Bjørn Torske – “Gata”
Norwegian experimental house producer Bjørn Torske is sorta wild for a 47-year-old. His atmospheric trance music feels celebratory and primed for the dance floor but still manages to carry vintage inspiration.
His new track “Gata” is the second single off forthcoming Byen, his first solo LP since 2010’s Kokning. It’s minimalist and patient, starting with a single drone and growing into a metallic, space disco. And at just over eight minutes long, it’s easy to sink into its extensive repetition.
There’s this voice that peaks out of the song’s otherwise thick, shaking daze that at first mimics the alien vibrato your voice makes when you drag it through a fan. But it morphs into a darker, more expansive chant. It’s a calming, cathartic release that still leans into the song’s futuristic vibe. There’s also an awesome, grounding bongo riff. In a press release, Torske offers some background:
While Byen means “The City” in Norwegian, “Gata” means “The Street.” This is where the youth of my early years in Tromsø had to spend their evenings since there was no place for them to go. But ‘gata’ is also a Rumanian word meaning “ready” or “prepared,” as in “let’s go,” which to me fits just as well or even better than the title’s original meaning.
Check it out below along with prior single “Clean Air.”
Byen is out 7/6 via Smalltown Supersound. Pre-order it here.