Vinter

Winter mood in Norway. It`s a typical instrumental song from me. Video I did in the Nesodden forest. I sure wan`t a better camera though. On my wishlist. Part of my composer month in february. Collecting for a future album.

Studio gear

I must admit that I am a software synth guy. I don´t know if this post is interesting, but I tell you anyway!  It was the software synth that actually made me start doing music. Finally there was something I could do. History goes back to 2010-2011. That was my start on making music. I still have to thank Anton Jawdokimov for learning me a lot about the mix and process in making music. Later, Tore Stabell Kulø became my mentor. Things has evolved quickly because of him.
So even if I have tried live gig, I think I prefer to be a "studio-rat" a little bit longer. I am simply not ready yet for performance in front of audience. I am not afraid of it, but I have to be better as musician myself. Doing all the things on my computer is what I still prefer. Using a M-audio keystation 61 midi keyboard, and also got a Yamaha p-35. I also got a cheap guitar and a bass guitar.
I use Logic pro 9. (Don´t take the chance to upgrade it... I also got a Korg Wavedrum I love to use, but somehow I don´t use it, at my music. Have to do something about that...)

 I got software synth: Omnisphere (The heart of all things I do) But also full package from Arturia.
(With all the lovely sounds from Würlitzer, Vox, Oberheim Etc)
Including a hardware drum machine from Sparks. Using it more and more... Also got the Stylus RMX drum software synth. Most used on my music. Up to now I was satisfied with this. But I have to extend my interests in instruments. It comes naturally. So this christmas I bought myself a Blofeld synth. (Picture) I have tried other solutions before, but could not quite understand the use. So my Korg moog 20 was sold again. But my new Blofeld has the sounds and things I really think I could handle. So 2017 is maybe the year I start to think about LIVE. Just think...

Richard Gürtler awesome review of Tralfamadore!

His summary of my works so far, is beyond what I ever could dreamed of. The words from here are from Richard Gürtler:

Review of "Tralfamadore" CDr by Elrox Ambient Session

I remember well that day, November 10th, 2015, when two orders from Norway from two unknown projects arrived into my mailbox and graced my collection. Both absolutely new to me, now few months later, I can confirm they safely landed on my personal list of "Best revelations of 2015"!!! Some weeks ago I already focused on Super Fata's "Structural Tendency", now it's time to dive deeply into the soundworlds of Elrox, a solo project of Tom Ståle Engebretsen, who is based in Nesoddtangen. Known as a crafted photographer, journalist, writer and active supporter of local electronic scene, he is the good guy behind "NSDN - elektronika nesodden" 2CD compilation from the end of 2012 displaying local talents within varied styles of electronic based sounds such as ambient, Berlin school, downtempo, glitch and many more. A quite ambitious release, which by the way included also a 16-page newspaper presenting, introducing, interviewing and picturing each participating artist/band on this double CD. Although written solely in Norwegian, I definitely treasure this item for its very unique approach. How many times you have a chance reading or at least browsing through such newspaper? Well-done, Tom and all recording artists!!! But, let's move now back to Elrox. His debut "Colour Of The Past" was released two years ago on digital and physical formats, while "Lucent Echoes" followed few months later as digital download. Both these albums mostly cover more melodious soundsculpting like chillout, downtempo, Berlin school, pop/rock..., but with most recent releases under Elrox Ambient Session epithet, "Iceberg" and "Tralfamadore", Tom Ståle Engebretsen moves into more distinctively flavored minimal soundscaping. Spotlighting on "Tralfamadore", this newest album by Elrox is out since August 20th, 2015, as a digital download, but also as a pro CDr and cassette, announcing the birth of Tom's own label Tape The Sound. The 4-panel digipak comes with stunningly marvelous paintings by Freddy Holm and even if this is not a glass mastered product, the CDr edition looks really impressive!!! Kudos to Tom Ståle Engebretsen & Freddy Holm!!!

