Anders Aarum - Shakin' Our Souls

Limited edition 180 gram audiophile vinyl, gatefold sleeve, pure analogue sound, high end vinyl mastering. Download code, which includes a bonus track.

Things never get too comfortable on 'Shakin' Our Souls' by Norwegian jazz pianist Anders Aarum. It offers driven, classically schooled jazz, dreamy beatscapes propelled by pulsating grooves and - thrown in for good measure - there's also the occasional excursion into atmospheric electronics.

To Anders a split musical personality can actually add to the magic. 'Shakin' Our Souls' proves the point, feeling like three albums blended into one. Aarum won't even decide which instrument to focus on: Rhodes, Moog or the piano? Thankfully for the listener, he just cannot decide

As an in-demand session musician, he's dabbled his feet in a wide range of styles. He's played downtempo electro with soul chanteuse Beady Belle; free jazz with the iconic Sonny Simmons; as well as eccentric folk with Guro von Germeten. Whatever he touches instantly becomes personal. Even the instrumental backing tracks he recorded with his band for Randi Tytingv�g's Let Go were so distinct that they were later released as a stand-alone album without the vocals.

During his collaboration with neo-disco queen Bertine Zetlitz, Aarum met Erik Holm, who now plays percussion on four of the pieces on 'Shakin' Our Souls'. At the heart of his ensemble, however, is the brother axis of Ivar and Magne Thormods�te. Their subtle, yet subversive swing provides the backbone for Aarum's elegant, cosmic solos - possibly best exemplified by eight and a half minute long It's Raining, which slowly rises from silence, then gradually becomes more dense, building up intensity with each bar.