As a member of groundbreaking noise improvisors Supersilent, whose 8 (Rune Grammofon, 2007) was one of last year's best, co-conspirator with percussionist Thomas Strønen in Humcrush (Rune Grammofon, 2004), co-op member of Transatlantic electronic improv group Box with its debut Studio 1 Rune Grammofon, 2008) and guest on the tranquil stasis of Supersilent mate/trumpeter Arve Henriksen's Strjon (Rune Grammofon, 2007), keyboardist Ståle Storløkken may be the closest thing Rune Grammofon has to a house keyboardist. But as distinctive as he's always been as a colorist with these projects and others outside the Rune sphere—including guitarist Terje Rypdal's Vossabrygg (ECM, 2006)—he's never been as front and center as he is on DodoVoodoo, the debut from Elephant9.

Elephant9 also features drummer Torstein Lofthus, one of two original members left in Shining, whose relentless Grindstone (Rune Grammofon, 2007) referenced everyone from King Crimson to Henry Cow. Bassist Nikolai H...
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