Mats Gustafsson / Joachim Nordwall | Their Power Reached Across Space and Time – To Defy Them Was Death or Worse (2023)

Mats Gustafsson is a world-renowned horn player who has pushed the evolution of improvised music with his own unique voice. Joachim Nordwall is a cornerstone of the Swedish musical underground, exploring the extremities of guitar music with The Skull Defekts and solo recordings as The Idealist that access the spiritual and political dimensions of electronic music and dub. Nordwall also runs the esteemed and boundary pushing iDEAL Recordings. Gustafsson and Nordwall’s THEIR POWER REACHED ACROSS SPACE AND TIME-TO DEFY THEM WAS DEATH-OR WORSE finds both musicians pushing their instruments to the limit in order to create a sound experience that is adventurous and fresh. This is an album that celebrates the ecstasy of low dynamic experimental music executed with skilled precision. The power of this inventive duo is that each musician drives the other to unexpected places creating sonic expanse that demands repeat exploration. Thrill Jockey

Mats Gustafsson / Joachim Nordwall: Their Power Reached Across Space and Time – To Defy Them Was Death or Worse

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“Time is a strange thing. Everything led to this, is the mutual feeling for Mats Gustafsson and Joachim Nordwall. Our Thrill Jockey album THEIR POWER REACHED ACROSS SPACE AND TIME-TO DEFY THEM WAS DEATH-OR WORSE is the result of a friendship and artistic respect that has been going for decades. Eight low dynamic, dark and focused tracks, all holding some odd kind of tension. It is like something is coming, a black star on the horizon. Our respective different backgrounds come together in the most natural way here and creates some kind of organic sci-fi feel to it. Gustafsson with his legendary career in the free jazz scene and Nordwall and his presence in the underground electronic music world.
“This is where acoustics and analogue synths meet. It is unique music. Unheard vibes. Perfect for special venues and good PAs.” Mats Gustafsson & Joachim Nordwall

Their Power Reached Across Space and Time – To Defy Them Was Death or Worse is the debut full-length by prolific saxophonist Mats Gustafsson and guitarist/electronicist Joachim Nordwall. In 2021, the pair gave us a taste of their profound abstraction with the downloadable single “Shadows of Tomorrow” b/w “The Brain Produces Electrical Waves.” This wordy title – as well those of its individual selections – was inspired by Cordwainer Smith’s novel Space Lords. There is little to hold onto here, save for sound itself. This pair don’t plan, they unite spontaneously in an uncompromising approach to sound, noise, texture, and collaboration. All Music

If the name Mats Gustafsson is familiar to you, then you’re already aware of his unorthodox approach to saxophone performance. His work with Peter Brötzmann and Merzbow speaks for itself, and his “jazz” band, the Thing, have been riding the edgiest wave of noisy free jazz imaginable for over 20 years. So any album where Gustafsson is just one-half of the team is bound to be as exciting as it is strange. Guitarist and electronic musician Joachim Nordwall enjoys a similar reputation within avant-garde circles, especially when making a racket with the Skull Defekts. Together, the two Swedes have united to create an album that, even by their compartmentalized standards, is pretty out there. Pop Matters

Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.92 x 5.51 x 0.39 inches; 3.1 Ounces
Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ Thrill Jockey Records
Original Release Date ‏ : ‎ 2023
Label ‏ : ‎ Thrill Jockey Records
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BT6RHGKX
Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1