Norway's sPacemoNkey (note the clever font) is the duo project of pianist Morten Qvenild and drummer Gard Nilssen.
Qvenild has participated in numerous bands including Jaga Jazzist and Susanna and the Magical Orchestra. Nilssen is apparently one of the most active and highly sought-after drummers in the business.
The emphasis here is on space but there's a fair amount of monkey business too as you might guess from playful titles like Chopping Wood In My brand New Moon Boots and Blue Baboon And Carpenter
Qvenild, who is credited as playing hyperpiano, synths and electronics, says “Working with a drummer gives me a wide scope and a lot of freedom to take the music in a number of different directions."
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The Karman Line is the duo's debut album , and the entirely improvisational instrumentals with a Sun Ra dynamic fall someway between free jazz, ambient and techno.
Although many of the ten tracks go off at atonal tangents, the wildness is always tempered by quiet, melodic moments.
Unusual, unexpected and pretty cool.
Gard Nilssen’s website
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