In sound performance projects and audio storage Skagen works with an analogue and digital environment,
where he is searching to find new sonic expressions and complex sound structures.
Skagen constructs a metaphysical and phenomenological sonic world where cuts and bursts are layered to form an imaginary landscape.
A physical place in the imagination of the audience, where sound is changed and evolved into time and space, where glitch, error and numeric code take on new forms and shapes.
Here is some info on some of his sound performance projects.
Go to adundas.org for downloads 'n' info
Excerpts from press on NERNES/SKAGEN;
"Some serious darkwave howling on offer here from Norway’s duo of Kjetil Nernes and Stian Skagen. Following a US tour in 2008, their debut album together is a formidable melding of Nernes’ guitar overload and Skagen’s electronic storm. It’s a perfect example of how noise music is increasingly breaking down barriers between genres, utilising everything at its disposal to create its own seething world of devastation.
Ad Undas, a double LP with one long track per side, is wave upon black wave of Nernes’ guitar crashing, while Skagen’s electronics provide unsettling hiss and spittle. It’s bracing stuff, placing you in the centre of powerful elemental forces."
EUAN ANDREWS
Vinyl Round up
Rock-A-Rolla Magazine
"This is a record to be played loud, because its only then when the complete dynamics of what is on offer can be heard. When the guitars rock, minimal of course, in the best Branca tradition, they rock hard. Banging chords with breaks. But that's only one side of the story. Nernes/Skagen also deal with lots of silence in their music. Here the loud volume comes handy. We hear the electronics sizzling beneath the surface. It makes quite a powerful statement. Quite a blast - remember: noise works best when it deals with extreme dynamics. Not just extreme loudness but also extreme quietness and Nernes/Skagen play that game extremely well."
Frans de Waard - Vital Weekly
Physical fist
Monumental double disc from Nernes / Skagen as in krabbegir conjures up violent music.
By Bjorn Hammerhaug
This is Kjetil Nernes 'big year. During summer and autumn 2009, he has contributed to the Norwegian music jungle has five plates closer - in a double sense. Nern is not a musician who takes to the mild and gentle in his music. With Årabrot fronts, he is a dirty trio that ever able to develop in new directions. This year's The Brother Seed and Absolutnegativism EP witnesses. The latter EP was in collaboration with Stian Skagen - a relationship that has lasted for a couple and who has borne rich fruit on the live front. It is this constellation which appears here in duoformat: Nern with metallic guitar harving, Skagen with rich and varied layers of noise through the different effects and samples, as well as a Korg MS20 which he crush on the good show.
Their modus operandi does not tip over new land. We are talking about a relatively well-explored part of the heavy stoner doom and dark man related to Sunn O))), the early Earth and Sleep, but I will in this context also draw up more out there artists in both com wavens cool riffs (Glenn Branca) and minimal libertarian repetitive force (Tony Conrad) to lead the listener in on what we hear here. I guess right at this intersection of the two play each other, Nern with his punk background, Skagen with her more artistic history.
It's slow, it is black as f, it is brutal and quite a little powerful. With four tracks, all go up to 20 minutes each, there may be an effort to immerse yourself in this sonic maelstrom. But first there, there is also little tempting to crawl back into the light. On Second Delirium mutes the guitar, and Skagen add an atmospheric lydteppe to Nernes 'voice. He serves us a threatening sermon à la Current 93, in what is a kind of death court of a song and deserved a "breathing space" on this disc. Caps put back on the last track, a Synopsis of the Ad undas: Cold and naked guitar meets a crackling storm, which together seek out the darkest gloom, two of them can explore. There is something about the steadfastness of Nernes / Skagen which is both upsetting and repulsive at the same time.
Ad undas is a beautiful piece of the disc, released as a four-page LP with common. It is also possible to stream the disc in its entirety on the homepage of the Physical Format, but this is a disc suitable for use in the home. Behind locked doors.
Monumental dobbelplate fra Nernes/Skagen som i krabbegir maner frem voldsom musikk.
