Jon Balke: Skrifum

From the very first note, Norwegian Jon Balke opens up a new sonic dimension with "Skrifum", continuing a series of explorations that he began with the solo piano albums "Warp" (2016) and "Discourses" (2020), in which he also processed the acoustic environment in which the music was heard. "Skrifum" (the Icelandic word for "write") goes one step further. With the help of the electronic audio tool Spektrafon, which he co-developed, Balke extracts frequencies from the ambient sound during his performance, which he combines as overtones to create his own chords. This activated reverberation becomes new material for improvised dialogs, often with very beautiful results. Jon Balke: "The sound of the spectraphone returns in a way that demands space. I use this opportunity to play mostly monophonically and focus on each individual note and its position in the soundscape." "Skrifum" was recorded in November 2023 at Village Recording in Copenhagen and processed and mastered at Bavaria Musikstudios in Munich. The album was produced by Manfred Eicher and Jon Balke.