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Erik WølloLive atThe Gatherings Concert SeriesSaturday 16 October 2010 8:00pmSt. Mary's Hamilton VillagePhiladelphia, PA |
| Norwegian electronic musician and guitarist Erik Wøllo returns to the remarkable setting of St. Mary's Hamilton Village on 16 October 2010 as part of The Gatherings Concert Series. | |
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Erik Wøllo grew up in a small mountain village in Norway where his ancestors have lived and farmed for hundreds of years. Weaving through this exotic and timeless landscape of snowy peaks and deep valleys, you can still hear the music of those centuries flowing through a people whose culture is deep, alive and thriving.
Erik Wøllo's musical experience covers a wide range of styles from rock and jazz to classical and ambient. He creates music that is both lyrical and rhythmic, focusing on melody and structure. Wollo has composed and performed music for films, theatre, ballets and exhibitions as well as composing for strings, woodwinds and larger orchestra. As a guitarist he has lead his own groups, playing at clubs, concert halls and festivals. |
| Best known for albums of electronic landscapes, Erik Wøllo actually generates most of his music using a guitar interfaced with a synthesizer. Commenting on his international image, Wølllo says, "Generally, I do not consider myself solely as an electronic artist. I am primarily a guitarist, which I first picked up at age 11." Yet with his first solo album Traces, Wøllo became the first musician in Norway to utilize the synthesizer in his music, and has been closely associated with the technology ever since. | |
| Wøllo believes that we all have a particular and unique set of internal tones that set the stage for our journey through life. Reflecting who we are and what we will become, the place of our birth forms the basic chord while places where we dwell influence its color and shape. Wollo's ties to the music of his homeland, and his interest in world history, is reflected in his approach to music. Acoustic and electronic instruments, and samples of primeval instruments mingle with contemporary, electronic atmospheres to create a thematic foundation that is both ancient and modern. |
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While there is always a sense of warmth to his atmospheric work, Wollo's music resounds with the stark beauty of Norway's wintry landscapes. By mixing deep churning textures with synthesized and acoustic elements, Wollo succeeds in realizing folk music for the electronic village. His forthcoming CD Gateway is a cinematic adventure surging forward on insistent tribal rhythms, enveloping ambiences and heart-baring melodies. An electro-symphony with epic dimensions, Gateway is restrained by a minimalist elegance.
For his 16 October 2010 performance at the The Gatherings in Philadelphia, Erik Wøllo will draw from his recent work to create a concert of luminous airy music. Defining the musician's purpose, Wøllo offers, "Artists have to go their own way. Follow their heart. Get to know their inner voice and create something personal. This is the most important thing, I think. Also, the most difficult part." |
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Erik Wollo - Live at The Gatherings Concert Series on 27 October 2007
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Review: Gateway by Erik Wøllo
On Gateway (70'16") Erik Wøllo continues to explore his musical imagination. With many years of experience Wøllo has amassed an enormous amount of experience and technique, yet still seems excited about creating the vivid pieces that inhabit this album. In just a few seconds of this music one is transported to another plane. Bypassing verbal thought, connecting directly with the mind, his fluid lead melodies speak, as if in a voice, directly to the listener. Although closely associated with electronic sound, Wøllo uses guitar as the primary instrument in which to convey his message. Usually played through assorted effects, his lead lines are often poignant, sometimes ethereal and always elegant. The synthetic harmonies and melodies that fill out this majestic work are arranged with the skill of a seasoned composer. Gateway's more active pieces develop along a wonderful arc of crisp rhythms and bounding layers of sequencer patterns - which act to vivify the progression of Wøllo's tuneful lead lines above. Loosening structural plans Wollo also realizes compositions more in an ambient mode. Gentle and bittersweet, these beautiful slow moving sections may contain even more emotional content than the soaring hymns and exuberant fantasies found elsewhere on this CD. From stark simplicity to prog-influenced anthems Wøllo's spirit comes out in the precision and detail of his work - as it touches the best part of us. - Chuck van ZylSTAR'S END Released June 2010 | |
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Following The Gatherings Concert: Erik Wøllo will play a live set of new music on STAR'S END Ambient Radio. Tune in to the 10.17.10 broadcast of STAR'S END for the radio concert beginning at 1:00am at 88.5fm WXPN in Philadelphia or access the live webcast For details, please access: www.starsend.org The Gatherings Concert Series presents Erik Wøllo live in concert on Saturday 16 October 2010 at 8:00pm (doors open at 7:30pm) in the church sanctuary of St. Mary's Hamilton Village 3916 Locust Walk (just east of 40th & Locust) on the Penn campus in West Philadelphia. Admission: $20 available at the door, night of show; $10 for full-time students with proper ID (available at the door).
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The Gatherings Concert Series is presented by the all-volunteer staff of The Corporation for Innovative Music and Arts of Pennsylvania
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