from World War 1 medical manuals, and texts by Erik Honoré himself. The texts served as starting points for all nine ”Triage” compositions, although only fragments have survived on tracks like ”The Bone Setter” and ”The Cantos” – the rest has been sacrificed after serving as inspiration for the soundscapes. But in some pieces, the texts are still featured in their entirety: Two Emiliy Dickinson poems, a poem by the lesser known American writer Helen Coale Crew, and the two pieces where Jan Bang sings Erik Honoré’s own lyrics.
This amalgamation creates a rich, metaphor-laden narrative that explores the often-blurred lines between dissonance and harmony that is also evident in the music. "Triage," a term traditionally associated with the process of prioritizing patient care on the battlefield, here serves as a metaphorical framework for the album's exploration of themes such as urgency, recovery, and the discernment of what we hold dear amidst chaos. Each track is a meticulously crafted soundscape where historical and contemporary voices converge, offering a reflective space for listeners to navigate the intricate layers of sound and meaning.
Erik Honoré’s approach invites listeners to explore the interplay between narrative and sound. During the composition, production and mixing phase – always parallel processes in Honoré’s work – Honoré explored the writings, the times, and the turbulent life stories of the featured authors, marked by personal struggles, artistic and ideological contradictions, and lasting brilliance. This inspiration, concrete and metaphorical, infused the music with a raw, authentic energy that should resonate deeply with contemporary listeners.
Through ”Triage,” Erik Honoré invites us on an audacious journey across temporal and emotional landscapes, where the avant-garde meets echoes of the past. The album is not merely a collection of musical ideas, but a carefully curated experience designed to challenge the listener – a profound, multi-dimensional exploration of the human condition.
credits
released September 6, 2024
Produced by Erik Honoré
Composed by Erik Honoré and the featured musicians
Edited and mixed by Erik Honoré at The Green Room, Oslo, 2022-2024
Mastered by Stephan Mathieu at Schwebung Mastering, Bonn
Cover design by Nina Birkeland.
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The Bone Setter
Erik Honoré: live sampling, samples, synthesizer
Sidsel Endresen: voice
Jan Bang: live sampling
Kirke Karja: piano samples
Eivind Aarset: guitar and electronics
Text from ”Early Care Of Gunshot Wounds” (US Surgeon General’s Office), read by Mary Ann Spiegel
Prague
Erik Honoré: samples, live sampling, synthesizer
Nils Petter Molvær: trumpet
Bjørn Charles Dreyer: guitar
Mats Eilertsen: double bass samples
Ingar Zach: percussion samples
Honoré/Molvær recorded live in Prague by Johnny Skalleberg
Hope Is The Thing With Feathers
Erik Honoré: samples, live sampling, synthesizer, synth bass
David Toop: flutes, flute samples
Jan Bang: live sampling
Eivind Aarset: guitar and electronics
Mats Eilertsen: double bass
Anders Engen: drums
Sidsel Endresen: voice samples
Basic tracks recorded live at Punkt 2017 by Sven Persson
Text by Emily Dickinson, read by Maryan Karwan
In A Station Of The Metro
Erik Honoré: live sampling, synthesizer, field recordings
Sidsel Endresen: voice
Arve Henriksen: trumpet
Jan Bang: live sampling
Kirke Karja: piano samples
Text by Ezra Pound, read by Tim Nelson
Triage
Erik Honoré: synthesizer, samples, field recordings
Jan Bang: voice
Text by Erik Honoré
Pain Has An Element Of Blank
Erik Honoré: samples, programming, synthesizer, field recordings
Sidsel Endresen: voice
Eivind Aarset: guitar and electronics
Maja S. K. Ratkje: radio samples
Text by Emily Dickinson, read by Becky Miller
At Ease On Lethe Wharf
Erik Honoré: synthesizer
Arve Henriksen: trumpet
Text by Helen Coale Crew, read by Carol Box
The Cantos
Erik Honoré: samples, rhythm programming, synthesizer
Arve Henriksen: trumpet
Bjørn Charles Dreyer: steel guitar
Snorre Kiil Saga: bass
Text fragments by Ezra Pound
Tourniquet
Erik Honoré: samples, synthesizer, field recordings
Jan Bang: voice
Text by Erik Honoré
After working for many years as a collaborator with artists like Jan Bang, David Sylvian, Sidsel Endresen, Eivind Aarset and Arve Henriksen, Punkt co-founder Erik Honoré released his first solo album "Heliographs” on the Hubro label in 2014.
Ich habe die Stimme von David Sylvian gehört ohne zu wissen, dass er es auch ist. Einmal die Stimme von David Sylvian gehört, läßt mein musikalisches Gedächtnis mich nicht im Stich und ich erkenne sofort was ich höre. Der Titel "Reading the Air" ist mein Lieblingstitel, weil typisch für Arrangement und Harmonik von David Sylvian. Bravo Jan Bang und vielen Dank für dieses Album. Folkert Meeuw
