Smalltown Supersound Norway Vinyl & CDs

Review: Deathprod (Helge Sten), hailing from Norway, deconstructs what we mean by the word 'composition' on this latest LP for Smalltown Supersound. Exploring what could be described as his own style of lowercase music, there is a granular quality to this eerie collection of 17 'compositions', which appear in the chronological order of which they were first recorded. Building the music from an array of salvaged, largely obsolete, and sometimes faulty digital synths - this is a looming, towering monolith of a drone LP.

Review: Everyone Else Is A Stranger by Lindstrom is the Scandi-don's first new solo studio album in four years. It his his sixth overall and thought it only has four tracks, it plays out over more than 40 minutes. Each of the cuts is classic Lindstrom but with subtle new tweaks and additions. They are chord-stacked disco epics that take you on a freeform cosmic voyage to the stars on uptempo rhythms aimed at the dance floor. He plays a Chinese cello and violin for the first time along the way, but the Solina String-Ensemble he has used on every track since his debut still remains. All hail the king of space disco once more.

Review: Is there a more iconic modern disco duo that Lindstom and Prins Thomas? The superb Scandic-pair link up here to great effect on a six track record for Smalltown Supersound. As ever the references are far and wide, from world music to deep house, cosmic ambience to synth music. The tracks are stuffed with subtle details and a rich overarching musicality that makes them as good for focussed headphone listening as it does an early evening dance. 'Oranges' is achingly gorgeous, 'Harmonia' is awash in lush arps and 'Small Stream' is dreamy bliss. Once again these maestros have come through with the goods.

Review: Norwegian disco titan Prins Thomas returns to his regular stomping ground of Smalltown Supersound with this, his sixth solo studio album. Thomas is sounding as vibrant as ever, his musical ideas spilling forth in glorious arrangements of organic instrumentation and gentling bubbling electronics that melt into a mellow, groovy sonic realm. There are hazy, cosmic moments to be savoured on the likes of "Feel The Love", and more adventurous rhythmic trysts like the nagging, snaking percussive melee of "Ambitions". Thomas' studio proficiency is more than matched by his imagination and creative ambition - would you expect any less from such a titan of Scandinavian electronic music?