travels in soundscapes

Ovro, Niko Skorpio, Älymystö live in Riga 2010/01/09

2009-12-17T12:11:21Z

Niko Skorpio, Ovro, Älymystö
Live @ Elektra, Riga, Latvia
Saturday 2010/01/09

www.nikoskorpio.net
www.kaaos.org/ovro
www.alymysto.com
www.sturmmandat.com
www.last.fm/event/1327172

Oh My, New Tracks!

2009-07-20T02:26:11Z

An idea begets an idea begets an idea...

So it seems I have three different album ideas going on at the same time! All of them have moved beyond the mere idea -stage, but none of them are anywhere near of what I like to call "ready to be listened to", heh.

What I need is living on a planet with days longer than 24 hours (but without any faster aging, thankyouverymuch) to get all of my musical plans to a releasable format soon enough. Not to mention the covers...

Anyway, my Myspace now hosts one of my new tracks, called "The Reform Maker". Go forth and hopefully enjoy! Comments are welcome.

What Have I Been Doing These Last Two Years

2009-07-20T01:54:20Z

Early spring 2007 I applied to three different lines of arts and crafts in two different (relatively) local schools. Having attended entry exams I got accepted to all of them. From the three interests of mine (dressmaking, woodworking and ceramics), I chose the one I was least familiar with - read: had no experience whatsoever - and went on to study working with clay.

Now I have two whole years of study behind me (off of three) and a nearly two months of practical training (off of five months) with my current post being at the ateljé of one of Finland's most internationally famous ceramic artists, Heljä Liukko-Sundström. What a wonderful place to be training at, I can tell you! Wonderful, artistic people to work with and decades of experience to learn from!

Anyway, here's a small look back at what I have been doing these last two years, working with clay, starting from absolutely zero experience:

Large earthenware plate, currently residing on our studio space's windowsill:

Hand-built, slab & mold, stamped decorations.

Me working on a large jar at school, with a greenware (dried but unfired) giant bottle beside me:

Hand-built, coiled (both items).

The large jar of the above picture in bisque state (fired once, still unglazed), with black iron oxide decorations:

The large jar, now twice fired and at home. Notice how the black iron oxide has changed colour:

The huge bottle from a couple of pics back, now twice fired and having found its place at our home:

Press-mold high fire eggs with oxide decorations in an "aged" hand-built red iron oxide coloured bowl with a raku fired oxblood rim plate beside:

Jewelry, high fired, glazed on both sides:

Raku-fired jewelry:

Coffee cups (black&whites) and espresso cups (turquose&whites) of my Sunny-line with a lone yellow herb pot and a pile of herb pot plates behind them :

Slipcast.

Coffee cups of my Plan B-line in two different styles:

Both lines have cups in espresso/coffee/large cup - tea -sizes.

A pie pan:

Slabwork/mold, coloured slips, unique piece.

... and last but not least, The Stele of Revealing in original size!

Raw, unglazed, with coloured slip:

Fired twice, glazed.

Slabwork, engravings, coloured slips. Sadly, this piece couldn't handle third firing and broke in three pieces... That was four weeks of intensive work down into - well, three pieces - due to simple chemical variance. That is, our school's glaze material supplier supplied us with "almost the same but not exactly" earthenware glaze frit, resulting in glazes not melting properly. Oh well, that's the nature of clay!

Of course, there's been a huge amount of works I haven't photographed, but at least this little snippet will give you a faint idea of where I've been lately! :D

Farewell...

2009-02-06T19:03:53Z

Snout MakeMeSmile (Make)
1998/01/25 - 2009/02/06

Keskiviikon aikataulua -

2008-12-09T11:26:58Z

Klubin Illan aikataulunpoikasta tiedoksi: soittoajat kutakuinkin 22.30-00.30, paikalliset suuruudet (Apples of Idun) soittanevat ensin.

Nähdään siellä!

Bunch of News & Update

2008-12-06T04:39:08Z

Oh my, long time no update - even though much has happened!

Giggy Front

First of all, two years (and more) of stage silence ended two weeks ago, when I and Niko performed a gig as Haeretici 7o74. Getting back performing felt good enough for me to say "yes" to a gig query I had had a little earlier on. So, I'll be playing at Club RAW:

Live @ Club Raw - Klubi/Ilta, Turku, Finland 2008/12/10

Ovro
Apples of Idun
20 000 Hz

http://www.myspace.com/rawclubraw
http://www.klubi.net/calendar.php
http://kaaos.org/ovro/

Yikes! Got to rehearse, I'd say... See you there!

New Release!

My long-awaited Drone Records release Horizontal / Vertical 7" is finally out! You can get it from Some Place Else, or naturally directly from Drone, or distributors around the world (I hope).

