ESPEN HORNE / DEN FRANSKE GITAREN FEAT. AICH

2023 saw the return of multi-talented Norwegian producer Espen Horne to Wah Wah 45s, after a 24 year hiatus. The man behind the label’s very first release, the now seminal Magnetica, never lost his connection with the label and has remained very much part of the Wah Wah family, making a comeback this spring with his first solo material under his own name since that club classic from 1999.

The gorgeous soul-jazz beauty , Bakeren, featuring the stunning vocals of Resonators’ Faye Houston, quickly found a home on Gilles Peterson’s internationally renowned BBC Radio 6 show as well as that of Jazz FM legend Robbie Vincent, Bandcamp Weekly and the Fresh Finds Jazz Spotify playlist.

“Brilliant track!” Gilles Peterson (BBC 6 Music)

Following that, Bergen Sunrays, found itself a weekly fixture on the Craig Charles Funk & Soul Show on BBC 6 Music, with the limited 7-inch release of both singles selling out within hours of release.

“That is such a cool tune that, isn’t it? Double groovy!” Craig Charles (BBC 6 Music, UK)

Next up then is the wistful Den Franske Gitaren, a lugubrious soul-jazz piece with drum & bass leanings featuring Bergen based MC and vocalist Aich.

“As with many of my tracks, whilst preparing for the album, this was supposed to be an instrumental piece. Nevertheless, my sublime co-producer, Eirik Blåsternes, suggested sending the track to several vocalists, and we ended up with two major choices – Aich (Andreas Hammersvik) and Martin Halla.

Aich is a true underground Bergen rap artist, DJ and singer. After spending some evenings in his studio, listening to his new soul/funk trio projects, I asked him to record falsetto harmonies that were suitable for my sketch. This all happened in the midst of Covid.

I then invited one of the most serious players in Bergen, Alexander von Mehren, to record some French 60’s pick bass business as well as laying down a great studio session with the drummer, Ivar Thormodsæter.” Espen Horne

And whatsmore, the Martin Halla version was so good that it too appears on the album, The Anatomy of Serene Eloquence, due for release November 17th on Wah Wah 45s.

“I think this might be my favourite track so far from Espen’s album.” Kev Beadle (Totally Wired Radio, UK)

“Beautiful music, beautifully made.” Scrimshire (Albert’s Favourites, UK)

“Can’t wait for the whole album to drop!” Michael Ruetten (Soulsearching, Germany)

“It sounds wonderful. Thank you.” Dazzle Drums (Block Party, Japan)

“Very cool track!” DJ Angola (Wonderwheel, USA)

“Love it.” Nick Luscombe (Flomotion / BBC Radio 3, UK)

“Brilliant! Love this!” Llorca (Various, France)

“WOW, this is lovely!” Junior (Record Breakin’, USA)

“Love it. Airplay for sure at sunsetjazz.com.” Martijn Barkhuis (Jazz de Ville, Netherlands)

“Elements of spiritual jazz with a banging drum & bass drumming and half time in between – cool combination! Will give it a spin on my next show!” Oliver Korthals (Mojo Club, Germany)

“Stunning with that amazing capacity to make time stand still whilst clearly moving on … I love that suspended reality effect.” Debbie Golt (Resonance FM, UK)

“A lovable groove accompanied nicely with that drum ‘n’ bass pattern.” Steve Johns (Solar Radio, UK)

“Wow, what a beautiful tune! A profound mood, and wonderful drums.” Sven Thomschke (Radio Z, Germany)

“Ackurat, great return.” Mans Strömberg (Radio Helsinki, Finland)

“Lovely tune! Will definitely get some radio play.” Jason Palma (Footprints, Canada)

“Absolutely excellent. Beautiful and it slaps too. Very hard to achieve.” Paul Knight (Reform Radio, UK)

“Love it!” Enrique Domenech (Freeform, Spain)

“Perfect!” Chris Ex (Black Radio Berlin, Germany)

“Absolutely beautiful work.” DJ Peacey (Mi-Soul Radio, UK)