"Duoens modus operandi velter ikke nytt land. Vi snakker om en relativt godt utforsket del av tung stoner og mørkemannsdoom beslektet til Sunn O))), tidlig Earth og Sleep, men jeg vil i denne sammenheng også trekke frem mer out there artister innen både no wavens kjølige riff (Glenn Branca) og minimalismens repeterende kraft (Tony Conrad) for å lede lytteren inn på det vi her hører. Det er vel akkurat i dette krysningspunktet de to møter hverandre, Nernes med sin punka bakgrunn, Skagen med sin mer kunstneriske historie.
Det går sakte, det er svart som f, det er brutalt og ikke så rent lite mektig. Med fire låter, alle drar seg mot 20 minutter hver, kan det være en kraftanstrengelse å dykke ned i denne soniske malstrøm. Men først der, så er det også lite fristende å kravle tilbake i lyset. På Second Delirium demper de gitarene, og Skagen legger et atmosfærisk lydteppe til Nernes' tale. Han serverer oss en truende preken á la Current 93, i det som er en slags dødens forgård av en låt og et fortjent "pusterom" på denne platen. Kappene puttes igjen på med sistesporet, et Synopsis av hele Ad Undas: Kald og naken gitar møter et knitrende uvær, som sammen oppsøker det mørkeste tungsinn to stykker kan utforske. Det er noe med standhaftigheten hos Nernes/Skagen som er både oppskakende og frastøtende på samme tid.
Ad Undas er et nydelig stykke plate, utgitt som fire siders LP med utbrett. Det er også mulig å strømme platen i sin helhet på hjemmesiden til Fysisk Format, men dette er en plate som egner seg i hjemmet. Bak låste dører."
Av Bjørn Hammershaug
ÅRABROT
Arabrot – I Rove EP (Fysisk Format)
By Jay Snyder
October 8, 2009
Yes, Arabrot are unpredictable and damn near impossible to put any kind of tag on. Take for example the nearly 20 minute kick in the ass of the title track…that the band choose to start off on! Instead of saving such a hulking mass of deconstructed sound for the EP’s finale, they chose to start off with it…kind of like Cable did with Pigs Never Fly, which hints at the absolute ruthlessness of this trio. Beginning with feral sound bites and cut-ups in the background, a distinctly Unsane battered bass groove, builds and repeats for a good four minutes as drums bang beneath layers of distortion with squealing guitar feedback introducing itself as another isolated instrument. A tribal beat and a quick fragment of doom riffing comes crashing from the burning skies, as vocalist/guitarist KN does this strangled, rasp that sounds like Dave Mustaine drowning in a vat of acid. Each moment ratchets the tension higher until a slovenly riff stampedes your ass straight into the dirt, delivering the kind of tension that the best Steve Austin riffs hold tight, as played by the voracious slow mongers of Burning Witch in a strange turn of events.
With the slow tenacity of this absolute horror, I’m surprised that drummer Marakel finds the time to even show some flash and dexterity, but the crazy mutha does; peppering every note with a mechanical beat that goes heavy on the action packed fills and light on the simple beat keeping. The returning Am-Rep doom riff makes an ugly appearance nailed to a wall of mind frying, chopped up noise, delivering the kind of menace that could easily be a fitting soundtrack for a Fulci zombie romp! Riffs descend into near nothingness, but maintain their blackened grasp on doom, adding even more dementia with the introduction of a beautiful piano drone towards the song’s transcendental finale.
If Monarch is the kind of sprawling doom that is far too boring for your taste, and you need something with a little more movement…Arabrot have got you covered with the title track. This shit is as fucking doom-y and sludge-y as it gets, but there are deep layers of noise and moments of unholy beauty scattered throughout. I can’t say it sounds like anything else out there, yet it has the heart of several of the above mentioned rosters and artists squeezed tight in its grasp.
