Supersilent & Stian Westerhus

Supersilent is a Norwegian avant-garde/electroacoustic group signed to Rune Grammofon. They are known for only making improvised music, both live and in the studio. Supersilent was formed when the free jazz trio Veslefrekk (Arve Henriksen on trumpet, keyboardist Ståle Storløkken, and Jarle Vespestad on drums) played a concert with producer, live electronics artist and self-described "audio virus" Helge Sten (a.k.a. Deathprod). The concert encouraged them to record a three-disc, threehour compilation of abrasive material, simply titled 1-3, which was Rune Grammofons very first release in 1997. They refined their sound slightly on the follow-up, 4, which was released a year after and in 2001 they released 5, culled from live recordings that changed the focus to slowly shifting textures and an almost ambient pace. Their 2003 release 6 is their most accessible and most critically acclaimed album yet, containing gentler and more melodic material. Their 7th release, aptly titled 7, was released in 2005 in the form of a DVD showcasing Supersilent live. This is by many fans regarded as their masterpiece. 8 was released in 2007 and was met with positive reviews, and so was their 9th album, released in October 2009. By the release of 9, drummer Vespestad had already left the group. During 2010 they released both Supersilent 10 and Supersilent 11, the latter being the first vinyl-only release for the band. Their next album will be released during 2012.

Stian Westerhus is one of Norway’s hardest working young musicians playing in bands like Nils Petter Molvær Group, Monolithic, Puma, Bladed and many more. Stian has also collaborated with Jaga Jazzist and musicians like Sidsel Endresen, Zach Hill and many more. For the last few years Stian Westerhus has put more and more energy into challenging the electric guitar alone on a stage. Having been blessed with little or no respect for the instrument his performances balance raw expressiveness, virtuosity and melodic instinct utilizing his Norwegian heritage as well as growing up listening to Slayer. With a soundscape far beyond the standard guitar he seeks to push the boundaries for improvised music across the muddy waters of genres. Stian Westerhus’ debut solo album Galore was released in May 2009 on Rune Grammofon/TLRC, and the follow-up Pitch Black Star Spangled was also released by Rune Grammofon in May 2010.