Based on Kurt Vonnegut's novel "Slaughterhouse 5", around the part when the main protagonist, Billy Pilgrim, is during the World War II kidnapped by extraterrestrials and taken to their home planet called Tralfamadore, the album opens with 5 and a half minutes long piece entitled after its leading character, "Billy Pilgrim". The listener immediately dives into an uniquely sparse aural zones, where contemplative tinkles and outbursting sonics are counterpointed with helically enigmatic reverberations. Remote piano motif sneaks in as well along with intangibly ephemeral cybernetic rumbles, while glimpses of eternal stillness continuously permeate across. Wow!!! Wearing a pair of quality headphones is an ultimate must-have here!!! The sound quality is just amazing and attentive ears are persistently rewarded with many distinguishably auralscaping delights!!! Only few seconds longer "4th Dimension", as Tralfamadorians are able to see in four dimensions, keeps on weirdly colored paths, where sudden oscillations are merged with hissy subtleties, ear-tickling fragments, buoyant patterns and cyber-tech bleeps. Phantasmal howls are enduringly hanging above. The next piece, "The Flying Saucer", precisely bridges gently metallic clinks, magnificently laid-back, with intricately nuanced drone spirals, cinematic cascades and introspective clatters. Clocking to nearly 5-minute mark, this is another absolutely enrapturing listening experience!!! Bravo, Elrox!!! "Tralfamadore Zoo", slips into more experimental, cacophonously colored terrains, no wonder due to its title. An array of high-pitched cyber-biotic chimes is hauntingly equalized with emerging mellow blankets. Bizarrely effective!!! "The Earthlings Dome" is invaded by desolate drifts, while translucent scraps and rattles swirl across the ears, razor sharp cybernetic traceries relentlessly titilate the synapses and relaxed downtempos paint spellbindingly fascinating sceneries. A true sonic elixir and another pinnacle of the album!!! "So It Goes" is maybe the most expansive soundscape on this journey so far, even if rather minimal with additional diaphanously transient traceries. Whistling vestiges amalgamate with undulating panoramic drifts, which awake, rise, climax and fade away, while isochronal cello-like weeps emanate and steal the center stage. Weirdly gorgeous piece!!! "Cyanid Atmosphere", with 7:40 the longest track on "Tralfamadore", continues on mysteriously scented path, when melting barren panoptic, yet lissomly sinuous drone, pensively meager sequences, sonorously ringing transitoriness and eerie groans surreptitiously exhaling from enveloping stillness. A rather scattered soundforging, but still a truly transcendental escapade awaits here!!! The title composition "Tralfamadore" effectively commingles mesmerizingly spiraling meridians with incisively stringed expressions and insistently swinging and swelling shatters. A quite eccentric piece driving me almost nuts with its perpetually hypnotizing circlets. The closing track "Montana Wildhack" is named after a nubile young actress, who is also kidnapped by the Tralfamadorians and becomes Billy Pilgrim's mate in their zoo. This piece safely maintains the unique approach of its creator with precisely detailed and richly entertaining fragmented texture with many swirling embellishments and catchy melody thrown in. Enthralling, cinematic, blazing, immersing...

It's absolutely evident here, Tom Ståle Engebretsen is equipped not only with a truly virtuosic musicianship, but also with a glowing sonic vision, because "Tralfamadore" is undoubtedly a really spectacular piece of art meticulously transforming fiction into a fantastic 51-minute aural story!!! This guy is playing his own league, that's for sure, since with his newest album he achieves a devastatingly peculiar progress and advancement when comparing to his debut work. Elrox's own unique, extraordinarily immersing signatures are all over this brilliant recording, bravo, Tom Ståle Engebretsen!!! And another bonus on "Tralfamadore", as already mentioned, is the audiophile sound quality, credit for exquisite mastering goes to Tore Stabell Kulø, who also acts together with Elrox as a mixing engineer and producer. And if you are an aficionado of vintage cassette format, don't miss "Tralfamadore", I don't own the cassette, but according to the pictures, they look really cool too!!! By the way, the artist himself said once, he must be the oldest music debutant in the world... Tom turned 50 last September. But why not, there is always a time to fulfill your dreams. You did it and you have my deep respect, Tom!!! Keep on creating and live your dream!!! I will always keep a focused ear to the ground!!!

Richard Gürtler (Jan 24, 2016, Bratislava, Slovakia)

Best album on 2015 list!

Ambient music guide put my album Tralfamadore on the best list for 2015! I am so proud and honored by this. It is followed by an awesome review. Read it here: http://www.ambientmusicguide.com/pages/features/bestOf2015.php

Buttons -Pinbackbuttons

Yes! Did this buttons and several more. Rented a button machine, and was in the creative mood for one week. Lot´s of fun in doing this. Many different buttons was made. Here are some beauties.

Elrox Ambient Session: Tralfamadore

Mike G from ambientmusicguide.com says: "Fantastic release. Melodic, original, subtle with a polish that only an experienced musician can bring to his art. On my best album of 2015 list."

Favorite track: "The Flying saucer"

Need I say more? One of the biggest ambient sites give me this? THX!

