PRESS TEXT

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.

TRACK LIST
1. Summoning
2. Dance of the Maniae
3. Wavelengths
4. Tides in Space

PERSONNEL
Erik Kimestad Pedersen - trumpet
Kjetil Jerve - piano
Erlend Albertsen - double bass
Andreas Wildhagen - drums

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REVIEWS

Baze Djunkiii – nitestylez.de

Put on the circuit via the Norwegian Nakama Records label in late June, 2k17 is "Neptun", the first ever album outing by the collaborative quartet Akmee consisting of Erik Kimestad Pedersen, Kjetil Jerve, Erlend Albertsen and Andreas Wildhagen which are exploring a deep and very score'esque as well as experimental vision of Jazz within their music which, until now, has only been performed live in front of selected audiences in Norway, Denmark and Germany. The opening tune "Summoning" perfectly embraces the deranged feeling of staring out the windows of some rundown, nearly abandoned bar somewhen through a misty midweek November night, finding its continuation in the livelier and seemingly more improvisational buzz of "Dance Of The Maniae" whereas "Wavelengths" defines full on melancholia in combination with more of a spine- tingling DarkJazz approach before the concluding "Tides In Space" provides a beautifully arranged grand finale sporting grandiose piano lines and captivating movements in sounds for all those loving their Jazz-infused sounds based on repetetive, yet ever varied patterns. Lovely.

Eyal Hareuveni – Salt Peanuts

Akmee is a Norwegian, Oslo-based collaborative quartet featuring musicians who like jazz from its experimental, exploratory side. The quartet was formed in 2013 by drummer Andreas Wildhagen, known from Paal Nilssen-Love’s Large Unit and the groups Nakama, Mopti, Momentum and Lana Trio, and pianist Kjetil Jerve, who also plays in the Lana Trio as in other groups as Orter Eparg (again with Wildhagen) and Baker Hansen. Akmee features trumpeter Erik Kimestad Pedersen, who collaborated with Danish pianist Jeppe Zeeberg recent projects, and bass player Erlend Albertsen, who plays in another of Nakama collective groups, Filosofer.

Akmee played only a handful of European concerts before recording «Neptun», referring to the mysterious planet Neptune, invisible to the naked eye, discovered through mathematical deduction after scientists noticed unexpected changes in the course of Uranus. Neptune is also the Roman god of the sea, the ruler of liquid elements, gifted with tremendous power over our subconsciousness and emotions. «Neptun» was also inspired by the works of John Coltrane and the novel «Haiene» (The Sharks), the major work of Norwegian writer Jens Bjørneboe, known for his turbulent, uncompromising life and his criticism of the Norwegian society.

Akmee attempts to offer a Neptunian sonic experience through a suite that dismisses the distinction between the accurate, composed and rehearsed segments and the personal-intuitive improvised parts that connect, float and drift unconsciously and beyond control. The first part, «Summoning», sets the enigmatic, atmosphere when Akmee flows between lyrical and turbulent poles, establishing its egalitarian, collective interplay. The following «Dance of the Maniae» changes course to a playful, polytonal mode and now Akmee sounds now as dancing according to twisted, fractured rhythm of its own. Then, on «Wavelengths», Akmee explores and drifts across murky, dark oceans, navigating its rhythmic course back and forward. The concluding part in this arresting piece «Tides in Space» is the most beautiful one. Akmee sounds as an organic unit who have found its unique astral sound, lyrical and melodic but one that does not conform to a clear narrative, floating fast between its reserved and urgent modes.

Impressive debut.