laponia
written and produced by petter friberg
for those of us experiencing the bitter cold, snow, ice, and frosty winds of the northern hemisphere this winter season, swedish musician and electronic music artist petter friberg’s new full length on netlabel thinner aptly titled ‘laponia’ released under his motionfield alias should have a special relevance. this is petter’s fourth album as motionfield with previous releases on autoplate, stadtgruen, and test tube. while reviewers have compared motionfield’s sound to that of 90’s style synthesizer-based ambient and electronica noting similarities to artists such as brian eno, boards of canada, and biosphere, it’s clear, however, that while those influences are still relevant, with ‘laponia’ motionfield has firmly established his own personal niche in electronic music combining ambient, electronica, jazz, and field recordings into his own affecting blend of rhythmic electronica and smooth ambient grooves via analogue synthesizers and digital tools.
beyond the aural pleasure offered by these seven pieces, ‘laponia’ takes the listener down two other avenues of sensual enjoyment. visually, it conjures cinematic images of wintry landscapes laden with subzero coldness, ice, and snow and, emotionally, it’s a contemplative album stirring up an array of moods/feelings such as melancholia, nostalgia, and, at times, a soul chilling hint of isolationism.
text written by larry johnson