It has occurred to me that some Norwegian music is almost inaccessible to foreigners, unless you spend countless hours on blogs like Eine keine angst musik (2015-2017) with a dictionary, so I made two compilations of post/punk/synth/industrial/experimental/DIY from the 80s and some notes:

Here is volume 1: https://madderloss.com/3.mp3 — 80 minutes.

Here is volume 2: https://madderloss.com/3.5.mp3 — 64 minutes.

The following information is extracted from Discogs and the aforementioned blog.

Volume 1

  • 0:00 - Det Glade Vanvidd - 'Lov song I' from Meat (1986). The band name means something like 'Lost in la-la land'. The lyrics are from a Bjørneboe poem, The Law, where the lawyers see the law as god-given and eternal.
  • 04:46 - When - 'Those Grey Cats Invisible' from 'Drowning but Learning' (1987). The solo project of Pedersen from Holy Toy.
  • 07:43 - Det Elektriske Kjøkken - 'Sirkel' from 'Elefantene er kommet' (1982). ('The electric kitchen - the elephants are here'). Lister (Stein Inge Larsen) was very productive in the 80s, and his enthusiasm inspired many others.
  • 09:52 - Spastisk Ekstase - 'Religion dreper' from '3 Mord' (1982). ('Religion kills' from 'Three murders'). This was a one-off super group of the most profiled artists of the new wave.
  • 12:55 - El - 'Nødutgang' from 'Brumunddal, 1985'. ('Emergency exit'. Brumunddal is the place of performance in 1985). A trio involving Adrian Cox (Askild Hagen), who also ran an independent label.
  • 16:10 - PLX 15 - Intro from 'Kort Prosess' (1987). ('No hesitation'). Synthpunks having fun. There are two more tracks later.
  • 16:38 - Famlende Forsøk - Lei, from the compilation 'Absolute Musiques Schizofrene Festsamler' (1987). ('Clumsy Attempt - Tired of'. He is basically tired of being tired of everything. He's tired of Bowie, too. They're still active playing experimental industrial/minimal/ambient etc).
  • 21:20 - 3rd Man - Blå Natt (Blue night), from the compilation 'Son of a Kitsch vol. 1' (1982), there wasn't a vol. 2. Kitsch was a fanzine, and they called this track Norway's first ambient-tune. It's ghost beats and horror synths.
  • 22:37 - Mørkelagt Bevegelse - 'Four Walls, Too Many People' from 'A View X Another Victim' (1983). 'Darkened movement'.
  • 25:38 - Montasje - Sug, from 'Presence!' (1982). After Krohn left Kjøtt, Gaarder continued in Montasje, which released one album, and shortly after took over vocals in Cirkus Modern (a band related to De Press).
  • 29:40 - Syk Kjærlighet - 'Chere Caroline' from 'Identitet/Image' (1984). The band name means 'Sick love'. They came, like Det Glade Vanvidd, from the UFFA-squat (autonomous youth house).
  • 32:05 - Betong Hysteria - 'Det er bare løgn' from 'Spontan Abort' (1982), a collector's item, so no further comment necessary. 'It's all just lies' is about TV and mass media manipulation. By the way, it was recorded by Thanasis Zlatanos, who appears in a later track.
  • 33:33 - Kid Death & The Nightshades - 'Wildshot' from 'Satyricon' (1986). Jacobsen of 'Svart Klovn/Knust Knekt' fame performing a nightmare scene from Bjørneboe's Moment of Freedom.
  • 35:44 - Helge Gaarder - 'The Darkest Night' from 'Eine keine angst musik' (1984). Gaarder was a prominent force of nature in Norwegian music 1979-1986.
  • 39:49 - Ym:Stammen - 'Min månepsyke (mellom regler)' from 'Dvergmål' (1987). ('My moon psyche (between rules). The album name translates as 'Dwarf-tongue'). Mathiesen also played in Lik and Nekropolis, and was a fanzine-writer and tape-pusher.
  • 43:05 - Dropopop - 'Frykt' from 'Knuste drømmer' (1984). (Fear, 'Broken dreams').
  • 45:54 - Lily & the Gigolos - 'I'm just a child' from Secrets (1984).
  • 50:28 - Garden of Delight - Glory (to your broken leg), the B-side of 'Blessed Minutes', originally released on the benefit album 'Fremtiden er nå!' (The future is now!) against nuclear armament (1983). Night creatures who survived on a steady diet of horror movies and could never live in a squat because they desired hot water and non-broken mirrors for their makeup and big hair.
  • 53:56 - Marie-Therese Gymnasium, Erlangen - 'In memoriam Anaïck, ein Requiem auf ein junges Mädchen', from the compilation 'Absolute Musiques Schizofrene Festsamler' (1987). A recording of Halffter's composition that somehow found its way to a Norwegian compilation. Any questions...?
  • 57:13 - PLX 15- 'Midnattsbarn (pønkelåta)' and 'Hippia & andre ting som ikke virka', both from 'Kort Prosess' (1987). ('Midnight child (the punk track)' and 'The hippies and other stuff that didn't work out'). They are also known for their DIY synth-pop made with a cheap Casio.
  • 59:25 - Lik - 'Femte kolonne' from 'Schizofren' (1981). Mathiesen went on to Thanasis Zlatanos's Nekropolis and Ym:Stammen, and also ran the label 'Likvidér'
  • 1:01:55 - Liliedugg - 'Neonråte' from their EP (1981). ('Lily dew' - 'Neon rot'). The city's on fire…
  • 1:04:56 - Dobbel V - 'Urban Sjakk' from the split release 'Geometri' (1981) with Hiss (an alias of Gaarder). V. Vestel was involved with Gaarder's projects back then.
  • 1:07:51 - Quadromachetas - 'A Lad in Cramps' from 'A Little Bit Fun, A Little Bit Slaughter' (1982).
  • 1:12:00 - Thanasis Zlatanos - 'Living Wrecks From These Beautiful Babies' from 'Nekropolis' (1982). Zlatanos was formerly of Oslo band Lumbago, and later moved to Greece. Mathiesen from Lik, later Ym:Stammen. Kalmar, later of Holy Toy.
  • 1:13:50 - Lister - 'Walk on Water' from 'Aber das!' (1982)
  • 1:16:17 - A Place to Pray - excerpt from Thelema (1985). Olav Hagen's project, a friend of Coil. Instruments: Korg MS-20 and Digital Delay. The album has samples from Arne Nordheim and Krysztof Penderecki, loops from records of tibetan music and russian-orthodox songs. Hagen was also in Angor Wat.

