- Before there was even the notion of Scandinavian space disco, there was Bjørn Torske, making off-the-wall tracks like "Sexy Disco" and "Battlestar XB-7," influencing the likes of DJ Sotofett and Todd Terje along the way. But as those artists and their sound began to make inroads outside of Norway, Torske went even further leftfield. The album Kokning did delicate acoustic tracks and wobbling house, while his most recent EP delved into strange circus dub and soundtrack whimsy.
Torske has cut a few weirdo tracks for Sex Tags Mania, but here he returns with his first full 12-inch for Smalltown Supersound since 2007. "Fuglekongen," which translates as "bird king," has an unhinged peak-hour density that shades towards the sinister. Huge percussion reminiscent of "Thousand Finger Man" breaks through the track, while wah-wah sounds, like Miles Davis circa-On The Corner, wrap around it. Behind all of that psychedelic noise lie the deep rumbles of an approaching thunderstorm. Those wanting to emphasize the percussion can go to the "(Rhythm Track)" version, while Mungolian Jet Set's "Gammal Mungolian" remix brings in a bit more disco slink. But neither surpasses the delirious feel of the original.
TracklistA1 Fuglekongen
A2 Fuglekongen (Rhythm Track Version)
B1 Fuglekongen (Gammal Mungolian Mix)