RÖKKUR by Maja S. K. Ratkje & Nordic Affect
Øra Fonogram announces the worldwide release of RÖKKUR, the joint album of Norwegian composer and performer Maja S. K. Ratkje and Icelandic ensemble Nordic Affect (Halla Steinunn Stefánsdóttir, Marie Stockmarr Becker, Hanna Loftsdóttir, Guðrún Óskarsdóttir).
What is ‘rökkur’?
‘Rökkur’ is the Icelandic word for twilight — the hour when shadows fall, a time of transition, ambiguity, and magic. When ‘rökkur’ fell in pre-electric times, a space appeared for storytelling, reading, yarn spinning, singing, or even a dreamlike state of dozing. Inspired by this shared tradition, Maja S. K. Ratkje and ensemble Nordic Affect have embarked on a sonic journey allowing ‘rökkur’ to become a path for morphing and shifting between the familiar, the atmosphere from the past, and the yet to be imagined future.
Since their first appearance together at Dark Music Days in Iceland in 2019, their music making has evolved in relation to each new performance, always exploring and revealing new shades of noise and timbre. Ratkje blends her extended vocals with the Baroque instrumental sound of Nordic Affect, at times treated and re-established in real-time by the cyborg electronic extensions of Ratkje’s live electronics.
Tracklist
| 1. | Into the Dark | 8:40 |
| 2. | I Cannot Look | 1:25 |
| 3. | Love Took My Hand | 2:33 |
| 4. | Den sprættende bevægelse min fot gjør hver gang pulsen slår | 5:49 |
| 5. | Love (III) | 3:46 |
| 6. | Passing Stranger | 5:31 |
| 7. | Lokk | 1:21 |
| 8. | Du som fremmed | 5:05 |
| 9. | And Smiling Did Reply | 2:00 |
| 10. | Introducing Love | 2:49 |
| 11. | Martes nattasang | 2:37 |
| 12. | Den sprættende bevægelse min fot gjør hver gang pulsen slår 2 | 3:27 |
Videos
Credits
Releases November 10, 2023
Recorded live by Nordic Affect (Halla Steinunn Stefánsdóttir, baroque violin; Marie Stockmarr Becker, baroque viola; Hanna Loftsdóttir, baroque cello; Guðrún Óskarsdóttir, harpsichord) and Maja S. K. Ratkje (vocals, various objects, and live electronics).
All music composed by Ratkje and arranged by Ratkje and Nordic Affect except 8 (co-composed by Frode Haltli), 11 (composed by Frida Haltli) and 2, 6, and 7 (composed by Ratkje and Nordic Affect). Lyrics by George Herbert (5), Karin Haugane (8), and Frida Haltli (11). Quoted lyrics by George Herbert (1 and 2).
Recorded by Jo Ranheim, Øra Studio and Dokkhuset, February 2022. Mixed by Maja S. K. Ratkje, Svartskog, 2023.
Mastered by Karl Klaseie, Øra Mastering, 2023.
Produced by Maja S. K. Ratkje with Nordic Affect.
Cover Photos by Eva Schram.
Cover Design by Guðlaug Friðgeirsdóttir.
Supported by Svartskog Music AS, The Norwegian Society of Composers, Reykjavík City, and the Ministry of Culture’s Music Fund in Iceland.
Love Took My Hand video by Halla Steinunn Stefánsdóttir 2023.
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