Updat-y

While I was adding the 7" ep to my site, I ended up updating other portions of it as well. There are new reviews on Revisited, as well as some of the earlier releases; gig history has been updated to the present day, interviews-section got an addition and... well, that should be about that.

Been busy...

Me, posing at BAF. Image by Kimmo Koli.

Tarmo

2008-08-25T21:16:16Z

Order Away!

2008-07-29T21:56:27Z

Revisited

Basic Information

Format: CD
Label: Some Place Else
cat.number: SPECD08047
released: 2008
playing time: 48 min.

Tracklist:

1. Sideral
2. Compulsed
3. Iconon
4. Commutare
5. Templier
6. Qahwa
7. Ukok

[ BUY THIS FROM SOME PLACE ELSE ]
[ ALBUM PAGE AT THE LABEL ]

Revisited is a rethought, reworked, remastered - revisited - second incarnation of the well-received, quite rare 2006 release Estraier .

Revisited is an aural travelogue of Ovro's Russian minitour of 2006 (with Niko Skorpio as a travel companion and on-stage bass-abuser / guest vocalist) with a tad of location recordings in Turku and a backbone of later studio material.

CD is packed in beautiful 4-panel digisleeve. Edition of 1000 copies.

They're Here! - Revisited & Half Born in Half Light

2008-07-22T08:48:24Z

Waking up today was easier than most mornings - courier arrived early, carrying boxes filled with Some Place Else's two latest releases! These are, of course, my Revisited and Niko Skorpio's Half Born in Half Light.

Ordering isn't possible quite as yet, so you'll just have to wait for a while to get your hands on these two. The Some Place Else site will have information on and I'll post ordering information here, too.

Buzzing...

2008-07-02T01:44:19Z

The arrival of summer brought along a wave of inspiration. Being prone to sprees of artistic monomania, my hours at home are spent either stuck in the studio or sleeping. A tad too litter of the latter, I'm afraid. There are more tracks demanding being made than waking hours available - not that I'm really complaining, having spent way too long a time doing practically nothing musicwise.

As a little taster of what's been cooked up lately, there's a brand new track (note: more or less still a demo) up at Ovrian MySpace.

Uh-oh, it seems to be about time (read: it was about time few hours ago) for me to get to bed... More news on releases front when there's news to tell!

Grand Re-Opening!

2008-05-07T21:48:58Z

For quite a long time my site simply said:

It turned out to be a longer while than I had intended... Then, having to do something as my school's portfolio class assignment, kicked me back into site-building gear and the results are out there for all to see.

So, it's time for a grand re-opening! It's an all new site, with loads of new information on releases and past gigs & whatnot! go forth and peruse!

Something Old Turned Something New

2008-03-25T01:51:45Z

2007 flew past without a single Ovrian release - or gig, for that matter. However, I didn't just settle down living quietly in the countryside, forgetting about the follies of making music! While keeping a (relatively) low profile, I've been working. Mostly on non-solo stuff, but still.

Some fruits of this work is coming out in 2008. One of them is the 7” that’s going to come out on Drone Records (see their site for up-to-date news on when its coming out). Another one is the “something old turned something new” mentioned in the topic.

In 2006 I put out a very limited edition CDr called Estraier, an aural travelogue of my Russian mini-tour (with Niko Skorpio aiding me on stage). The CDr was sent to those who pre-ordered Mosaick the Serpent / Vipera Aurea 2EP, with a small number of copies given away to Russian gig organizers and a few copies sold to those who knew to ask for it. This CDr was well received and there were queries about releasing it properly. I wasn’t quite as easily talked into that as with the “first release consisted only one copy” Gegendurchgangenzeit, but mulling the thought over, decided to take a new look at the material and seeing what would happen.

What happened is a seven track album (Estraier consisting of six tracks) called Revisited. It is still an aural travelogue and the opening track stayed pretty much the same – the rest of it got reworked. Revisited will be released on Some Place Else this year, “soon” as the Management says. Stay tuned for further info! There’s a taster track available at myspace, do give it a listen.

Oh, sorry about the state of my site, that will get a fresh look in April.

New Release Coming Up!

2007-11-04T11:13:43Z

Now that the news is up at Drone Records site, it's finally time for me to dare mentioning it myself!

There'll be a new Ovro 7", Horizontal / Vertical coming out on Drone Records this winter! A taster is available at my myspace thingy.

When it comes to other releases - well, we'll see what'll happen...

Today, 2 pm

2007-10-30T15:51:03Z

The snoring dog mentioned earlier...

2007-06-26T09:21:00Z

... is this grand old man of a pharaoh hound:

Another sofa is being occupied by this slightly younger snorer:

Awwww...

The Wire & a T-Shirt

2007-06-20T03:02:41Z

June 2007 issue of The Wire did a review on LARM: From Mouth Cavity to Laptop double CD (check the LARM site for information on the album), noting my contribution as follows: "Ovro's dark "Mortal Strangers" is a compelling canter through an electronic forest." Nice to be noted, in such a positive way!