The remainder of this EP is but a mere blip, compared to the epic title track but it is still worth a look for the rabid, noise-rock fan. “The Serpent” has a stuttering groove coupled with a nasty, mean streak full of high-pitched vocal shrieks, agonizing riffs and turgid rhythms. The tension of this beast continues to rise until the 2 minute mark, where the band’s full fury is levied against the listener in the form of haggard, noise cum sludge explosions that sound like Godheadsilo with David Yow on vocals, and a guitar further smashing to Hell the duo aspect of GHS. Capping off the album is a cover of Fang’s “And the Money will Roll Right In”, a band and song I’m not familiar with at all. I guess Nirvana covered it; sounds good to me here, as Arabrot put a distinctly Scratch Acid/Big Black sort of spin on the supposedly punk fueled original.
Definitely digging what Arabrot has got going on all throughout I Rove, particularly in the original material. The title track is a fucking thing of beauty to behold and watch unfurl, akin to a tornado rolling across a grassy knoll; destructive and mesmerizing all in a single glance. Anyone into the idea of the Am-Rep catalog getting run through the doom ringer will surely eat this disc for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
I could see Arabrot releases fitting in anywhere on the classic, aforementioned noise-rock roster, Shifty, Calculon and At a Loss. I Rove is big, heavy and droning but with a fuckton of heart and soul, and not the mindless dribble perpetuated by Sunno and their imitators. You want to simulate the feeling of putting your skull in a vice for a half hour? Arabrot is your way to go, and it is much safer than actually performing the act yourself! I must also make mention of the uniquely DIY packaging and layout, which is strikingly similar to Raw Radar War’s Double Equals masterpiece…right down to the gray and black trees on the cover. I Rove is a keeper, although I suggest your first listen is on a stereo and not headphones…unless you want to feel like you are being smothered by a blanket of hatred and despair. Me, I dig that feeling, but this shit is so heavy that it felt like my skull was going to crumble in a matter of seconds…
ÅRABROT[concept.virus]
ABSLOLUTENEGATIVISM EP
Guttene og Fanden
Årabrot skuer inn i mørket, uten å miste energien og kraften de omgir seg med til daglig.
Av Bjørn Hammershaug
Årabrot har gjennom de siste 8 årene dyrket sin søplete aggropunk til det ytterste - og ypperste, gjennom et knippe plater av fryktinngytende temperament og villskap. Det sier seg selv at tiden var inne for å utforske andre sider ved seg selv, og resultatet har gitt seg utslag i den voksne EPen Absolutenegativism.
Hvis man tenker seg at Årabrot tidligere har stått på et ulmende søppelberg og frådet av den rødglødende bakken under seg, har de her åpnet porten ned i dypet, forbi flammene, og beveget seg mot mørket. Portåpner er [concept.virus] (født som Stian Skagen, og kjent fra bl.a Ryfylke), det er han som leder villmennene inn- og nedover. Allegorien kan føres videre til omslagstegningen, som er hentet fra folkeeventyret Gutten og Fanden, om gutten som fanget Fanden sjøl inn i en liten nøtt. Det er vel innkapslingen av den lukkede nøtta som er Absolutenegativism.
Skagen og Årabrot har utviklet et samarbeid over lengre tid, og enkelte av oss kunne ta prosessen i selvsyn både på Revolver i Oslo og Henie Onstad på Høvik tidligere i år. Særlige førstnevnte konsert, under by:Larm, var en total maktdemo, en sammenhengende monsterlåt som mørnet oss i en 20 minutters tid før den gradvis slukte oss med altomfattende kraft. Årabrot/Skagen fremstod her som en mer utemmet utgave av Sunn O))), med noe av deres samme vilje til å presse seg (og oss) til det ytterste gjennom langsomme krabbetak som enten virker delirisk eller bare frastøtende.
Årabrot er et satans liveband, men de har også fått grep om de håndfaste delene av sin karriere. Absolutenegativism har ikke livesettingens samme styrke, noe som delvis skyldes en mindre sammenhegende oppbygning. Det er ikke nødvendigvis uheldig i plateformat. De navnløse kutttene (I-IV) domineres av I og III. Kvarterlange I er parallell til nevnte konserts første del, i form av å være mer av oppbyggende art. Dette er en mørk vandring med ambient svartmetall og dronestøy, der en konstant underliggende uro skaper truende atmosfære. Brått rives kjellerlemmene opp på vidt gap der bandet får hyle ut i tre minutter, mest som for å innlede til halvtimeslange III.
