Wibutee is one of Norway’s most prominent electrojazz bands. They have been receiving an increasing international audience. This includes critics and a public who aren’t bound by traditional expectations. Wibutee is one of the most dynamic sounds in the Norwegian electro-jazz scene. They have evolved and become a unique musical expression. They are rapidly emerging from the electronica and jazz scene that gave them their start, and have developed their own sound and unique musical experience. Wibutee’s third album, Playmachine (Jazzland Recordings), 2004 has been released. This opens up a wider musical world, allowing listeners to let go of preconceived notions about two seemingly opposing genres. In 1996, Hakon Kornstad (saxes and flutes, programming), Per Zanussi, (bass and programming) and Wetle Hote (drums and programming) founded Wibutee in Trondheim. Their initial goal was to create an electronic band that fuses contemporary jazz and electronic music. Wibutee was heavily influenced by jazz and DJ mixes. This allowed them to mix jazz samples with new beats to make a unique result. They quickly gained the attention of jazz critics as well as clubbers. The band had Live Maria Roggen, a singer, and Erlend Skosvoll (a Fender Rhodes-player) joining them in 1998. Jazzland Recordings signed the band and issued their first album, “Newborn Thing”, (1999), which was released by Bugge Wesseltoft (keyboard guru). The band was established and is now one of the most exciting and vibrant members of the rapidly growing Norwegian electro-jazz scene. The band’s line-up also began to tour that year, taking them to festivals across Europe and Norway. They continued touring extensively throughout 2000, later joined by Gulleiv Youe on live electronics. Hakon, Per, and Wetle changed their musical direction in 2001 and adopted an instrumental approach. Rune Brondbo, a.k.a. Sternklang, an electronica musician and a well-known name on the circuit, joined them for their second album, “Eight Domestic Challenges”. (2001, Jazzland Recordings). Brondbo was invited to join the band full-time after their success. The title “Eight Domestic Challenges” implies that the album is almost entirely home-made. Wibutee recorded raw performances during their 2000-2001 tour of France and Germany. Later, Wesseltroft recorded improvised dubbing at his studio. Band members worked together to create, deconstruct and refine the compositions and sound of their freestyle jazz improvisations. The danger of creating your own music is losing too much spontaneity. After listening to each song a thousand times, you may get bored with your own ideas and playing. The band stated that they tried to preserve the original forms and melodies as possible, and emphasized beats, programming, and samples. The album shows the band’s musical progression and their growth due to the diverse influences they brought along. Wibutee has been a vital force in jazz, and each member is a distinct individual. Hakon Kornstad, one of the most expressive young saxophonists is also well-known for his Kornstad Trio (a duo with Paal Nailssen-Love) and LOKO. From 2005 to recent, he has also performed with Bugge Wesseltoft’s New Conceptions of Jazz. Per Zanussi has also started his own band, Zanussi 5. This group has gained a lot of attention in Norway. He composes music for this orchestra, which is heavily influenced by Klezmer music and Circus music. He composes music for theatre and film and is a highly-respected bass player, having worked with many acts such as Morten Abel and Bugge Wesseltoft. Wetle Holte is also a member of other bands such as Bugge Wesseltoft and Nils Petter Molvaer. He is an important pioneer in the integration of electronic music and jazz elements. He composes for Wibutee when he’s not performing and producing with EivindAarset’s Electronique Noire. Rune Brondbo (also known as “Sternklang”) has released three highly acclaimed albums under this name in electronica. He is a pioneer in this field and performs with Wibutee on his own synths, loops, and samples. Wibutee have been touring extensively around the world, and one reviewer recently wrote about their show in Tampere (Finland): “Now the music reaches beyond listening and dancing and becomes, in a richest sense of the term, an experience.” Matthew Wuethrich They have teamed up with Amoeba, a Norwegian experimental designer (a.k.a. Marius Watz), to create amazing visual backdrops and live video on stage. Wibutee have released Playmachine, their third album on Jazzland Recordings. The band recorded the title after they listened to it together. They were amazed by the sounds that came out of the speakers. It was almost as if the sounds had been created in real time, almost subconsciously. They realized that they had succeeded in their quest to create an “unheard sound”. Playmachine, unlike Eight Domestic Challenges which was surreal and dreamy, is a completely “in-your face” experience. You will quickly change between a solo spot and a rhythmic instrument. Before you know it you will be trying to determine if loops are real recordings or just a random sound. The roots of jazz-rock have inspired the funky to become even more difficult. Then, it becomes amazingly sweet and light. Music transcends boundaries and defies categories. Pure Wibutee.
