Tundra is the debut album from Natdyr, the duo of saxophone player Martin Taanum Starup and guitar player Mads Joen Taanum. Joined by drummer Allan Lauridsen, the group have recorded a collection of immersive instrumentals which draw inspiration from a diverse pallette of sonic textures.
Natdyr (the Danish word for nocturnal animal) captures the sound of city nightlife, rainy urban alleyways, strange midnight encounters and nordic noir, but the group also lives up to the album title Tundra, when they move away from their classic urban jazz roots and go off into experimental passages in fields of desolate noise.
Recorded over the course of just a few days in a 14th century church southwest of Copenhagen during the winter of 2017/2018, the musicians set out to capture the raw sound of playing together with the band feeding off each other’s energy and the old church walls. From the acoustic subtlety of the quieter moments, to the more blown-out experimental sounds, the reverberation of the room played a big part in shaping the performances and recordings.
Natdyr makes music that is not easily defined by one genre, but the songs on the album incorporate elements from jazz, post-rock, electronica and experimental music and take inspiration from artists such as Sonic Youth, Daniel Lanois and Talk Talk among many others.
credits
released February 22, 2019
Martin Taanum Starup
Saxophones, vocals, EWI, keyboards, programming
Mads Joen Taanum
Guitars, vocals, bass, keyboards, programming, drums
Drums on Stabbed in the Front, Nattens Dug and The First by Allan Lauridsen. Noise and Nattens Dug were recorded live.
Recorded at Sct. Nicolai Church in Køge during 2017/2018
Recorded, mixed and produced by Søren Lemmike
Mastered by Antony Ryan at RedRedPaw Mastering
Cover art by Kim de la Roi Orneborg
Half of the proceeds from this imaginative, jazz-influenced electronic EP from A Model Kit go to Emigration for Action. Bandcamp New & Notable Sep 5, 2023
Emotionally stirring avant-techno from Surgeons Girl, offering a field of percolating analog synths to get lost in. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 18, 2022
UK producer Sunbane's latest LP, moody electronic music with an experimental pop heart, was made from a place of intense personal struggle. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 6, 2020