Erik Wøllo Explained

Erik Wøllo
Birth Date:6 January 1961
Birth Place:Hemsedal, Norway
Instrument:Guitar, Keyboards
Genre:Ambient music, electronic music, minimalist music, space music, drone music
Occupation:Composer, Musician, Producer
Years Active:1980–present
Label:Projekt

Erik Wøllo (born 1961) is a Norwegian composer and musician, guitarist and synthesist. He has a background in various genres in music. As a solo recording artist, he is most known for his electronic and ambient musical soundscapes. Music that can be classified in the genres of space, drone, new age, and electronic music. Through his many albums he has gained recognition for his unique sound and style. Using guitar as the primary instrument in a highly imaginary and emotional music, building a bridge between grand symphonic realms and gentle, minimalistic and serene atmospheres.

History and Overview

Born and raised in Norway (Hemsedal). In the era when he grew up in Norway, the local folk music is very much dominated by the Hardanger fiddle, and his grandfather once offered him a fiddle as a birthday present, if he wanted to start playing. But he went for the guitar, and started to play at age 11. His first influence was the evolving heavy/progressive rock music in the seventies, although he once said his first guitar hero was John Fogerty. He soon discovered the more complicated and intricate styles of rock, like Pink Floyd, Yes and Emerson Lake and Palmer. Which led him gradually into more contemporary electronic music genres.

He started his professional career in 1980, playing and touring around Norway in various jazz/rock and fusion bands. But in 1984, he decided to concentrate full-time on his own solo career, building his own studio Wintergarden, where he started to explore and create his new soundworld.

His third album "Traces" (1985), was a turning point in his creative musical approach, and pointed out his unique style in instrumental music. This album represented an important and seminal time for Wøllo's artistic development.

Erik says in a private interview: “I quit all the bands I played in, I wanted to work on my own using the modern electronic studio as an instrument. Like a painter with his oil canvasses. I wanted to make a music that had expansive synthesizer textures and sequencer patterns, layered together with expressive melodic electric guitars. Working with depth, time and space. In those years in the early eighties the studio technology was new and revolutionary, and I wanted to explore all the new possibilities. To be able to control the infinite variations of electronic sound, using an endless palette for creative expression. Musically this technology opened up a new possible world for me, and I have continued to further develop and refine these musical ideas on later recordings.

Also for the last decades, I have been able to bring this my musical concept to the stage, performing live. I have been doing several tours, as well as releasing a double CD set live album "Silent Currents" (Projekt, CD-2011). As well as three download live albums "Silent Currents 3" (2013), "Star’s End 2015" (Silent Currents 4), and "Winter Tide" - Live at Soundquest Fest 2021 (Projekt, Digital). I have also done several live concerts with Ian Boddy and Steve Roach. In August 2019, I performed a main act concert with special written music for an outdoor festival in Norway, featuring Trey Gunn, Kouame Sereba and Jerry Marotta."

Erik has also written music for diverse acoustic ensembles, such as string quartets, wind quintets and sinfoniettas. As one of very few Norwegian composers, these scores were all written in the classical minimalistic tradition.

He has released more than 50 solo albums and several smaller format EP's, all distributed globally and he has gained a large audience for his music.

He has received the Schallwelle Award in Germany for "Revolve", for best Ambient album in 2023 (together with Ian Boddy).

Collaborations

Erik Wøllo has also collaborated and released album works together with some of the most respected artists in the ambient music world: with Steve Roach ("Stream of Thought", CD-2009 & "The Road Eternal", CD-2011), Michael Stearns ("Convergence", CD-2020), Ian Boddy ("Frontiers", CD-2012, "EC12", Digital-2014, "Meridian, CD-2018 and "Revolve", CD-2023), Byron Metcalf ("Earth Luminous", CD-2016), Bernhard Wöstheinrich ("Arcadia Borealis", CD-2009 and "Weltenuhr, CD-2014), and several others.

One of the areas Wøllo has been deeply exploring for many decades, is the connections between the various art forms. Focusing on finding mutual and parallel aspects, he has been making music for use together with other media, like film, modern ballet and theater. Also together with diverse experimental visual art forms for gallery exhibitions. (photography, fine art, literature and video art). Wøllo is also a visual artist and have created several album covers, including some of his own releases.

Personal

Erik Wøllo currently lives on Hvaler, an island in the south of Norway. He is married, and has one son.

Gallery

Wøllo with Fender Stratocaster at Schallwelle 2012.

Selection of Works/Discography

Solo albums:

EP / Mini albums:

Together with other Artists/Projects:

Several selected compositions licensed for Collection Albums (not updated):

Library Music:

Other works for different ensembles:

Music for Ballet:

Music for Theatre/Multi-media:

Video/Film/Exhibitions:

Diverse:

External links

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Erik Wøllo".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.