“Due to its great diversity of genres, these tracks are aimed at a larger audience than fans of the Danish synthesist”
1 Man of Science 3:10
2 Snestorm 3:01
3 Underneath another Nightsky (Radio edit) 4:50
4 Bootleg 6:49
5 The Firewall 4:25
6 Trancey Nights 4:42
7 The Nun of St. Claire Abbey 4:17
8 Underworld 5:20
9 I månens skær 3:17
10 Ruin of Hate (Intro) 1:11
11 Decadence 7:40
12 Don't let the Machines Take Over 4:54
13 The Longships (Live in Belgium 2017) 7:51
(DDL 61:33) (V.F.)
(Cosmic Rock, Synth-Pop, Synth-Rock)
I'm not really a fan of remixes, compilations or even those leftovers that hang around and become archives. The only condition for me to put my ears to it, is that the artist's style lends itself to this kind of work. Like that of Bjorn Jeppesen who is literally the equivalent of Jean-Michel Jarre in his Denmark. TRACKS FROM THE ARCHIVES Vol. 3 is a great collection of titles that demonstrates the artistic impact of Nattefrost in its country. There are collaborations in this album that literally blew me away, in the years where Nattefrost spread its most productive. Either be the 2012-2013. Surprises? Yes! Including 2 superb titles co-written with Aghast Mano in this collection of old titles which gave me back this taste to reconnect with the tonal colors of the Nattefrost universe...
Man of Science immediately plunges us into this universe where techno, simply articulated on boom-boom-boom of low pulsations, plunges into the ample fluid and harmonic oscillations of a synth in Electronic Dance Music mode. This composition by English artist Jon Teknik comes from recording sessions in 2013 and emphasizes a panoply of percussive effects and Vocoder that stimulates a catchy fusion between Techno and Düsseldorf School style. A genre which is immensely popular in Denmark. We love? We will like The Firewall, a track composed by Sector One and Don't let the Machines Take Over, a track composed with Steen Chorchendorff Jørgensen (Remember Green) and which belongs to the album, produced by Nattefrost, After Shock. Snestorm presents the cosmic influences side of Jean-Michel Jarre to us on a very quiet track. Underneath another Nightsky (Radio edit) is Nattefrost's first contemporary classic. This version is slightly different from the original, which can be found on the album Underneath the Nightsky, with a more rock approach. While the reworked version here is from the album Tracks from the Archives. But no matter where it comes from, it's a damn good title! Bootleg is in the synth-pop genre with a guitar that catches our feet in a catchy rhythm, but still sober. It's a Robert Solheim composition who absolutely wanted a remixed version in 12 inch vinyl format by Bjorn Jeppesen. The guitar is particularly good there.
Hopping rhythm on an amalgam of sequences and electronic percussions tied up by heavy guitar riffs, the synth-rock and synth-wave fusion of Trancey Nights, a title co-written with Berit Fridahl, is a nice surprise for Nattefrost lovers. It's a Scandinavian electronic rock covered with chthonic voices and surrounded by a good collage of electronic effects which sticks very well to the volatile sequences. We reach the sung sector with the remix of The Nun of St. Claire Abbey which offers a softer, less energetic rhythm while retaining its cachet of dark and dark music of Aghast Mano. Another nice surprise here! Catchy and cryptic, Underworld also belongs to the category of good surprises of this rather heterogeneous compilation. Composed with the singer of Aghast Mano, Andrea Nebel, the title takes the paces of The Nun of St. Claire Abbey in a vision less meditative dark. It's with a crash of percussive elements that I månens skær leads us into the cosmic visions of Bjorn Jeppesen. Surrounded by the hums of a bass line that expires in a speed that runs out of breath, this title composed in 1996 will serve as the basis for either the rhythms, the movements of the sequencer or the sound effects to Nattefrost's music, in particular in his Dying Sun/Scarlet Moon album. We also find this title in its original version in Repackaged which includes his first albums. Ruin of Hate is a truly short intro that responds to a request from the Danish Death Metal band, Infernal Death. He does everything in this introduction which says a lot about the artistic credibility of Bjorn Jeppesen in his country. Decadence is a reworked version by the Norwegian group, Current. This more floating and less dynamic version is also found on 20 Years of Nattefrost, a 2CD tribute album where different artists, I even saw Mythos, go there with their visions on the music of the Norwegian musician. The Longships, this great track from the Skaldic Themes album, is one of the tracks performed by Nattefrost as part of the B-Wave Festival in Belgium in November 2017. It's an interpretation that doesn't have the depth of the track in studio, making the music more disturbing and ambient which seems very suitable for the needs of this great festival.
Due to its great diversity of genres, TRACKS FROM THE ARCHIVES Vol. 3 is an album, available only for download on Nattefrost's Bandcamp site, which is aimed at a larger audience than fans of the Danish synthesist. There is a nice mix of EDM and Morphic Techno, without forgetting the synth-rock and electronic rock genres dressed in mysteries and two to three tracks that would make instant hits, of which only Bjorn Jeppesen has the secret.
Sylvain Lupari (July 20th, 2020) ***¾**
Available at Nattefrost Bandcamp