Volume 2

  • 00:00 - Ba-Iss - 'Gjennom himmelen' from Arbeid (1989). ('Through (the) heaven(s)' from the album 'Work'). The author Stig Sæterbakken was also a musician and sound artist.
  • 00:20 - Orange Jews - 'Strange Days' from the album 'Join Us.' (1984), released on the Neronastri KZ (tape) label. Featuring Skancke-Knutsen from e.g. White Lord Jesus and Dynamo Forte; and Hopland from Ex Lex and several other bands.
  • 02:29 - Ex Lex - 'Passion Pain' from the compilation 'Absolute Musiques Schizofrene Festsamler' (1987).
  • 06:33 - White Lord Jesus - 'Mary's Room' from the album 'Amen' (1984). Nebb called them 'monks in the sewer'. The 2005 re-release is also worth a listen; now that's how you polish diamonds. Lyrics. Documentary (video with subtitles).
  • 11:41 - Dynamo Forte - 'Der Vampir' (1983) (yes, it's Ossenfelder), short version from the compilation 'Zink Zamler'. There's a longer version on their album 'Gaven'. Skancke-Knutsen's band prior to White Lord Jesus.
  • 14:44 - The Cut - 'Dance on Glass' from the album 'Silent Movies' (1982).
  • 17:52 - Tremulators - 'Monty's Double' from the album 'Norvege' (1988). This track is also featured on 'Blitz Hits' (1989), a compilation of music associated with the Blitz house.
  • 21:58 - Siste Dagers Hellige - 'Uskyld' from the single 'Seks Millioner' (1983). ('The latter day saints' - 'Innocent' / 'Six Millions'). Ulf Knudsen was also in Betong Hysteria.
  • 24:54 - Mechanical Grave (Holy Toy) - 'Disturbens' from the so-called 'De Reszke' compilation (1982). Finally a rarity that's not on Discogs!
  • 29:19 - De Sjenerte - 'Atomkrig' from the album 'Si ja til de sjenerte' (1980). (The shy ones - Say 'yes' to the shy ones - Nuclear war). A certain… naive… charm?
  • 31:26 - Syk Kjærlighet - 'Spaßguerilla' from the album 'Identitet/Image' (1984). Band from the UFFA-house. They're sampling a ranting anti-imperialistische woman.
  • 36:26 - Can Can - 'Rop' from the album 'En lek i forhold' (1984). ('Scream' from 'Easy in comparison / Playing in relationships'). Preus later went solo. Lyrics. Too many words, too many dreams, chaos without foundation or logic, tender illusions with no future, spoiled, burned-out, simple rhetorics.
  • 39:33 - Göbbels A-Go-Go - 'Fremmede i skapet' from the album 'Våre problemer er rent musikalske' (1983). ('Strangers in the closet' from 'Our problems are purely musical'). Myrvold from The Aller Værste!.
  • 42:22 - Ulf Knudsen - 'Kom inn!' from the album 'Istanbul' (1984). See also 'Siste Dages Hellige' above for more links.
  • 48:00 - Cirkus Modern - 'Fin de Siècle' from their first album (1984). Band members from De Press and Kjøtt/Montasje.
  • 51:10 - Fra Lippo Lippi - 'Backdrops' from 'Tap dance for scientists' (1980). Somewhat atypical.
  • 52:58 - Krim U - 'Dømt' from their compilation 'Document' (1988). (Band name abbreviated from 'Criminal Youth'). 'Judged / condemned'. Originally a punk band that moved towards electronic sounds late 1981.
  • 56:00 - Brød & Sirkus - 'Sykdom' from 'Far Familie Flagg' (1982). ('Bread and circus' - 'Father Family Flag' - Sickness'). Robsahm from White Lord Jesus was involved in this band.
  • 58:57 - Ba-Iss - 'Mann av leire (voodoo)' from 'Arbeid' (1989). ('Man of clay'). Guest vocals by aforementioned Skancke-Knutsen of White Lord Jesus and others.

Do you want better sound? Some of these albums are remastered and for sale at Norske Albumklassikere.

Last updated 2024-11-18.
Contact info: