The delicacy of two distinctively dense musical languages taming each other is what will grab anyone listening to Bilayer. Magnus Bugge is a sound artist who works with visual installations and takes part in projects at the intersection of art and science. For him, music does not replace the subject, it lights it up. The music of trumpeter Hilde Marie Holsen has a palpable link with natural elements, minerals or primitive forms of life that must be preserved. Bilayer’s music does not impose anything. Bugge works in a way where “media is not important. Ideas and works will develop in their own way, and he will follow the process.” This is quite an inviting approach. Listeners then become active and free. They can choose what to focus on. Bilayer, as its name suggests, possesses the art of laying down sounds but also, and this is where poetry comes from, of covering their source with a veil of mystery. Thus protected, each sound blossoms and enriches itself along its journey.

Going against the grain Illrie does not seek excess but space; the music needs it. This second album is about nature, but also about decomposition and decay. This is why the 8 tracks are named after old dialect words from the west coast of Norway, where both Holsen and Bugge are from. “Skogavakse” is the highest line of a forest before the mountainous landscape takes over. “Illrie”, the title track, means “snowstorm”, and “Nattsveve” means “dandelion”. The trumpetist and soundscaper explains the genesis of the album: “Planned improvisations and improvised compositions were recorded and used as raw material for electroacoustic compositions, (then) put together again and produced afterwards”. The somewhat ingenuity of the process brings the sounds of nature back to life.

The dramaturgy of the duo has deepened with the contribution of Sarah-Jane Summers, a guest player on all the tracks. The Scottish musician based in Norway is also a researcher. In addition to the expected classical counterpoint to the electric and electronic sparkles, she brings a vision. Her field of study revolves around understanding and extending the timbral complexity of the fiddle. That is why when she plays the violin and viola, we travel between traditional and contemporary music. Her work, she writes, aims at “creat(ing) radically new perspectives on familiar sounds”. This familiarity is central here as the violin and the Hardingfele are classic contributions in Norwegian music.

With this attention given to the roots of sound, memories, and the familiar forces of nature, Illrie acts as a deep exploration of space and time, offering a very fine specimen of fertile music.

Anne Yven

Bilayer is a duo consisting of Hilde Marie Holsen (trumpet/effects) and Magnus Bugge (analog synthesis). The musicians move freely around in diverse contexts – from minimal arrangements stretching out to the infinity of time and space, to alien soundscapes of destroying textures and raw emotion.

Bilayer’s music is a story where one does not know the origin to sonic elements. The band has a flat structure where all sounds are equally important and anything might origin from Holsen’s processed trumpet or Bugge’s synthetic sound design. Together Bilayer is an energetic expression exploring the natural tension and resolve tension found in improvised music improvisation and further channels this to complete collaborative compositions. The two musicians builds a bridge between jazz, contemporary music and electronica.

Since 2015 the duo has been invited to various stages for experimental music: Bidrobon (Oslo), SkRR (Oslo), Friform Kirkenes, Oddnose Festival, Nonfigurativ musikk and Haugesound. Their selftitled debut album «Bilayer» was released at the Norwegian label Va Fongool in March 2019.

«Only the nervous presence of machine-like, fractured rhythmic patterns reminds us that sonic horizons of Bilayer are far broader than any specific genre, era or concrete geographical space.» Eyal Hareuveni / saltpeanuts.eu

Hilde Marie Holsen combines the melancholy sound of the trumpet with experimental electronics to create a unique sonic universe that spans jazz, drone, and contemporary music. With her debut album ”Ask” (2015) and its follow-up ”Lazuli” (2018), she has gained international recognition, earning glowing reviews from outlets such as The Guardian, The Wire, and The Quietus. In addition to an active touring and festival career, Holsen has composed works for various festivals and art projects, collaborating with a broad range of musicians. Her innovative approach challenges traditional musical boundaries and establishes her as a significant voice in modern contemporary music.

Magnus Bugge is a composer and artist focused on sound art, electroacoustic music, and related visual arts. His works, inspired by science, technology, and physics, emerge from abstract and concrete themes. He believes his media and tools, which include synthesis, field recordings, and programming, are secondary to the ideas themselves, which evolve naturally. His diverse work spans stage art, concert, film, installation, and releases, driven by a commitment to the process and observation rather than the specific medium or technique.

Scottish violinist, composer, and improviser Sarah-Jane Summers is one of the most exciting voices in traditional and experimental music today. Deeply rooted in Scottish tradition yet unafraid to push musical boundaries, she has carved out a unique space in the international music scene. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Artistic Research at the Norwegian Academy of Music. As a solo artist and as one half of the duo Sarah-Jane Summers & Juhani Silvola, she has received widespread acclaim. Their four albums have all earned Top of the World status in Songlines, and their album The Smoky Smirr o Rain was nominated for a Norwegian Grammy (Spellemannprisen) in 2021.

Her work in experimental music has gained significant recognition. Her album VIRR was named Album of the Year by Late Junction, BBC Radio 3, and The Wire described her music as ”a howling gale, brilliantly evoked.”