Niels Ladefoged: Guitar, sampler and electronics.
A.REX: Guitar, sampler and electronics.
Peter Kyed: Electronics and real-sounds.
Quotes From Reviews:
"Drone heads, look out: Svartbag may not be a big name on the scene, but one listen to this disc should make it quite clear they’re on to something good." - Indieville
"Catchy as a marauding bastard, this lot invaded my brainbox from the moment the CD landed, the ensemble cooking up five deep space meditations that corrode the listener’s living space with the kind of Asmus Tietchens SPAT EUROPA post-Krautrock sound that sets your room swirling. ..it does truly sound as though this lot have been marinating their music for at least five years before pouring out these first five tall glass tumblers, and all the better it sounds for the extra effort they’ve made. Lovely." - Julian Cope, Head Heritage
"This is a real special album a pearl that shines out of the abyss of the deep deep ocean.
Try it - you will be fascinated and bewitched by this outstanding release!" - Cuemix
"Into a scene currently brimming over with talent, creativity, and energy, Svartbag has loosed a meteor that's cool on the surface and molten inside, a tightly-coiled machine that effortlessly walks through nearly forty years of avant-garde, druggy minimalism as only people who have lived with these sounds for decades could. Absolutely nobody is doing this sort of thing better right now, and I can only hope they take this show on the road and bring it stateside. Bravo, gentlemen, and thank you for your patience." - The Silent Ballet
"Powering-up like a huge, intergalactic aircraft, Svartbag accumulate a churning, gargantuan wall of coma-inducing noise, adding touches of psychedelia, acid-scuzz and drone as they go along." - Angry Ape
"Picture the still-smoldering ruins of an incinerated cityscape after nuclear meltdown and you've got the perfect band for the accompanying soundtrack." -
Textura
"Eksperimenterende dansk musik lever heldigvis i bedste velgående ...Svartbags sortrandede og langstrakte kompositioner formår faktisk at være konstant underholdende, selv om de befinder sig lysår fra mainstreamens leflen. Det er det menneskelige element og de (kraut-)rockede passager i kontrast til de støjende og temmelig dystre droner, der er Svartbags kongstanke, og det virker forrygende, især på den smukke Cairo, på Loop9, som kipper med flaget til både To Rococo Rot og Velvet Underground, og den fænomenale The Flutist." - Gaffa
"Det er chill out for folk, der vil stryges mod hårene, og postrock for dem, der hader postrock. Stor, menneskelig og nærmest overjordisk musik, som letter med en ubesværet elegance for at søge mod klare såvel som mørke, men altid lige dybe himle. Der griber lytteren med næb og kløer. En svartbag, der vil noget!" - Geiger
"Ambivalensen mellem navn og objekt afspejler sig også i Svartbags musik, der er lige så smukt forførende, som det er underspillet grimt. (..) Den smukke, meditative tone, der bruser gennem albummet, skaber en spirituel stemning, der ikke har meget med den ucharmerende fugl at gøre, andet end at den flyver i himlen. Således har Svartbag med deres debut leveret en lille messe for de religionsløse" -
Soundvenue
"..fem dybsorte forløb, som besidder en egen urovækkende kraft." - Berlingske Tidende
"It's Velvet Underground (less vocals) meets LaMonte Young
meets krautrock meet E.A.R. - forty years of drone rock minimalism comes by
on this disc, and as such nothing new but hey, what the hell? This is great,
ecstatic music, reminding me of the good ol Vocokesh and F/i. Pounding
drums, heavy guitars that keep ringing in your ears, all placed around with
great care and style, making a fine album." - Vital-Weekly.
"Moving slickly from dark and paranoid expanses to serene shoe-gazing dreamscapes, Svartbag presents a well documented and adventure-laden journey to the depths of sub-Sahara by means of a cosmic flying carpet... With their debut release, Svartbag have reignited the cosmic flame and have provided listeners with a superb zeuhl-esque journey into exotic, minimalist space-rock." - Experimusic.
