Geir Jenssen - Cho Oyu 8201m

Chris Watson writes:

"'Cho Oyu 8201m' is a wonderfully rich and well documented sonic adventure. A unique narrative full of deep rhythms and exciting textures. Beautiful design."

Straight No Chaser (UK):

Exclaim (USA):

Popmatters (USA):

Geir Jenssen, who also goes under the name of Biosphere, lives in a town in northern Norway and assembles soundscapes. The noises he uses in this one come from a trip he made up Cho Oyu, a mountain on the border between Nepal and Tibet. The amount of wind and bell on the album hint at the ease with which he could have been overwhelmed by the hugeness of the landscape and peace-and-Buddhism stereotypes of Tibetan life, but he chooses his samples sparingly and shows a holistic and precise appreciation of place, giving time to small, specific sounds, such as the tip-tap of birds pecking at biscuits on a rock, and the incidental grunts of passing yak herders. He’s helped by Jon Wozencroft, who tucks the CD into a stiff card envelope along with a map and tour diary. This is packaging with a sense of occasion. Every once in a while Jenssen overworks an effect, but in its totality Cho Oyu 8201m is an absorbing release: an arthouse documentary without the scenery.

Uncut (UK):

Mojo (UK):

All Music (USA):

Geir Jenssen is better known as Biosphere, the Norwegian electronic/ambient composer responsible for a half deck of albums on the Touch label between 1996 and 2006. He also recorded the soundtrack for the film version of Insomnia. Fewer still know that Jenssen is an experienced mountaineer. He traveled to Tibet in September and October of 2001 and climbed Cho Oyu, a mountain on the Tibetan/Nepalese border; it's the sixth largest peak in the world and is 8,201 meters high, hence the title. Jenssen made field recordings of all stages of his trip. It was rigorous: it took two weeks to get from Katmandu to the Base Camp in Tibet. The journey was taken slowly so as to avoid altitude sickness. Given that Tibet is literally the top of the world, making these recordings took some doing, whether it was the supply trucks blasting along mountain roads in the snow, transistor radios playing in high altitude, or birds that Jenssen fed to try to lure them closer. The voice of the sherpa, or his exhibition mates climbing, yak bells, livestock, horses galloping, the wind itself as wicked hail hit the tents in the middle of the night. It's all charted here. But these are not purely field recordings. There are subtle edits made, and even subtler effects added, and some listeners will recognize a bit of what's here as the rough source material for pieces on the Biosphere album Dropsonde, with sequencing done by the day, but perhaps not the exact hour. It's no matter, this is sound collage made from the rawest possible sources and then assembled, and it is a haunting, at times slightly harrowing experience. The listener is taken deep inside the climbing experience and how disorienting it is for a Westerner to exist in such a wild environment. One has to depend on the kindness of spirits, gods or one's own particular yiddam or protector deity. The overall feeling is that one is on holy ground, listening for the voice of the beyond, even among somewhat familiar sources - though few are. This recording will not appeal to everyone, to be sure, so Ash International should be commended for releasing such an arresting work. For those who encounter it with an open mind, it is the stuff of the fantastic, the void itself speaking through this man and his gear. It's remarkable, hushed, sacred, without being religious. It's the sound of the world coming to the listener in bits and pieces, whispers and roars. Cho Oyu 8201m is magical. [Thom Jurek]

Record Collector (UK):

Grooves Magazine (USA):

Finding Geir Jenssen 8,000 meters above sea level, making field recordings up the Tibetan Mountain of Cho Oyu, is hardly surprising, given his pseudonym Biosphere, his favored publicity shot on mountain in climbing gear, and the endless references to Arctic vastness and icy landscapes found in most reviews of his work. Nor is the substance of Cho Oyu 8201m a radical departure: loops of far-off percussion meshing with lightly processed gusts of wind and circling birds. Introducing a narrative element to Cho Oyu—allowing us to aurally follow Jenssen’s climb to the summit—is a welcome development, something only hinted at on previous releases.

Things begin at “Zhangmou,” a frontier town near the Nepalese/Tibetan border represented by an earthy drum loop, scrambling dogs, and the muffled clamor of anxious climbers—you can almost smell the incense. Further up, the campsite of “Palong” mixes bells, whistles, and the crackle of fire with a bass line seemingly taken from the squeals of a pig. “Chinese Basecamp” is more like the Biosphere of old, with cycles of grainy, synthetic tones rubbed up against shifting gusts of wind. Like the air, sound grows thinner the higher we climb: ghostly radio broadcasts puncturing the silence, with the sound of a passing plane in “Camp 1,” Norway’s national anthem on “Camp 1.5,” and traditional music of South Central Asia on “Camp 2.” The final “Summit” thoughtfully offers nothing but the sounds of a light breeze.

The combination of field recording and subtle electronics on Cho Oyu results in a kind of woozy loneliness, ably conveying both the vastness of such high places and the physical discomfort involved in making such journeys. Jenssen’s extensive liner notes detailing the expedition and Ash’s usual attention to packaging complete this rewarding release. [Joshua Meggitt]

Boomkat (UK):

Better known to the ambient-loving masses as Biosphere, Geir Jenssen is one of the most influential artists in his field. Responsible for the milestone album ‘Substrata’ among many others, Jenssen defined a sound and a time of ambient music and his compositions served as a precursor to the Deaf Centers and Tim Heckers of the world. This disc however sees the musician moving away from his delicate electro-acoustic compositions and into the realm of field recording, or more specifically diary recordings of an adventure in Tibet. The enclosed booklet describes the journey; Jenssen ventured up Cho Oyu, the worlds sixth highest peak at 8201 metres, with a group of fellow travellers and documented it beautifully with his writing, but the real adventure is hidden on the disc itself. Across twelve tracks Jenssen does his best to sum up the sights and sounds he was experiencing as he trekked through towns, villages and frozen landscapes. It might be a stray radio broadcast, a street musician, wind chimes and traffic in the distance or a cassette tape bought from a nearby shop – but what Jenssen manages on the record is simply heart-stopping. With only the simplest of means he has created an album which totally distils the current explosion in atmospheric, cinematic listening music – he has documented an actual adventure, a journey which could easily have been filmed with sound, letting the recordings tell the story. Of course what he ends up with transcends the term ‘cinematic’ – you know this is real, as you hear a dog barking or a voice shout in the background you are perfectly aware that Jenssen was sitting there recording these people and that is enough to make listening to the album a totally absorbing experience. An incredible package in typically lavish packaging, and a welcome addition to Geir Jenssen's already impresive catalogue. Highly Recommended.

