Improvised music from Norway by ükya. This trio play all acoustic instruments on We Come for An Experience of Presence (NAKAMA RECORDS NKM025CD), their debut release, with a title that almost reads like an announcement or a statement of intent. They’re new and young, wearing their aspirations like a slogan on a T-shirt.
Emil Bø (trombone) has played with Krise and Oda Steinkpf, Kristian Enkerud Lien (guitar) has played with Laupsa Locomotiv and Circulasione Totale Orchestra, and they’re joined by drummer Michael Lee Sørenmo to create this very refined, often quite slow-moving and underplayed sounding record. They claim to draw influence from UK improv groups, European art music, and anything that takes their fancy in the world of jazz and contemporary minimalism. That last cultural context even extends to insisting on a lower-case expression of their band name. I’d just like to hear ükya engage with other more, say something original, shake more action and get their asses into the groove. There’s potential here for a distinctive contribution to free playing, but they seem overly cautious and precious, each player standing inside their own charmed circle like a statue, not really willing to move outside it.
To be more positive, I like the guitar parts (when audible); Kristian Enkerud Lien it seems has already evolved a very personal rattling-string approach that disguises the natural sound of the instrument, and he stands a chance of growing into a distinctive player. At least he stands out better than the vague drones and puffs of Emil Bø. Despite the ambitions of the title, the record is very deficient in “presence”; the players can’t quite live up to their claim. (22/04/2024)