Here it is:

www.elrox.bandcamp.com/album/tralfamadore

And more things to come…. I got it on cassette and CD. First album on my new label: TAPE THE SOUND!  Will be more to come later, about this.

But look at this beauty:

And the CD´s:

And the story and credits:

Welcome to a journey to Tralfamadore. Tralfamadore is the name of a planet in Kurt Vonnegut`s book: "Slaughterhouse 5". Vonnegut released this novel in 1969 based on his experience from the world war 2. The main character in the book, Billy Pilgrim, is picked up by a UFO. This source can be interpreted in several ways. That´s why this is a cult-book. It´s this part of the book that Elrox made music too.

credits

released August 20, 2015

All music composed and performed by Elrox.
Mixed and produced by Elrox and Kulø.
Mastered by Tore Stabell Kulø
Artwork by Freddy Holm

Thx to: Bamse, Sindre, Gro, Helene, Ole, Tom, Greta and Freddy.

tags

Go to bandcamp and listen to it. It will be digital on Spotify, Wimp, iTunes etc probably in december 2015.

Thx to you who already supported me.

And here is the video!!!

Tom S. Engebretsen/Elrox ambient session

Release of Tralfamadore 20 aug. 2015

Soooo... now it´s time for my first ambient album, Tralfamadore.  Release party at my local pub in Nesodden:

Pressemelding:

Det blir platelansering på Kom&Bli, Tangenveien 129, Granholt, Nesodden,

Torsdag 20 august (førstkommende) kl. 20

Elrox ambient session er et kunst-musikk prosjekt av Tom Ståle Engebretsen.

Platen "Tralfamadore" er en tolkning av boken til Kurt Vonnegut som heter "Slaughterhouse 5".

På lanseringen blir det en presentasjon av platen og DJ musikk med rolig ambient.

"Tralfamadore" kommer på CD, kassett og digitalt.

Bakgrunnsinfo:

Tom Ståle Engebretsen (49) aka Elrox er nesoddgutt som skiftet beite fra fotograf til musikk for 5 år siden. Han har gitt ut 2 plater tidligere, og stod bak en fellesutgivelse med elektronika artister fra Nesodden i 2012. Denne gangen er det en kunst-musikk plate som lanseres under artistnavnet Elrox ambient session.

Tralfamadore er tittelen på en planet i forfatteren Kurt Vonnegut´s bok "Slaktehus 5". Vonnegut ga ut denne romanen i 1969, basert på sine opplevelser fra den 2. verdenskrig og bombingen av Dresden i Tyskland. Hovedpersonen i boken, Billy Pilgrim, blir hentet av en UFO, og fraktet til planeten Tralfamadore. Denne hendelsen i boken kan tolkes på flere måter. Det er mye på grunn av dette at boken har fått en kult-status i hele verden.

På plateutgivelsen er det denne biten som tolkes musikalsk av Elrox. Det spesielle med utgivelsen er at den også lanseres som kassett.

I det man skulle tro at kassetter var på vei ut, har det i nyere tid fått en renesanse. Det er blitt populært igjen blant samlere av eksperimentell og ambient musikk.

"Tralfamadore" er en slik plate. Coveret er tegnet av kunstneren Freddy Holm.

Det blir muligheter for kjøp av CD og kassetter denne kvelden.

Ved lanseringen på Kom&Bli, vil man få en innføring og smakebiter på hva ambient musikk er.

Alt i regi av Tom Ståle Engebretsen.

EAS: Iceberg EP Story

Autumn 2014 in Flatdal (Telemark, Norway) I really discover how to make ambient music. For the first time in life I was enjoying to wake up early in the morning! True. Started up doing ambient stuff. The quiet morning, and the nature as inspiration. When I got home I kept on doing ambient stuff. Then I came up with the idea to make a dekalogi. That means 10 EP´s with ambient stuff. Thatwill take some time I think. I have no idea what this is gonna be like. And how long it will take. The only thing I decided was theme within nature and science. The first one is "Iceberg". You will find finished EP in the post below this and here. I can also use my photo skills into cover design. That´s the idea then. I also want to make a limited editions on CD´s. When I got 10 out of this, I will probably make an exclusive box set. Meanwhile I will search for theme´s and make the avant-garde ambient art music, when the mood is right. Since this is named under Elrox ambient session, (EAS) there also maybe gonna be some albums beside of this. I allready got a masterpiece finished named "Tralfamadore". During the next months I will try to get a record company deal on this one in particular. And then we see what´s happen.. Elrox is still my artist name though. New album planned to be released this year. Enjoy the music.

Elrox Ambient Session : Iceberg (EP)