Dagsavisen (Norway):

Mange går langt for kunsten, men Geir «Biosphere» Jenssen må ha satt en slags rekord: I 2001 klatret han til toppen av Cho Oyu i Himalaya, 8.201 meter over havet, og lydopptakene han gjorde på veien har han nå gitt ut på cd.

Her får vi dermed høre en del av kildematerialet for det briljante «Dropsonde»-albumet, som Jenssen ga ut tidligere i år under sitt faste artistnavn Biosphere, og som ble belønnet med karakter 6 av 6 her i Dagsavisen.

Da annonserte Jenssen i kjent provokativ stil at han ville trekke seg tilbake fra elektronisk musikk og heretter konsentrere seg om ren lyd, og denne plata kan tolkes som en bekreftelse på Geir Jenssens intensjoner. Som plateutgivelse stiller «Cho Oyu» en del sentrale spørsmål rundt våre oppfatninger av hva som er musikk. Samtidig, og pussig nok, låter dette ikke så forskjellig fra mye av det Geir Jenssen har laget som Biosphere de siste årene, på sin vei bort fra digitale rytmer, mot akustisk stillhet.

Dagens elektronika handler i stor grad om prosessering av lyd, og flere av sporene her er ikke bare rene «field recordings», men Jenssens bearbeiding av musikk han har snappet opp på veien. For eksempel «Jobo Rabzang», som er basert på looper fra en kassett med tibetansk musikk, og som i all sin skjøre enkelhet er blant det vakreste Geir Jenssen har laget.

Den forseggjorte cd-innpakingen inneholder utdrag av Jenssens dagbok fra den 45 dager lange ekspedisjonen. De tolv sporene på cd-en følger veien mot toppen, høyere og høyere. Det ligger dermed en spenning i plata, ikke ulikt magien fra guttedagenes hørespill på radio, med en vesentlig forskjell i vissheten om at lydene man hører er autentiske. Her er det ingen som knitrer med potetmelposer.

Cho Oyu er verdens sjette høyeste topp, og turen opp er hard og farlig. På veien opp møter de en ekspedisjon på vei ned bærende på en død klatrer. På femte dag av ekspedisjonen hører Jenssen på kortbølgeradioen at to fly har krasjet inn i World Trade Center. Det er den 11. september 2001, og verden skal aldri mer bli den samme, men Jenssen klatrer videre, til han når toppen sammen med sin sherpa Krishna, som den eneste fra sin ekspedisjon som kom helt fram. Plata avsluttes med lyden av vinden og stillheten på toppen av Cho Oyu, tidlig om morgenen, med utsikt mot Mount Everest.

Spørsmålet om dette er musikk, kunst eller bare lyd blir mindre viktig: Dette er fascinerende lytting. «Jeg tror ikke jeg vil gjøre en lignende reise igjen», konkluderer Jenssen i cd-heftet. Og dette er en plate man neppe vil få høre maken til. [Bernt Erik Pedersen]

Mapsadaisacal (UK):

“I would climb the highest mountain, I would run through the field, only to be with yooooooou” U2

“Ain’t no mountain high enough, ain’t no valley low enough, ain’t no river wide enough to keep me from yoooooooou” Diana Ross

“Unwanted side effects while taking [high altitude medicine] Diamox include drowsiness, fatigue, or a dizzy lightheaded feeling…in some cases, individuals may suffer depression, pains in the area of the kidneys, and bloody or black tarry stooooooooooools” Geir Jenssen

Those words are printed on the cover of Geir Jenssen’s singular contribution to the field of music about mountains. After the success of his Substrata album, he took all his royalties and blew them on a trip to Tibet in 2001 to climb the world’s sixth highest peak, Cho Oyu. Not one to miss an opportunity, he armed himself with a minidisc recorder, microphone and shortwave radio. Along with, I would assume, a load of mountaineering stuff like crampons and ropes, and whatever else they use. I don’t know. Hooks. Warm clothes. Sherpas. Anti-gravity devices. And Diamox.

Five years later, he has finally opted to release the results – under his own name, to distinguish these “field recordings” from the digital explorations he has released as Biosphere. Not that there is a lack of thematic continuity however – these pieces are in a sense an expedition to the very core of his work, both in terms of his use of such recordings to form the basis of a track (much of Dropsonde is based on these source materials), and in terms of the isolationist mood that hermetically seals you inside his albums. With Cho Oyo, all else is stripped away, leaving you naked, shivering and very alone.

The diary that accompanies the disc is gripping, nerveless and at times surreal stuff, as Geir recounts the frosty group dynamics, intense physical trauma (headaches, sickness, dizziness, freezing cold; no tarry stools as Geir elected to forego the Diamox), and occasional misguided attempts to tune back in to the rest of the world - hearing reports of planes crashing into the World Trade Centre, a War of the Worlds style hoax was assumed.

The recordings bring the words and pictures to life so vividly, tracking as they do the trip from the Tibetan border through basecamp, advanced basecamp, camps at 6400m, 6800m, 7100m, and 7500m before reaching the summit itself. The compelling organic rhythms of civilisation Geir finds in Zhangmu and Tingri - local instrumentation, a cassette of traditional Tibetan music - are quickly left behind on the drive to the first camp, replaced with an eerie stillness in which the smallest of sounds become massively portentuous, at times coalescing into tiny patterns (the yak bells distort in a manner akin to the powerful ringing tones of the guitar on John Fahey’s Red Cross). A sense of loneliness and disorientation increases as Geir ascends through the rarified atmosphere, sometimes the only sounds are of laboured breathing and a biting wind scouring the surface; this complete disconnection is broken only by the music and plane chatter picked up on the radio. At times you feel like you are the one who should be taking the altitude sickness tablets.

Geir’s reasons for punishing himself thus are conspicuously absent from his diary. However in doing so, he has scaled more than one peak – to the besting of the world’s sixth highest mountain can be added the fashioning of possibly his finest artistic statement. Buy it, and buy a big coat too - you are going to need it.

