Tune #86: Kohib - One Hundred Of Them

Exploring further the Norwegian electronic sound of the 90's, traces can be found in Tromsø, the innovative city regarding the house & techno scene of Norway (also know for its proximity to the Aurora Borealis!). Several important artists lived in that area, such as Geir Jenssen (Biosphere), Bjørn Torske (Ismistik), Per Martinsen (Metal Overdrive), Rune Lindbæk and Ole Mjøs. Even Röyksopp, known for their works here in Greece, started their career in Tromsø!

The connecting point for all these artists originated from a local student radio station and a show called Beatservice, curated by Vidar Hanssen (along with Nick Johannessen in the first years). The radio show introduced the listeners to various styles of electronic music. Year 1994 marked the 10th anniversary of the show, celebrated with the compilation TOS.CD - Tromsø Techno 1994. The comp CD included prominent acts of the city (the ones mentioned above), along with emerging artists like Aedena Cycle, Electrip-C and Information.

What initially started as an one-off project resulted to the launch of label Beatservice Records, which continues to exist till this very day (mostly in digital format). Today's track is part of Beatservice's legacy:

KOHIB - ONE HUNDRED OF THEM


Kohib is an alias of Øivind Sjøvoll, a Norwegian artist from Sortland. His first step in music was DJing in 1997, moving on with organizing club events in Tromsø. In 2001 he performed his first compositions as Parliavox (teaming up with his friend Torbjørn Ingvaldsen), fusing funk and jazz with house elements. Since 2003, he started to produce solo works, resulting to the debut of the Kohib alias with track Truger in the Prima Norsk 3 compilation in 2005.

The majority of Kohib's output has been released by Beatservice Records, oriented on leftfield dub house tracks. In 2012, a collaboration of Sjøvoll with Sami singer Mari Boine surfaced via the EP Tirakan. Mari Boine is a famous world music singer of Sami heritage (her parents lived in Sápmi region, located in the northern parts of Scandinavia and inhabited by indigenous people of the Sami tribe, also known as Lapps). She enjoyed international success with the Gula Gula album, released in 1989. It seems that Kohib was a great admirer of Mari's work, since he provided a remix of her song The Shadow in 2007. Regarding the Tirakan EP, Øivind and Mari had a studio session, leading to the creation of two tracks: the homonymous track and One Hundred Of Them.

My first encounter with One Hundred Of Them was during the listening experience of "A Love From Outer Space" set by Andrew Weatherall and Sean Johnston, notorious for their obscure track selections, blending slow motion grooves with cosmic disco and leftfield techno. The track is a great choice to include in an experimental dance set, since Mari's tremulous and ethereal vocals generate an outlandish feeling!