Home » Jazz Articles » ¡haUtUllin!: ¡haUtUllin!

¡haUtUllin!: ¡haUtUllin!

By Eyal Hareuveni
May 18, 2013
Sign in to view read count

{¡haUtUllin!}} is a new Scandinavian duo— Norwegian drummer Håkon Berre, residing in Copenhagen, and Finnish guitarist Markus Pesonen— that aim to break away from the prevailing musical genres and common understanding of their instruments roles and usage. The duo is gifted with reckless energy, imaginary vocabulary and a rebellious, eccentric spirit. The live improvisations embrace all, from blues, alternative, psychedelic-jam rock and progressive rock, African rhythms to noise, guitar heroic blasts and free improvisations. The duo's unconventional sonic spectrum is so dense and detailed that it is hard to acknowledge that only Berre and Pesonen are responsible for the mass of sounds.

¡haUtUllin!'s musical universe is an auditory anarchy where the sound palette is extended to the extreme. Every available object in the studio was put to use, from ringing bells, tin plates and chains, to pot lids, tea towels, forks and chopsticks. Acoustic sounds were treated with live electronics before getting played back together with howling, distorted guitar, crackling computer noise and thundering drums.

Few of the improvisations stand out. The warm sounds of the blues theme of "Joutomaa," as stated gently on Pesonen slide guitar, are tackled with distant, manipulated percussive sounds of Berre. "Mjølne" alternates between careful, East-Asian atmospheric guitar-produced drone and busy, dadaistic drumming. The multi-layered "Tarantula Nebula" and "Brahmanda" are structured like prog-rock mini-symphonies that draw inspiration from the early days of bands like Yes and King Crimson. Berre and Pesonen anticipate each other's gestures on the chaotic collisions of "Monkey Rat Attack" until both settle on a rare groove. The distorted, childish sounds on "Nuts" that blossom into a beautiful, serene texture emphasize the duo's shared approach— the pure joy of exploring sounds and articulating obscure sonic clusters.

No matter how the duo's sounds are produced, manipulated or mutated, all create one of a kind arresting music.

Track Listing

Klein Bleus; Joutomaa; Night at the toy Factory, Quantum Foam; Mjølne; Tarantula Nebula; Discothèque, Monkey Rat Attack; Short Circuit; Brahmanda; Nuts.

Personnel

Markus Pesonen: guitar, preparations, live electronics; Håkon Berre: drums, percussion, objects, live electronics.

Album information

Title: ¡haUtUllin! | Year Released: 2013 | Record Label: Barefoot Records

Post a comment about this album

FOR THE LOVE OF JAZZ

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

WE NEED YOUR HELP

To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.