Read Geir’s diary and see some amazing photos of the expedition here

Bad Alchemy (Germany):

Cho Oyu 8201m (Ash 7.1) ist so ein Stück Natur, der sechshöchste Ausbuchtung der Erde nach oben. GEIR JENSSEN, ansonsten bekannt als Biosphere, war dort. Der Beginn seines Abenteuers in Tibet am 10./11.9.2001 fiel zusammen mit der Nachricht vom Einsturz der Twin Towers, eine Erschütterung jenseits des Horizontes, die die nepalesische Grenze nur als Kurzwelle erreichte. Jenssen, der gerade Heinrich Harrers 7 Jahre in Tibet fertig gelesen hatte, fühlte sich wie von Orson Welles War of the Worlds gestreift. Er selbst führte Tagebuch, das als ’Only Krishna and I' der CD beiliegt. Auch akustisch notierte er die Etappen seiner Reise auf das Dach der Welt mit einen MiniDisc-Recorder. Die Stationen führten von ’Zhangmu' über ’Tingri und ’Jobo Rabzang' zum chinesischen Basiscamp (4830m). Weiter dann über ’Palung' (5400m), wo eine Yak-Karawane vorüber zog, und ’Nangpa La', wo er Krähen und Tauben mit Biskuit anlockte, um sie aufzunehmen, zum ’Cho Oyu Basecamp' (5700m) und weiter zu ’Camp 1' (6400m), wo er Funkverkehr registrierte von einem Nachtflug über den Himalaya. In ’Camp 1.5' (6800m) erreichte ihn über Kurzwelle ’Blå ne etterr Blå ne' aus der Heimat, auf ’Camp 2' (7100m) Weltmusik aus dem südlicheren Asien. Auf ’Camp 3' (7500m), von einem Hagelsturm in die Zelte verbannte, belauschte Jenssen ein zweites Team, das seine Sauerstoffmasken benutzte. Am 34. Tag, dem 10. Oktober, gelang ihm und dem Sherpa Krishna der Aufstieg auf den Gipfel, ein dritter Kamerad musste wegen Erfrierungen umkehren. Jenssen übersteht auch den Abstieg, auf dem die meisten Unfälle passieren, fast zu erschöpft, um sein Gepäck zu schnüren und sich zu Camp 2 zu schleppen. Er macht, ohne selbst zu prahlen, begreiflich, dass kein Spaziergang zum Cho Oyu führt. Erfrierungen, Ödeme, Sauerstoffmangel, Schlafprobleme, Auszehrung, Erschöpfung sind ständige Gefahren, die nur durch aufwändige Logistik vermieden oder bewältigt werden können. Jenssen selbst, glücklich zu den Cappucinos und Pastas in Katmandu zurückgekehrt, hat zumindest vorerst genug von so extremen Abenteuern. Der Soundtrack vermittelt uns Stubenhockern zwölf Klangbilder des Trips, aufgenommen mit den Ohren eines Musikers. Mit jedem Höhenmeter bleibt ein Stück Exotik zurück, die Klänge werden spezifischer und seltener. Man taucht in eine Zone ein, die nur noch aus zu dünner, zu eisiger Luft und aus Funk- und Radiowellen besteht. Einst steckte der Renaissancemensch den Kopf durch die Käseglocke seiner kleinen Welt, um ’draußen' die große zu entdecken. Jenssen ist einer der wenigen, die zu Fuß die nächste Membrane durchstoßen haben. Um heimzukehren nach Tromsdalen mit der Erkenntnis, das die Biosphäre an ihrer Peripherie den Menschen nicht braucht.

de:bug (Germany):

Other Music (USA):

I've often thought that mountain climbers must be amongst the most masochistic and selfish assholes on earth. Did you read that Into Thin Air book that was made into an IMAX movie about a disastrous Mt. Everest ascent in which a number of climbers died due to greed, glory hounding, and the inherent stupidity of attempting to stand on the highest spot in the entire world? What was wrong with those people and why did their families let them go in the first place? That cautionary tale hasn't seemed to stop anybody though, folks keep shelling out money year after year to climb the thing and they keep dying just the same. I guess that if it's that important to you though, then go on ahead. Now I don't know for sure if he's a masochist or an a**hole, but Geir Jenssen is a mountain climber, and in 2001 he completed an ascension of Cho Oyu in Tibet; at 8,201 meters tall, it's the world's sixth largest peak. Armed with a mini-disc recorder instead of an IMAX camera, he managed to create a highly intimate, personal, and listenable aural portrait of his trip. As much as I love, say, Chris Watson or Steven Feld, I often find these field recording albums to be more interesting in theory than in practice, but I was really surprised at how musical this CD ended up being and that it truly bore repeated listening. Perhaps it shouldn't be that surprising actually, as Jenssen is better known as the mastermind behind Norway's Biosphere, a popular and much lauded ambient act who have always been quite engaging. The twelve tracks are subtitled with descriptors that should give you some sense of what to expect; Crossing a Landslide Area, A Yak Caravan Is Coming, Birds Feeding on Biscuits, Himalayan Nightfall, etc. You also get some lovely impressions of what life as a Sherpa must be like day in and day out. Included is a ten page pamphlet with photographs from his trip, as well as entries from his travel diary that are occasionally rather harrowing, and which further confirm my mountain climber = insane masochist hunch. [MK]

SOMA (USA):

As Biosphere, Norwegian Geir Jenssen has created some astonishing 4th World recordings. Most often released on the Jon Wozencroft-curated Touch label - responsible for landmark releases by the likes of Ryoji Ikeda, Fennesz, Philip Jeck, and Johann Johannsson to name a few - he has a deft hand combining field recordings (typically recordings of natural outdoor sounds) with slow-moving, minimal electronics. Here, Jenssen has documented his climb up Cho Oyu (the sixth highest mountain on Earth) in Tibet to stunning affect. Far from the mishaps of poorly executed "World" fusions, Jenssen mixes real sounds as he experienced them - one can detect a Yak crossing filled with bells at one point, Tibetan conversation, and radio snippets elsewhere - with his hovering Calder-esque electronics and a beautiful booklet with photos and daily writing entries. As such, he has created a tactile, enveloping journal that bristles with life and mirrors the reflective, receptive atmosphere of his journey. Brilliant stuff then. [Alexis Georgopoulos]

VITAL (The Netherlands):