“What a brilliant piece of music!!!” Markus Milz (Radio Corax, Germany)

“Eclectic and stylish tune.” Cesare Cera (Bologna Uno, Italy)

“Lovely.” DJ Bobafatt (First Word Records, UK)

“Fantastic intimate sound, looking forward to hear the rest of the album!” Xander Roozen (Royal Groove, Netherlands)

“Espen is the king of this sound. Need to make a mix to house this beauty.” Dan Deep Tenor City (Soho Radio, UK)

“Deep and beautiful soul jazz perfect for my PLANETA JAZZ radioshow playlist. Air support for sure.” Tiago Santos (Radio Oxigenio, Portugal)

“Wonderful!” Karsten John (Vinyl Vibes, Germany)

“Lovely track!!” Simon Harrison (Basic Soul, UK)

“Nice track blending a bit a soul jazz with some ..wonderful vocals! Will play!!” Raj Selli (Solar Radio, UK)

“Delicious.” Veronique Prebolin (Radio Krim, France)

“Cool groove.” Ash Selector (Solar Radio, UK)

“Very good.” Rado Tomek (NUSpirit Club, Slovakia)

“A beautiful mood and super glow.” DJ Mr Lob (Various, Australia)

“Wicked spiritual Jazz groove.” Amar Kabouche (Fauve Radio, Hong Kong)

“Yes, sounds good.” Lorenzo Aldino (Jockey Club Ibiza, Spain)

“Sweet sounds indeed.” Chris Greenwood (Mi-Soul, UK)

“Perfect!” Chris Ex (Black Radio Berlin, Germany)

“Love the drums on this. Lovely track, wicked bassline too.” Bob Hill (Illicit Grooves, UK)

“On air a must!” Olgierd (Sofasurfing, Poland)

“Beautiful track – really want to hear the full album – brilliant!” Marky Mark Johnson (1BTN, UK)

“Beautiful!” David Hanke (Motorjazz, Bathurst, Germany)

“Coool.” Tjerk Coers (Armada Music, Netherlands)

“Excellent!” Robert Lochmann (Radio X, Germany)

“stunning.” DJ Expression (What’s Hot Radio, USA)

“RELAXED JAZZY AND DRUM & BASS.” Jean Marc Baehler (Couleur 3, Switzerland)

“Perfect winter sun vibes for a friday afternoon… and i’m sure it’ll sound just as good on the dark days!” Steve KIW (Balearic Assassins, UK)

“Wow, what a beautiful tune! A profound mood, and wonderful drums.” Sven Thomschke (Radio Z, Germany)

“Very tasty.” Asian Hawk (Various, UK)

“Brilliant!” Olivier Cavaller (De La Bonne Musique, France)

“Lovely track – pure class.” Matthew Langfear (Various, UK)

“Mesmerising.” Aja Allsop (Ketch-A-Vibe, UK)

“The album is going to be amazing.” Breakplus (Mythstery, Switzerland)

“Wonderful.” Jon Brent (Dusk Dubs, UK)

“Cinematic northern lights orchestra … beautiful track, or should I say, “Double cinematic northern lights orchestra … beautiful track”?” Gerry Hectic (You And Music, UK)

“Lovely.” Cal Gibson (Various, UK)

“Such a well known name to me – I just checked his discography on discogs. Incredibly short. So even better that he is back with some wise stories.” Rene Josquin (Format Analog, Berlin)

“Fantastic – will play.” DJ Lamp (Coalition, UK)

“WE ALL NEED ESPEN IN OUR LIVES – THIS IS A DIAMOND – FULL SUPPORT.” Lee Bright (Tangential Music, UK)

“Very lovely indeed. In my tired post-festival weekend state this is a cool breeze to satisfy the soul and soothe the fevered brow, as it were. Beautifully constructed and, thankfully, with the inclusion of that wonderful vocal touch from Aich I’m even more excited for the full release after hearing this second sampler. Bring it on!” Drummie Dave (Various, UK)