"Svartbag is the good news concerning the European drone scene"
- Otsechka.
"Svartbag have managed to create an accessible and experimental piece of mood enhancing, ear seducing avant-rock." - New Noise
A.REX and Niels Ladefoged founded Svartbag in 2002. The musical inspiration is based on a profound interest in early minimalists, noise, British shoegaze and early German kraut-rock. The band later expanded to three members with Peter Kyed on treatments (real-sound, drones and electronic beats) and occasionally four with Andreas Hauer-Jensen (Dureforsog, Ordklover, Mit Nye Band & Alle med Balloner og Terrasser) on drums. .........................................................................................................
A.REX has, since 1979, been prevalent on the punk scene of Copenhagen in bands like Mad Gustav Band, Warshore, The Tide and The Bleeder Group. Under his own name he has, among other things, composed music for Nicolas Winding-Refn’s film “Pusher 2”.
Peter Kyed has collaborated for a number of years with Peter Peter (ex-Sort Sol/The Bleeder Group) on soundtracks for a number of films and computer games. Additionally, he is a member of The Bleeder Group and has released the solo album “The World Inside Her”.
Niels Ladefoged has been part of the organization Subotnick since 2002 and has in this context taken part in planning and executing more than 300 experimental concerts.
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Svartbags music can best be described as sonic drones, analogue noise and repetitive space-rock with a touch of ambient and electronica. The music spans from dark and disturbing conditions to minimalistic melodies and rhythmic sequences. Svartbags live-performances are therefore also characterized as long, fluent, dynamical and epical.
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Svartbag has played concerts at mostly smaller venues in Copenhagen and two times at the Norberg Festival in Sweden in 2003 and 2004. Svartbag played at Roskilde Festival on the Metropol stage in 2005.
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At Norberg the Swedish Fat Bank Roll wrote:
"Later Saturday night the Danish band Svartbag played a concert, which was one the highlights of the festival. With two guitars and all different kinds of electronic merchandise they produced very beautiful soundscapes, with small hints of rhythmic flows. Gentle, delicate, very nice..."
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At the concert at Roskilde festival the Danish music magazine Geiger wrote:
"The drones take you within the architecture of music. The modulations, the substantial drumming and the deep drones from the guitars, set every body cell in vibration. It..s noisy, harsh and pleasant at the same time. A weird, but never the less a good feeling. Keep an eye on them.."
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The 26th of May, 2008 Svartbag released their debutalbum, containing 49 minutes of music spread out on 5 tracks. All tracks are produced by Niels Ladefoged and A.REX, and mixed by A.REX.
The album can be bought at www.discovery-records.com
The download version can be bought at www.klicktrack.com &
www.boomkat.com from the 13th of May.
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In the beginning you will hear tracks like Black Capricorn and Cairo. Black Capricorn is a sinister violent dark pearl with reference to Throbbing Gristle and the likes, Cairo is the sexy relationship between Bowies Low, Neu and that special Suicide feeling. Later you hear Loop9, a minimalistic psychedelic track that travels with the quiet urban night as companion.
The album ends with Billy Name, an epical tour de force in feedback and shrilling repetitive rocknroll guitars. The track is a tribute and a humble payback to all the people surrounding Warhol around the factory years in the 60s, especially Mr Billy Name. On this track Peter Peter contributes with a 14 minute long guitar feed and a raunchy freeform outro lead. Voiceover appearances by the Factory Talkers: Taylor Mead, Holly Woodlawn, Amy Taupin, Stephen Shore, Chuck Wein, Mary Woronow and of cause Billy Name. All material kindly lent out by the mentioned Factory Talkers and recorded by Steven Watson from the Factory-Made website.
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English Pressrelease:svartbag.doc (right-click to save)
Danish Pressrelease:svartbag.doc (right-click to save)
Download High Resolution Cover:svartbag.tif (right-click to save)
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hes my lover and hes looking for a record label and /or radio play..so spread the word please! thanks a ton!!!:-) www.myspace.com/danfrostman much love and peace