On Ash International we find a CD by Geir Jenssen, mostly known as Biosphere (and as such with releases on Touch), but since we are dealing here with a strict project of field recordings, it is released under his own name. In September and October 2001 he undertook a trip into Tibet, climbing the Cho Oyu, the sixth highest mountain of the world. Whereas others would probably take a camera, Jenssen is more the kind of guy to take a minidisc and a microphone to make a sonic diary. He also took a world band receiver so that he could listen to the news (and thus heard about 9/11 high in the mountains). Mentioning the shortwave is important, since unlike Watson/Nilsen, Jenssen records some sounds of that in the environment he is, and they ended up on the CD. That marks already one big difference between this and the previous CD. Some of the tracks use these shortwave sounds in addition to the field recordings. Another difference is the fact that Jenssen's twelve tracks are more pure recordings of events and situations, and the previous is a musical collage of various recordings at the same time. Throughout these pieces are minimal, but are clearly defined. Each is a snapshot of a particular part of the journey. Although Vital Weekly didn't review 'Dropsonde', it's easy to see why some of this was used as source material on that particular Biosphere CD. In terms of music, this is unmistakably the more musical one of the two that deal with field recordings. The release comes with an extensive booklet, also a diary, but then of words, of which the last entry reads: "I'm not sure I'd ever undertake a similar journey. Once was enough." [FdeW]

kultureflash (UK):

According to Jon Wozencroft, founder of Touch, Geir Jenssen (aka Norwegian ambient artist Biosphere) spent all the money that he got from the considerable sales of his Substrata album to fund an expedition to Tibet, specifically to climb Cho Oyu - the world's sixth highest peak. Documenting this expedition in the form of a written diary and minidisc field recordings has resulted in what is possibly his best work yet. And yes, the expected sounds of wind chill are there - a sonic reminder of the extreme nature of the environment, but also the idea of man's insignificance in such vast and isolated surroundings. The constant need to communicate is represented by the sound of local people, 2-way radio chatter or tuning into the comforting but otherworldly ether of shortwave radio. Cyclic rhythms drift in and out of the recordings and whilst they're subtle, they help retain a sense of narrative... of being in motion. Lavishly packaged and almost presented like a guidebook, the inclusion of a map suggests that you could re-create the journey yourself. The ultimate statement in audiotourism.

Terz (Germany):

Wie dieser Kletterkaiser z.B.: als Biosphere hat der Norweger schon mal gerne kalbende Eisberge gesampelt, 2001 wagte er sich dann selbst in den Himalaya und lässt euch jetzt mittels fantastisch arrangierten field recordings an seiner Besteigung des Cho Oyu in Tibet, dem sechsthöchsten Berg der Welt, teilnehmen. Hier ist ein Ambientalbum des Jahres. Ambient? - 30 Grad, bösartige Winde, der vollständige Verzicht auf Sauerstoff bis zum Gipfel und großes Wetterglück - dieses Audio ist kein Spaziergang, aber uns Sesselpupern kommt es angesichts dieser oft faszinierend ruhig wirkenden Scapes so vor. Ein außergewöhnlich schönes und aufwändiges Artwork begleitet dieses einmalige Hörerlebn.

Kindamusik (Germany):

Ook benieuwd waar Biosphere zijn inspiratie vandaan haalt bij het maken van zijn ijzige, ruimtelijke ambient? Zoek niet verder: dit album vol licht gemanipuleerde veldopnames uit Tibet is het antwoord. Geir Jenssen - hij is meneer Biosphere - is behalve muzikant ook fotograaf en begenadigd bergbeklimmer. In 2001 heeft hij zonder zuurstof de Cho Oyu beklommen in Tibet, met een hoogte van 8201 meter de op vijf na hoogste berg van de wereld. Jenssen zou Jenssen niet zijn als hij geen recorder mee had genomen om veldopnames te maken tijdens die expeditie. Normaal gesproken zorgt zulks dan voor het benodigde bronmateriaal voor een Biosphere album. Zo ook hier: op het vroeg in 2006 verschenen Dropsonde is regelmatig gebruik gemaakt van deze opnames.

Wat is echter het geval? De veldopnames waren zo welsprekend en wonderschoon dat ze met wat lichte aanpassingen hier en daar zo uitgebracht konden worden. Het eindresultaat is - hoe kan het anders - een stuk minimaler dan een normaal Biosphere album, en benadert soms de essentie van eenzaamheid en pure stilte. Prachtige drones, sfeerklanken van spelende kinderen vermengd met zacht galmende Tibetaanse klankschalen, windgeluiden, op de top opgevangen korte golf radio-uitzendingen uit Noorwegen, een gesamplede en bewerkte tape met Tibetaanse volksmuziek; het staat er allemaal op en het is zonder uitzondering allemaal even prachtig.

Verwacht dus geen ritmische benadering zoals dat bij Biosphere vaak voorkomt. Dit is minimaler, abstracter en ontoegankelijker, en wellicht voor sommigen ook minder muzikaal, aangezien het ergens op de grens tussen geluid en muziek ligt.

Om het nog mooier te maken zit het geheel in een mooie hoes en krijg je er een boekje bij met het reisverslag van Geir Jenssen zelf, compleet met eigen, machtig mooie foto's. Het blijkt een echte meerwaarde, want zo gaan de opnames echt leven en krijgen ze veel meer betekenis. Zo is Cho Oyu 8201m: Field Recordings From Tibet een indrukwekkend document geworden; een soundtrack bij het reisverslag van een barre tocht in woord en beeld van Geir Jenssen.