On other news, there'll be a Ovro T-shirt available at Some Place Else Shop soon. To wear me over your heart, do place a pre-order. The shop info will tell you how to do it. D'sign by yours truly, here's what it'll look like:

and the back will sport the SPE logo. A T-shirt, my my. I'm feeling like a rock star!

Niko Skorpio has made some very good looking tees with his sigil, as well as a few Thergothon shirts.

Vertical

2007-05-16T21:19:01Z

Something new, for a change. A track called "Vertical" got uploaded to MySpace yesterday. Better tell about it a tad late than never, yes?

The addy is, of course, http://www.myspace.com/ovro

For Your Watching Pleasure (or something of the kind)

2007-05-16T14:25:10Z

For those of you who either dislike MySpace or can't view videos over there, a mysterious critter called "SPEMedia" has uploded my "Equation Impossible" video to YouTube. See it, comment as ye will, here or there.

Up, Sideways.

2007-02-09T02:15:19Z

Sooner or later this year, I'll be going crossways in a roundabout fashion and 7" size.

More info, when there's more info to give.

Afternoon Funny

2006-12-07T14:55:37Z

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It's Out.

2006-09-28T13:28:55Z

Preorders have been sent out and received. The release is now available for general public (of course, without the bonus CDR...).

If you're one of those who already have Mosaick the Serpent / Vipera Aurea, feel free to post a comment on it on SPE forum. :)

Equation Impossible in Moving Images

2006-09-03T15:24:55Z

Every artist should have a video out, they say. So, I made my own!

My first ever take on video making (excluding one made for gigs) is now up at MySpace. Don't expect lip-sync or anybody pretending to sing or play an instrument... ;)

Huge thank you to the track's male vocalist, who also acted on the video and co-shot it. Couldn't have done it without you, Niko Skorpio!

Revealing the Covers

2006-08-26T20:13:31Z

Yes, the Pre-Order Time Is Here

2006-08-25T17:56:11Z

The forthcoming Ovro album is now available for pre-order! Includes exclusive CDR only available for those who pre-order!

http://www.someplaceelse.net/shop/product_info.php?products_id=840

Ovro : Mosaick the Serpent / Vipera Aurea CD

Tracklist:
1. Primogenitural Echoes
2. Second Momentum
3. Equation Impossible
4. Differentiation Irrevocable
5. Delusions Of Grandeur
6. Statement Of Inexistence
...
11. Glossolalia
12. Scarlet Calls
13. Vorpal Angel
14. Mortal Strangers
15. Summoned I Summon
16. Freed Beast

The new Ovro album consists of two distinct parts, each independent yet linked to each other. Ovro started working on Mosaick the Serpent already in late 2003. In the early stage it was to become an independent EP, but the appearance of Gegendurchgangenzeit delayed its release. Meanwhile, a companion EP started to take form, namely Vipera Aurea. These two EPs, Mosaick and Vipera, are twins – independent yet entwined like the snakes of a caduceus. They support and compliment each other and form a new whole, a third being that contains both its makers and in itself is something more. Vipera Aurea is ´coagula´ to Mosaick the Serpent\'s ´solve´.

Some of this material has been performed on Ovro´s live performances in 2005/06. Those lucky to have witnessed any of these will know the album is calm yet intense, vocal-flavoured Dark Ambient mindscapes in the highly regarded Ovrian style.

Mosaic the Serpent / Vipera Aurea features contributions from Massimo of Black Sun Productions, Niko Skorpio and Mockingwyrd (Kaaos in Eccentris etc).

Mosaick the Serpent / Vipera Aurea CD comes with two gorgeous 12-panel foldout sleeves, full of lyrics, liner notes, photos and artwork all created by Ovro herself.

PRE-ORDER edition includes exclusive CDR called Estraier.

Tracklist:
1: Sidéral
2: Conpulsions
3: Iconoduliclasm
4: Repositions
5: Marqaha
6: Altarai

Estraier is an aural travelogue from Ovro´s Russian tour (March 2006), a wonderful dark-ambient album, masterfully crafted out of location recordings. Estraier is a 35-minute trip to Russia and way beyond. It would definitely deserve to be heard by a wider audience, but respecting Ovro´s plan it is offered as an exclusive bonus item only!

The pre-order offer is available until September 11th, after which the pre-orders will be shipped and Mosaick the Serpent / Vipera Aurea will become available to wholesale dealers etc. (without bonuses).

Release Date News

2006-07-14T10:55:35Z

Sort of, at least.

Mosaick the Serpent / Vipera Aurea double-EP is finally heading towards the factory next week. So, this particular beast should be out and about in August.

Pre-ordering information will be posted later on when the time is riper, but I can tell this much: there'll be extra goodies included.