Erland Dahlen - Rolling Bomber (2012)

Erland Dahlen - Rolling Bomber (Hubro, 2012)

Personnel:
Erland Dahlen: Drums, Saw [Musical Saw], Timpani, Gong [Gongs], Musical Bow [Bow On Cakeform With Springs], Percussion [Tank Drums], Cuica, Maracas, Kalimba, Temple Block [Temple Blocks], Steel Drums, Percussion [Logdrum], Bells, Electronics, Performer [Megaphone], Performer [Sticks/mallets On String Instruments (monkey Drummer With Battery)]

Tracklisting:
1. Flower Power (6:31)
2. Funeral (5:23)
3. Piratman (5:41)
4. Dragon (5:21)
5. Monkey (4:49)
6. Pyramid (4:34)
7. Germany (3:32)

Rolling Bomber is the solo debut of one of our favourite musicians: drummer Erland Dahlen. He has played on over 130 records since the mid-1990s, and has toured with an impressive list of top-ranking artists in a variety of genres: Kiruna, Mike Patton/Kaada, Ingrid Olava, Eivind Aarset Sonic Codex Orchestra, Mathias Eick, Serena Maneesh, Arve Henriksen, Hanne Hukkelberg and Marit Larsen, to name just a few. He is probably best known as the drummer in the successful band Madrugada for the last years of the band’s life, and as the drummer in Nils Petter Molvær’s explosive new trio.

The idea of doing a solo project had to mature for ten years before Erland finally went into the studio for three days in February and April 2011. The album is named after the special drum set Erland plays on the album, a Slingerland Rolling Bomber kit from World War II, which he bought from free-jazz drummer and collector Roger Turner. The mechanical parts of this set are made of rosewood, as the arms industry appropriated all available metal during the war. “When a drum has so much wood in it, it gets a very warm sound, which appeals to me a lot,” says Erland.

In addition, he uses an instrumentarium consisting of a variety of percussion instruments, electronic instruments and specially constructed instruments. Erland has played the saw for many years, and the saw is an important melodic instrument on the Rolling Bomber.

The album has a playful, richly visual mood, but is also quite dark and menacing in places. Elements of krautrock, drone music, ambient music and contemporary music are woven together with rock-inspired energy. Erland produced the record himself along with Jens Petter Nilsen and Hallvard W. Hagen, who form the electronica duo Xploding Plastix. Erland has worked with them for nine years. The dark second cut on the album, “Funeral”, is a remix by Hallvard W. Hagen.

The album was recorded in an abandoned coffee factory that Erland rents in central Oslo. It was mixed by Jens Petter Nilsen at tinfoilaudio and mastered by Helge Sten at Audio Virus Lab.[BUY IT HERE]

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