Goon (Germany):

Wem der Name Geir Jensson unbekannt erscheint, der wird eventuell bei dem Pseudonym Biosphere hellhörig. Seit Anfang der 1990iger Jahre hat der norwegische Komponist zehn Alben produziert und in etlichen anderen Projekten mitgewirkt. Das erste, was an seinem neuen Album auffällt, ist die wirklich schöne und aufwendig gestaltete Verpackung. (Leider ist sie so groß, dass sie kaum Platz in meinem CD Regal findet.) Anbei ist ein kleines Tagebuch, welches die Reise von Geir Jensson beschreibt, wie er im September/Oktober 2001 an einer Bergexpedition an der tibetanisch-nepalesischen Grenze teilnahm und dort den sechsthöchsten Berg der Welt, den Cho Oyu (8201m) bestieg. Diese Aufnahmen bestehen zum größten Teil aus Field Recordings und sind quasi der Soundtrack zur Reise. Sie geben einen kleinen Einblick, in welcher akustischen Vielfalt sich Land und Leute bewegen. Wer ältere Produktionen von Biosphere kennt und die vielschichtigen, weichen, minimale Klanglandschaften mit tiefen Bässen erwartet, wird daher vielleicht enttäuscht werden. Im Vordergrund stehen die reinen Aufnahmen eines Mp3-Players, die, aufgeteilt auf zwölf Schienen, die verschiedenen Standorte der Expedition markieren. Du schließt die Augen, und bist in Nepal: der Wind bläst dir um die Ohren, der Straßenverkehr dort umgibt dich, Windglockenspiele und Menschen in Unterhaltungen, Krähen bei ihrem Spiel, in einiger Entfernung eine Radiostation. Es zeigt die Vielfalt der Natur, einer Kultur und des Menschen; nicht mehr doch auch nicht weniger. [Matthias Lux]

Radio France (France):

Cet enregistrement a été réalisé par Geir Jenssen, musicien norvégien plus connu des amateurs de musique électronique sous le nom de Biosphere. Geir Jenssen a toujours attaché beaucoup d'importance à l'élément géographique en tant que matière sonore à l'inclure dans ses compositions musicales. C'est au Tibet, sur le toit du monde à plus de 8 mille mètres d'altitude - et sans oxygène - que cet artiste et alpiniste chevronné est allé chercher les éléments sonores de son nouvel opus discographique. Quarante cinq jours de marche et d'ascension extrême pour recueillir quelques chants traditionnels tibétains, des sons de troupeaux, le dernier engin motorisé avant de rejoindre l'ambiance sonore désertique mais jamais silencieuse de ce sixième sommet le plus haut du monde. En voici un extrait tout à fait magique, enregistré la nuit à plus de 7.000 m d'altitude pendant qu'une lointaine station radio diffuse sur les ondes courtes une musique traditionnelle répétitive involontairement accompagnée par le bruit du vent sur les parois. Ce nouvel album de Geir Jenssen est superbement présenté sur le label Ash International. [Eric Serva]

Blow Up (Italy):

Svenska Dagbladet (Sweden):

Ett soundtrack till norrmannen Geir Jensens (mer känd som Biosphere) bestigning av det tibetanska berget Cho Oyu (den sjätte högsta toppen i världen) i Himalaya 2001. Fältinspelningar och dagbokstexten i det fina omslaget ger kittlande utsnitt ur hans resa med hjälp av atmosfäriska ljud av röster, natur och tibetansk musik. En rik upplevelse med förväntningar, stillhet och intryck, inte minst för oss som aldrig kommer att nå dessa höjder. [Magnus Olsson]

Octopus (France):

Dans les colonnes d'Octopus, nous louons souvent les qualités d'aventurier sonore de nombre d'artistes que nous défendons. Pourtant, peu parmi eux dépasse le cadre formel de l'aventure virtuelle, domestique ou simplement « ethnographique » pour défier, dans les limites de leur champ artistique, leurs propres limites humaines. A l'écoute de ce Cho Oyu 8201 m, la perception du travail de Geir Jenssen, plus connu sous le nom de Biosphere, s'élargit. Derrière le musicien, on devine le baroudeur. Derrière les sons qui se meuvent, on perçoit le risque qui grandit. Le goût de Geir Jenssen pour l'isolationnisme boréal, pour les ambiances arctiques profondes et feutrées est bien connu. Mais sur Cho Oyu 8201 m, le natif de Tromso délaisse son grand nord séminal pour se transporter dans une autre terre sacrée des paysages montagneux et glacées, l'Himalaya, et se fondre dans une expédition dont l'objectif est d'atteindre rien moins que le sixième sommet de la planète, quelque part entre le Népal et le Tibet. Dropsonde, son précédent album, paru sur Touch, exploitait déjà du matériel audio tiré de ce voyage d'altitude. Mais Cho Oyu 8201 m se pose davantage sous la forme d'un carnet de route, d'une cartographie sonore mettant en relief les détails saillants de ce qui est avant tout une formidable aventure humaine. Armé de son minidisc et son micro Sony, Geir Jenssen observe et avance au sein de ce trek de six alpinistes et d'un sherpa avec son application rigoureuse. Un sens du détail qui lui fait mettre en valeur des scènes incongrues comme ces oiseaux dévalisant des paquets de biscuits ("Bird feeding on biscuits"). Mais surtout, au fil de ce périlleux trajet, l'importance du rapport à l'humain semble croître, persistant comme un défi à la distance à travers cette haute immensité. Les bribes de musiques captées à l'aide de son poste radio onde courte, les semblants de conversation permises par le téléphone cellulaire rythment les dernières foulées vers un sommet matérialisé par le dernier morceau du cd. Même perché au sommet du monde, l'homme reste à l'écoute de lui-même. Cela Geir Jenssen l'a bien compris. [Laurent Catala]

Milk (UK):

Best known for his ambient work as Biosphere, Norwegian musician Geir Jenssen is also an accomplished mountaineer. In 2001, he took part, with five other climbers and a Sherpa, in an expedition to climb Mount Cho Oyo, the sixth highest summit in the world. Culminating at 8201m, the mount is situated on the border between Tibet and Nepal, a stone throw away from Mount Everest. This album and its accompanying booklet document the month-long expedition and give an insight into Jenssen’s state of mind during the trip. It also gives an idea of what mountaineers attempting such a journey are faced with, from freezing cold temperatures to altitude sickness and physical and mental pain.

Armed with a MiniDisc recorder, a microphone and a shortwave radio receiver, Jenssen collected field recordings through the whole ascension and they are presented here entirely in their naked form, documenting the journey from the moment the expedition crossed the border into Tibet to reaching the first base camp, various intermediate camps and finally the summit, thirty days later.

The recordings weave an intricate and, at times, oppressive, sonic web as the expedition progresses through the first stages of the ascent, ranging from urban noises and everyday life recorded in the last towns and villages crossed to herds in transit, music captured on the shortwave radio receiver, birds feeding, someone breathing through an oxygen mask and storms. As the expedition gets nearer to the goal, the accrued effort required due to the rarefied oxygen transpires through denser soundscapes and shorter selections, as if the simple fact of recording was progressively becoming too demanding.

