| 1. | Sandmouth | 3:42 |
| 2. | Daughters of the Desert | 5:18 |
| 3. | Bactrian Camel | 4:09 |
| 4. | Way Out West | 3:09 |
| 5. | The Crown | 2:40 |
| 6. | Sand Castle | 1:01 |
| 7. | Camel Hunt | 2:33 |
| 8. | Rivers of Belfast | 14:31 |
All music composed and performed by Maja Solveig Kjelstrup Ratkje and Ikue Mori.
Recorded live by Barry Hollywood at Black Box, Belfast, March 31, and by Dan Fox and Simon Hanson at The Lanternhouse, Ulverston, March 29, 2012 UK.
Mixed and mastered by Maja S.K. Ratkje in Svartskog, Norway.
Cover design by Lasse Marhaug.
A recording of live performances which brought together two essential figures of the contemporary scene: an oustanding Norwegian composer and vocal artist Maja S.K. Ratkje and a celebrated improviser and composer , former DNA drummer, Ikue Mori. The common sound territory, created together by Mori and Ratkje, balances between quietly growing tension and powerful outbursts of unrestrained, relentless noise. Within this harmony, Ratkje takes adventurous excursions towards the borders and unknown facets of sound, using treated voice as well as an acoustic and electronic workshop, while Mori's thoughtful laptop provides a strong frame and a sense of deep focus.
In these carefully crafted, long and nuanced compositions , both artists maneuver between meditative, ritual areas and irregular, elusive noise blots. The most astonishing element of this superb performance is the realization that even though the compositions are entirely intuitive, created without any previous planning, guidelines or negotations, the listener can sense a nearly palpable sense of deep connection and understanding between the artists. Their knowledge and keen, immediate communication create an invisible harness, which naturally directs the stream of improvisation. This engaging, exhaustive listen is a contemplative retreat and a daring, dizzying somersault at once.
(–) Olga Drenda
REVIEWS:
Usually when I start playing something I have some idea, some expectation, of what I am going to hear, especially when its people I heard music of before, like with Maja SK Ratkje and Ikue Mori. Maybe here my expectation was that something along the lines of improvisation (obviously!), but without a hint of instruments, save maybe for some voice material, or percussion. Which is perhaps what we get here, but most of the time it's perhaps not exactly what it is. In the final, long, piece 'Rivers Of Belfast', it sounds like what I expected, and is, I think, the piece I least liked. Maybe because of these expectations, or something that you'd knew they would do. In the seven preceding pieces however, things are however much more obscured. Mori, who apparently plays laptop, taking Ratkje's voice and alters that in a finely woven mass of sound and sounds, think and thin - at the same time. It's here that we have some interesting voice meets electronics material with lots of tension in it.
Sometimes it seems that the voice has disappeared altogether and and what we hear is pure, serious electronic music, such as in 'Daughters Of The Desert', with some nice processed percussion music to go along. It's a piece like this which really made me like this CD, whereas the more traditionally improvised pieces here didn't do as much for me. I am not sure, but I would surely give this the benefit of the doubt.
(–) Frans de Waard, Vital Weekly