III er en kvernende sak som også dyrker elementer som monotoni og repetisjon, men her med tunge riff og kraftig driv, omgitt av mektige, skumle lydeffekter som bygger seg gradvis opp for å smuldres opp i hvit støy med en langsom landing som hale på beistet.
Årabrots kurs er ikke overraskende med tanke på Skagens bakgrunn, ei heller med gitarist Kjetil Nernes og bandets fascinasjon for doom & droner fra Black Boned Angel, Earth, Om, etc. Det hele er skrudd sammen av lydtekniker Billy Anderson med lang bakgrunn fra denslags (Melvins, High On Fire, Sleep mm.)
OTHER RELATED SOUND PROJECTS;
In 2003 skagen constituted Ryfylke with Sten Ove Toft. Ryfylke is now one of Norways leading experimental sound duos, and have established themselves on the national and international scene for electronic music.
Said about Ryfylke;
From their digital and analog environment , a complex soundscape of drones, glitches and detailed space opens a dream like atmosphere. Seducing the audience, taking them on a shaking tour through subtile textures that explodes in digital crackles and electric out bursts. A Ryfylke concert is a physical experience where the listener is challenged to experience a room in constant movement.
“Named after a region deep in the fjords of southwest Norway, Ryfylke is dedicated to creating slow erosions of sound, the gradual scaping away of a solid landscape by wind and rain, ice and seawater. Sten Ove Toft collects sounds, dirtying them up on old cassette machines and processing equipment, while Stian Skagen breaks them down into scintillating digital forms. Taking up a side of this 12” vinyl piece, “Nuema Brister” and “Morild” are two starkly protracted geological eruptions that seem to bring with them the resonating fury of the earth beneath our feet. Glowing pillars of lava rise up, geysers of boiling white water tear up the rock. What’s remarkable, however, is the level of controlwith which such effects have been brought about.”
By Ken Hollings
THE WIRE ADVENTURES IN MODEREN MUSIC
“The previous release by Ryfylke, ‘Boknafjord’ (see Vital Weekly 463) was hailed by me as a fine cross-over between the Merzbowian noise and the world of electro-acoustics. Now Stian Skagen and Sten Ove Toft come up with a new work, this time on LP, and me wonders if that would go well , considering the wide dynamics their music has. Both musicians play around with laptops, filling it with field recordings, of whatever nature and create from scratch, from zero, from silence a long storm of drones. Apparently unnoted things built up until they fly away and you’ll find yourself in a hurricane of sound, but just as easily, they take matters back in control and everything is quiet again. Perhaps a CD release would have been a better idea, but maybe it works well, who knows. This is nevertheless some dam fine music. Very intelligent noise!”
By Frans’d Ward VITAL WEEKLY
video.documentation
for more on Ryfylke ;
roggbif.records
audio.storage.mp3's
Fee downloadable album By [concept.virus]
Click image to go to Plasticstrip.no
Titan and Y.E.Z
titan and Y.E.Z is morten norby "themnh" halvorsen and stian skagen.
said about Titan and Y.E.Z ;
titan and yez are two norwegian artists, who did an eight hour live improvisation from which they selected eight tracks. four of them are presented in the form of a cut from the original session recordings and four others are edits. they too have a background in rock music, but their release is entirely made with computers and analogue equipment of an electronic nature. titan and yez play with minimal dance rhythms, that are monochrome in approach. in the music of titan and yez the rhythm section is the most important thing. here too the main objection might be that the music is not always the most danceable thing, despite the fact that 4/4 rhythms are used, but when it does, those pieces are the best. throughout quite a nice release!
by frans de waard @ vital weekly
audio.storage mp3's
Lfo coordinates
get the us out of here
imagecode in a candel
more on Titan and the Y.E.Z ;
minusn
is Erik McKenzie and stian skagen
Spilderhaug was a studio appartment at the westcoast of noway.
this is some of the work that materialized between 99-01.
audio.storage mp3's
toke
together monster
oppe i
ema
image.storage .mov