While the recordings are stark testaments of the gruelling conditions faced by Jenssen and his companions, the accompanying essay, entitled Only Krishna & I, provides a much more personal and touching view on the expedition as Jenssen documents the journey, from the moment he finds an advert in a mountaineering magazine to being the only one, with his Sherpa, to reach the summit, to his return to Katmandu.

The Wire (UK):

dMute: (France):

Au moyen de fields recordings attrapés sur Minidisc, Geir Jenssen (Biosphere) nous transporte au sommet du Cho Oyu, mont himalayen situé à la frontière tibéto-népalaise, auquel il s'est attaqué à l’automne 2001.

Carnet de route sonore, Cho Oyo raconte 8201 m de transport. A terre (Zhangmu, Tingri), des bribes de conversations filtrant parmi clochettes et gongs, le bruit d’un moteur ou le chant d’un torrent. Et puis, après avoir mis en boucle un court passage de musique tibétaine retenue sur cassette (Jobo Rabzang), c’est l’ascension. A 5400 mètres de hauteur, Jenssen croise quelques bergers accompagnés de leurs troupeaux (Palung). Dernière présence animale, une nuée d’oiseaux (Cho Oyn Basecamp, Nangpa La).

Moins fréquentes, les rencontres se font aussi moins concrètes : voix d’un pilote d’avion survolant les parages (Camp 1) ou faible mélodie passant à la radio (Camp 15) captés par les appareils de Jenssen. Qui enfermeront aussi la rumeur d’une tempête de grêle (Camp 3) et celle de l’ambiance régnant au sommet (Summit).

Forcément insaisissable dans son intégralité, la portée de ces field recordings n’en est pas moins fascinante. Matériau ayant servi à la confection de Dropsonde – album de Biosphere sorti en 2005 -, Cho Oyo 8201 m expose concrètement la somme de souvenirs influents, et invente une cartographie d’enregistrements rares. [Grisli]

SWR2 NOWJazz (Germany):

Geir Jenssen ist ein norwegischer Name. Der Photograph lebt in Tromso, mehrere hundert Kilometer nördlich des Polarkreises. Motive findet er dort viele: Rentiere, Polarlicht und samische Kothen sind die klischeebeladensten, aber auch karge, felsige Berge und allerlei Pflanzen und Tiere, die der Kälte und der winterlichen Dunkelheit standhalten. Als Musiker ist Geir Jenssen eher bekannt unter seinem Pseudonym “Biosphere". Schon dieser Künstlername verrät, dass sich Jenssen nicht nur mit der Kamera, sondern auch mit dem Mikrophon in die Landschaft hinaus begibt. Feldaufnahmen fließen immer wieder in seine Musik ein. In dieser NOWJazz-Sendung werden musikalische Pfade des Musikers erwandert, damit die Hörerinnen und Hörer gedanklich dem Bergsteiger Jenssen und dessen Tonspuren auf einen der höchsten Berge des Himalaya folgen können. [Nina Polaschegg]

Nordis (Germany):

Groove (Germany):

musiquemachine (UK):

Cho Oyu 8201m sees Geir Jenssen, of electronic ambient project Biosphere, collecting together, manipulation and editing sound recordings from his trip up Cho Oyu in Tibet- the sixth highest mountain in the world.

Each track follows a leg of the jouney with a few minutes of related sounds and music. Jenssen skilfully takes ethnic music, radio jingles and all manner of harmonic audio sounds as a back bone for most of the track, then adds on top all manner of environmental sound be it; wind,animals or people- in a effective and entertaining manner. Making each piece a musically sound work in it’s own right and not just purely unedited field records. So as a result this is replayable and enjoyable more than simple field recording cd. It all comes in a wonderful oversize cd wallet with a full colour 12 page booklet detailing his trip with both pictures & text . On the back of the wallet is a map of the area covered, giving the feeling that real thought has gone into the booklet and wallet, much like the sound and music.

A worthwhile mix of field recordings, ambience and interesting audio editing- that really acts as a audio dairy to Jenssen's trip and a enjoyble album to boot. Let’s hope he decides to present his future trips in a simlar manner. [Roger Batty]

Earlabs (The Netherlands):

Most people know Geir Jensen through his aka as Biosphere. Under this moniker he has released a range of cd’s in the ambient sector. In the 80’s he was part of a band called Bel Canto but he decided to work solo under the name Biosphere. The name being a reference to the Biosphere 2 Space Station Project.

Jensen lives in a secluded town called Tromsö in Norway, keeping a distance from the noisy and busy world. I think that is more and more becoming a very relative notion since the Internet pervades every part of the Earth and everyone is easily accessible. But, it’s true, physical contact with someone living there is a different matter. This does not lead to solo releases exclusively because in the past years he worked together with Higher Intelligence Agency, Deathprod. and Peter Namlook (of the famous Fax recordings).

Biosphere’s music varies but always circles around in the ambient area. Sometimes it’s more percussive than at other times when it features loops and droney harmonics. A few years ago he presented a new soundtrack to Dziga Vertov’s ’Man With A Movie Camera’ (1929) which I think was quite good. The atmosphere of the images is caught quite nicely.

Touch now releases a cd under his own name, Geir Jenssen. I guess this done in order not to confuse the audience with the Biosphere work and indeed because this work is much more personal than anything Jenssen has released so far. Cho Oyu 8201m contains, just like the subtitle says, field recordings from Tibet. The recordings have been made with a SonyMZ-R30 minidisc recorder and a Sony ECM-S959C microphone. It is quite different from the Biosphere stuff. Here, rhythm and melody are not the main characters but the recordings that are made while Jenssen climbed the Cho Oyu. Yes, we learn that Jenssen actually also is an experienced climber of high mountains.

The cd is an audiolog / narrative composition that follows the time line of his journey to the summit of the Cho Oyu. We start the audio near the Nepalese/Tibetan border and then go up with the composer in 12 audio works. The complete textual narration, which is also presented in the book that comes with the cd, can be read online (http://www.biosphere.no/cho_oyu). Actually the text greatly improves the experience of the audio. I had my first listening before reading the text and it is interesting to read the thoughts I jotted down while listening. I must say that before listening to this cd I heard BJ Nilsen/C.Watson's ‘Storm’. The latter, also is based on phonographic recordings. But whereas the Nilsen/Watson cd is more of a Turner-like depiction of a natural phenomenon, the Jenssen cd is much more narrative and almost cartoon-like. Jenssen’s compositions are layers and juxtapositions of recordings made during his trip at various stages. The scenery which he presents is like a Tin-Tin comic, with clear shapes and bright colors. In general there is little depth. The recordings are of good quality but the compositions are unable to take me along.

