A new exciting quartet emerges on the scene, launching their highly anticipated debut album named after the planet Neptune and the Roman god of the sea and the subconscious
Neptune. A planet invisible to the naked eye, it was originally discovered through mathematical deduction after scientists noticed unexpected changes in the course of Uranus. It was named after the Roman god of the sea. In addition to being ruler of the liquid element, he was said to have tremendous power over our subconsciousness and emotions, which we ourselves still today have little understanding of. The title represents the unknown, ranging from the depths of the human mind and the oceans out to the vastness and mysteries of space. The music itself is a rubbery mass of composed and improvised ideas stirred and distilled into a concrete pellet with a unique flavor: It is dark like the deep sea, astral as the sky and uncategorizable as our very own subconscious – and it grooves in a minimalistic, awkwardly satisfactory Akmee-kind of way. The album is partly inspired by Jens Bjørneboe’s novel Haiene (The Sharks) and the music of John Coltrane's later period.
Neptun is out on the 22nd of June – CD // LP // digital download // streaming
Akmee is a Norwegian collaborative quartet formed in 2013 by drummer Andreas Wildhagen and pianist Kjetil Jerve. With only a handful of concerts in Norway, Denmark and Germany, the band has been a ghost on the scene. Until now, it has been a group dedicated to practice and exploration. All of the musician brings original music to the band - accurate, written out material, but with the intention to allow all parts to float between the different instruments. It is very much a collective sound where all players are equally important in shaping the music; letting it drift and stretch beyond control.
Erik Kimestad Pedersen
Erik Kimestad Pedersen studied trumpet at Rytmisk Musikkonservatorium in København, and is currently based in the same city. He plays in bands such as Horse Orchestra, Kresten Osgood Kvintet, MEMBRAM, Wanja Slavin Lotus Eaters and has collaborated with among others Phillip Gropper, Nasheet Waits, Adam Rudolph and Akira Sakata.
Kjetil Jerve
Kjetil Jerve is a Norwegian pianist and composer based in Oslo since 2010. His work explores improvisation and performance as a physiological process. Recently starting his own trio he's also a member of Lana trio, Orter Eparg, Baker Hansen, and Jervaas as well as Akmee. Kjetil is also running Dugnad Rec together with collegaue and Akmee-member Erlend Albertsen.
Erlend Olderskog Albertsen is a bass player, saxophonist and composer from Stjørdal, Norway. After graduating from the jazz department of NTNU in Trondheim in 2013, he moved to Oslo to study pedagogy and connect with the jazz/improvisation scene. Apart from Akmee, Erlend is also playing in Filosofer, Avatar and leading his own project, 2000 & Erlend.
Andreas Wildhagen
Andreas can be summed up as an open-minded and flexible musician. The projects he is involved with display a wide range of musical and dynamic output: Intricate improvisations with Lana trio, extreme bursts of energy in Paal Nilssen-Love's Large Unit or beat oriented modern jazz with Mopti and Bendik Baksaas. Andreas has a master's degree from the Norwrgian Academy of Music.
