Norwegian Fusion Stream & MP3

Guitarist Eivind Aarset plays a dark brand of trip-hop-infused jazz fusion, chords hovering like sulfurous clouds, ominous yet plaintive, beats that are mechanical, but also seductive and atmospheric. On two albums, Electronique Noire (1998) and Light Extracts (2001), Aarset has built a body of work that complements the reputation he’s made as a member of trumpeter Nils Petter Molvaer’s band. Like Molvaer, a fellow Norwegian, he is extending the heritage of Miles Davis’ electric era, melding the swing of jazz with electronic percussion and other digital effects. Aarset’s webpage on his tour promoter’s site features a three-minute video of him and his band, which takes its name from his 1998 album, performing “Dust Kittens,” off Light Extracts (page here, video stream here). In related news, Molvaer has put a free MP3 file, “Wilderness,” up on his own website (site here; enter and click the “unreleased on CD” tab) that evidences his interest in applying sinuous melodies to club beats.