During my second listening session I also read the text. If you have read more climber’s stories like “Into Thin Air” by Jon Krakauer then you know already a little about the climbing tourism. Krakauer wrote a wonderful book about this. Of course Jenssen’s report is much shorter, much more factual and closer to his own experiences. This, together with the audio on the cd, enhances the experience and actually while reading and listening I had a great time. As with all Touch releases this one is beautifully designed and carries a booklet with other climbing photographs that make the experience even better.

In conclusion I think that Jenssen experiments with phonography might lead to interesting results. In any case he can come up with recordings that are not made by many. It is the first time, as far as I know, that he lets go of the musical context (in the classical sense) which also opens up new possibilities. There are however two points for consideration: first is the concept of recording and second is the concept of the composition. There are excellent examples for inspiration inside the Touch catalogue. [Jos Smolders]

Nordische Musik (Germany):

Schon die Verpackung bricht mit Format und Aufmachung konventioneller CDs, und auch die Entstehungsgeschichte hört sich ungewöhnlich an. Doch was ist schon »normal« bei Geir Jenssen alias Biosphere? Die Aufnahmen entstanden bei Jenssens Besteigung des sechsthöchsten Berges Cho You an der tibetanischen/nepalesischen Grenze. Seine 45tägige Bergtour, die den Nordnorweger an den Rand seiner physischen Grenzen brachte, kann man im umfangreichen Booklet nachlesen und auf CD nachhören.

Er nahm vor allem Umgebungsgeräusche auf - Wind, die Glocken von Yaks, Tabla-Getrommel, feilschende Markthändler, Hagelstürme und den Kurzwellenfunk eines passierenden Flugzeugs oder der Titelmelodie von Radio Norway International. Als Instrumentarium fungierten demnetsprechend nur MiniDisc Recorder, Mikrofon und Weltempfänger, wobei er sich eine nachträgliche elektronische Ver- und Bearbeitung der Klänge nicht nehmen ließ. Packend! [PEB]

Ruis (Belgium):

Geir Jenssen, ofwel Biosphere, is bij ons bekend als de man die ons reeds meermaals de perfecte nachtelijke koptelefoonambient bezorgde uit het hoge noorden. Dat hoge noorden heeft hij voor deze opnames even ingeruild voor een zware klimtocht naar de Cho Oyu, de zesde grootste berg ter wereld die uitstrekt tot Nepal. Gewapend met een minidisk, een microfoon en een kortegolfradio-ontvanger vatte hij de dertig dagen grimmige klim aan. Het album is een vrij persoonlijk en poëtisch verslag geworden met zowel gevarieerde veldopnames als een mooi uitgegeven (dag)boekje. [DD]

d-side (France):

Rumore (Itay):

Touching Extremes (net):

In 2001, Geir Jenssen (aka Biosphere) travelled to Tibet with the aim of climbing the Cho Oyu mountain - sixth highest top of the world - armed with minidisc, microphone, shortwave radio and photographic equipment. Jenssen’s trip is now documented by the diary that he wrote during the climb - which is transcribed in the CD booklet and, with additional photos, in his website biosphere.no - and by the twelve tracks of this splendid CD, one of those items that, when received in a certain frame of mind, make me feel literally inadequate and - in this particular case - full with admiration for people like Jenssen, who endure huge efforts to fulfil their quest for something that no word can define correctly. The sounds of "Cho Oyu" are radiant in their simplicity, presenting us with lots of suggestive views of the Tibetan environment while working effectively as a spirit-heightening
background. A herd of yaks is led by the shepherds with melodic whistling, eliciting a heartwarming sense of purity; shortwave interferences of an airplane's staff communicating with ground control, casually recorded at night by Jenssen while he was at 6400m, remind us how lonely we can be - wherever we are. The wind is omnipresent: one can feel the limbs freezing even while sitting on the couch. When the raw materials get treated, the magic springs out in large quantities, like in the fantastic loop of Tibetan music in "Jobo Rabzang", which is
as good as any Jon Hassell masterpiece. "Cho Oyu" is deeply significant in every aspect, uncovering our most hidden sense of non-belonging and subjecting it to the universal laws, to see if there is still a chance of avoiding everyday's useless gestures and comments. Jenssen's aural and written narrative are straight- forwardly efficient: I found myself reading the text, surrounded by these sounds and voices both at late night and very early morning, trying to adapt my imagination to a similar ordeal, something that I’m almost sure I won't be able to
experience in my life. Thanks to Geir Jenssen's profoundness, I can at least feel it a little nearer. It's not enough, though. [Massimo Ricci]

Wreck This Mess (France):

Voici peut-être l'ultime carnet de voyage… Avec des enregistrements à faire pâlir d'envie Chris Watson. On pense aussi à l'audiotourisme de Freeform au travers du Vietnam et de la Chine ou encore aux captations de Yannick Dauby dans les rues de Taipei… En effet, Geir Jenssen plus connu sous le nom de Biosphere nous donne à entendre l'environnement sonore dans lequel il s'est immergé pendant un mois et demi. Les échos d'un véritable périple puisqu'il s'agit d'une expédition au Tibet, en septembre 2001, avec ascension d'un sommet à 8201 mètres à la clef ! Avec les problèmes physiques et la logistique que cela suppose… Geir Jenssen raconte tout cela de manière concise dans le livret. On se retrouve donc en "prise direct" avec lui sur les routes du Népal, à la frontière de la Chine. On n'a même pas besoin de fermer les yeux pour imaginer le décor tant le son, les bruits sont "parlants" : les clochettes des chevaux tirant des carrioles, des éclats de voix et des bribes de conversations dans des langues qui nous sont inconnues, le mugissement des camions à la peine sur les routes escarpées, le hennissement des yacks et les sifflets des bergers, le grésillement de communications radios… Ensuite, une fois en haut, c'est le feulement du vent glacial et son souffle court, pour cause de manque d'oxygène, que Geir Jenssen a la force d'enregistrer pendant quelques minutes… [LD]

Rockerilla (Italy):

Machina (Poland):

Uncut (UK):

Ruis (Belgium):

RifRaf (France):

GoMag (Spain):

Orkus (Germany):

Trax (France):

Future Music (UK):

Trax (France):

Fear Drop (France):

Rock de Lux (Spain):

Testcard (Germany):

Dusted (USA):

The ascent to the peak of a gigantic mountain is something that few humans are able to experience; even those who manage to make a serious attempt are often turned back by the mental and physical demands that such a task entails. And while it in no way substitutes for actually undertaking such a climb, Geir Jenssen’s Cho Oyu 8210m is, in a small way, a chance for the listener to make the trip, at least in their mind, and while it can’t compete with the bone-chilling visuals of a professionally shot documentary, there’s something quite affecting about Jenssen’s field recordings, and the accompanying short diary that details the notable events of his journey to the top of the world’s sixth-highest peak.

