Norwegian duo Why Kai brings club energy, chamber music and improvisation together on Light & Mud. Today we’re proud to premiere “Bleached”.
Why Kai is the Oslo-based duo of composer and producer Kai von der Lippe and drummer Elias Tafjord. Following their 2021 debut EP ‘Deep Fishing’ (Jazzland Recordings) and their album ‘2024 Tourist’ (which gained support from BBC 6 Music, Rinse FM & more) the pair return on 16th October with ‘Light & Mud’, a record split into two halves pulling in opposite directions.
‘Light’ is five club-focussed tracks, set against composed, chamber-music-leaning composition. Utilising block harmonies, the duo build spiralling melodies that stick in your head without ever quite letting you sing them back. Full of vibrant energy, they march at their own pace – as lush synth work and a rock-solid rhythm section drive the intensity skyward.
‘Mud’ moves the other way. It’s acoustic, centred on prepared piano and drums, with double bass, violin, horns and synths adding to the sonic tapestry. Where Light is composed, Mud comes from one continuous stretch of collective improvisation; rhythms locking together and drifting as the instruments blur into a single pulsing texture. Introspective and sprawling – it takes its time, building anticipation through earthy layers of sound, as delay-heavy notes swirl through the haze.
On building the project, the duo explains: “Elias and I have improvised together for years, but it had never really shaped a Why Kai release before – everything has been composed. This time we wanted to find a new way into the music, starting from collective improvisation. This became the foundation for ‘Mud’. Putting it together with the more club-oriented and composed ‘Light ‘ felt like a good way to introduce this side of Why Kai to our audience, and hopefully Mud will be of interest to a new audience as well. Going forward, I want to keep developing both musical directions.”
With this release, Why Kai continues to walk their own path – inviting listeners to delve deeper into their impressive and beguiling world of creation.
Photo credit: Jonas Kvikstad
Stay tuned for Electronic ConnectFM Tracks of the Month selection and listen to Why Kai’s new music first
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