Jenssen, a Norwegian known to ambient techno fans as Biosphere, traveled to Kathmandu on the first leg of his expedition, and began a 45-day saga that led him to the top of Cho Oyu, part of the Himalayas, on the Tibetan/Nepalese border. Traveling with a minidisk recorder and a microphone, Jenssen recorded his aural environment throughout the trip, with the addition, at times, of the sounds pulled in via his transistor radio. Cho Oyu 8210m is a document of his trip, presented in stages, from the trip between the town of Zhagmu and the border, to the different basecamps along the trek, to the literal apex of Jenssen’s trip at the titular altitude of 8,201 meters. While much of the journey took place on the cold face of the mountain and in seemingly spartan camps along the way, Jenssen was able to collect a surprisingly diverse collection of sounds, from the bells, whistles, and grunts of herders directing a yak caravan at the Paling campsite, to passing airplanes, neighboring birds, and the rather ominous wheeze of some of his fellow (and less fortunate) climbers on oxygen. Jenssen’s recording of the summit, mainly the sound of wind on a microphone (before what seems like more transistor transmission makes an entrance) is what one might expect from the entire disc, but Jenssen’s ear is able to find subtle sounds worth hearing along the trip, like an airplane far overhead, and his use of the shortwave brings fittingly fragile bits of music into the mix, bringing the recording (and Jenssen) back to earth in a sense, as such reminders of humanity were likely comforting diversions in the cold of the camps, especially as Jenssen climbed higher and human companionship grew scarce.

The short diary entries that accompany the disc and summarize Jenssen’s journey are powerful bits of first-person narrative; we, with Jenssen, watch as previously confident climbers succumb to the grueling conditions, and even the author’s ascent is no given as the altitude climbs. Those looking for a wholly straightforward set of field recordings won’t find them; instead, Jenssen’s aural documents are fraught with his fingerprints, and one is able to hear not just the sounds of the climb up the world’s sixth-highest peak, but the more human side of things, those sounds by which one might retain their sanity amidst the whirling winds and bone-numbing cold. Jenssen seems intent on finding life at each step of his trip, even if such life comes in the form of static-ridden radio waves, or a plane passing far too high to register as anything more than a dark blip on a white plain. Were Jenssen to simply present the sounds of wind, ice, and snow, Cho Oyu 8210m would have been the story of a mountain, but, instead, it’s the story of a man. [Adam Strohm]

Geiger (DK):

Fail (UK):

According to Jon Wozencroft, founder of Touch, Geir Jenssen (aka Norwegian ambient artist Biosphere) spent all the money that he got from the considerable sales of his 'Substrata' album to fund an expedition to Tibet. Specifically to climb Cho Oyu - the worlds sixth highest peak. Documenting this expedition in the form of a written diary and minidisc field recordings has resulted in what is possibly his best work yet.

And yes, the expected sounds of wind chill are there - a sonic reminder of the extreme nature of their environment. But also the idea of man's insignificance in such vast and isolated surroundings. The constant need to communicate represented by the sound of local people, 2-way radio chatter or tuning into the comforting but otherworldly ether of shortwave radio.

Cyclic rhythms drift in and out of the recordings and whilst they're subtle, they help retain a sense of narrative. Lavishly packaged and almost presented like a guidebook, the inclusion of a map suggests that you could re-create the journey yourself. The ultimate statement in audiotourism.

Ben Guiver (UK):

Beautiful mournful shimmering abstract sound painting courtesy of Christian Fennesz (electric guitar, electronics) and Ryuichi Sakamoto (piano). Recorded respectively in New York and Venice between 2004 and 2006, Fennesz and Sakamoto worked in geographic isolation from each other until meeting up for the final mixdown in NYC in February 2006.

My first thoughts were that it might have been better for the two collaborators to have worked together in the sense of being in the same room. I cannot base this on anything solid. Further thoughts were that there is a lot of space in these compositions, and that the geographic distances and the time frame might have helped the creative process, due to a delayed, fragmented kind of intimacy that could facilitate something more considered. This may be mere expiant verbiage, but it’s something about how they carefully fit together and around each other, like different elements in a visual composition, that provokes this thinking. I’m not saying that they couldn’t have managed to do this in the same room – how would I know anyway – but that I was just struck by the manner of the collaboration.

The music itself is delicate, sublime, Fennesz’s guitar ricocheting around softly, touching my mind in an abstract, soothing yet focussed way. Reminiscent of the way Robert Hampson’s sonic alchemy works, or Brian Eno and Robert Fripp on ‘Evening Star’, though with more electronic treatments: an enquiry to Christian's agent, Danilo Pellegrinelli, revealed that Christian uses guitars and a patch written in max/ msp, called "lloopp" which was designed by friend Claus Fillip: it’s quite well documented if you search for it in google.

It’s impressive how the respective aesthetic palettes combine together, complimenting each other without compromise, and it’s a real move on from his nonetheless brilliant ‘Venice’, particularly in terms of the spaciousness of the music: ‘Venice’ was closer in proximity and has a different production aesthetic. I keep thinking of abstract painting, like Victor Passmore, or Rothko. Maybe Rothko with little white lines dribbled playfully through some of his colour blocks. Talking of art, the sleeve art is handled beautifully by John Wozencroft. The cover is a landscape photograph, of an auburn sky beneath which is a winter treeline, parting slightly in the centre to reveal a small silhouette of a house: different forms combining to one image.

Groove (Sweden):

Skug (Austria):

Aufabwegen (Germany):

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