#svaneborg kardyb

[musicollage]

Svaneborg Kardyb — Superkilen. 2024 : Gondwana.

[dustedmagazine]

Svaneborg Kardyb — Superkilen (Gondwana)

Photo by Dennis Morton

Danish drums-and-keys duo Svaneborg Kardyb build songs like The Necks in time-lapse. Their miniature dioramas of tone are built using tesselating patterns of repetition on a handful of instruments. Before you know it, the music has evolved in subtle ways, arriving somewhere unexpected. Take the opening title track, for example. Nikolaj Svaneborg’s Wurlitzer plays against the dappled tones of a synthesizer arpeggio, while Jonas Kardyb’s hard-punching drums drive and punctuate proceedings. Round and round the song goes, patiently and hypnotically, Kardyb gradually filling the stereo space with more cymbal strikes and drum fills, until the whole track bursts forth into an ecstatic chord change. It’s masterful stuff.

As well as the title summing up the power of the duo’s modus operandi, “Cycles” is another mighty standout. This time they’re joined by Portico Quartet member Milo Fitzpatrick on double bass and Maria Martine Jagd on violin. As the Wurlitzer and drums lock into mesmerizing interplay, bass gently fills out the low end, then scribbly violin playing agitates the song towards a gently elated climax. Later in the tracklist, “Tide” matches the title track and “Cycles” for inventiveness and lightness of touch, the Wurlitzer blooming forth in ripples of echo as Kardyb lays down an amazing shuffling rhythm in 7/8. Closer “Arendal” is also excellent, moving the duo into slower, darker territories reminiscent of the mighty Bohren & Der Club of Gore.

It’s quite telling that these four standouts on Superkilen are also the longest tracks. Svaneborg Kardyb clearly benefit from wringing all the goodness they can out of their limited but potent ingredients. For this reason, the middle section of the album lags a bit, dominated as it is by shorter, less developed pieces that establish a pleasant vibe but don’t evolve in such satisfying ways. The piano melodies on “St Pancras” and “Udsigten” sound like they could be an inoffensive backdrop to a refined cafe scene; “Balancen” acts more as an interlude than a song in its own right; and though “Vakler” builds a formidable head of steam thanks to some thunderous drum-playing from Kardyb at its climax, that’s about all the song offers.

Despite these reservations, Superkilen is an essential listen for the stellar heights it reaches during its most transcendent moments.

Tim Clarke

[bttrflyblu]

Svaneborg Kardyb - Superkilen (live)

[burlveneer-music]

Svaneborg Kardyb - Over Tage - new Gondwana Records signing; Danish duo making dreamy, often cinematic music

Svaneborg Kardyb are Nikolaj Svaneborg - Wurlitzer, Juno, piano and Jonas Kardyb - drums, percussion a multi award winning duo from Denmark, where they won two "grammys" at the Danish Music Awards Jazz 2019: New artist of the year and Composer of the year. 
Drawing on Danish folk music and Scandinavian jazz influences, including Nils Frahm, Esbjörn Svennson and Jan Johansson's landmark recording Jazz På Svenska, their music is an exquisite and joyful melding of beautiful melodies, delicate minimalism, catchy grooves, subtle electronica vibes, Nordic atmospheres and organic interplay, all underwritten by the sheer joy of playing together. Over Tage (over roofs) is their third album, following Knob (2019) and Haven (2020) and marks their debut for Gondwana Records a label noted for working with artists such as Mammal Hands, Portico Quartet and GoGo Penguin whose music, like that of Svaneborg Kardyb delights in exploring the fertile spaces between genres. For the duo it is their most serious and thoughtful record to date. "It may be our strongest and most honest record so far. Doubts and uncertainty were kind of the foundation for the sounds of the album but there is also hope and lots of uplifting moments and we're very pleased with how it came out." And it is that mixture of elevation and thoughtfulness, honesty and intimacy that makes the music of Svaneborg Kardyb so special and Over Tage such a joy to listen to. The world awaits. Jonas Kardyb - drums & percussion Nikolaj Svaneborg - Wurlitzer, synth & piano Sune Pors - guitar (tracks A2, A3 & B5) Jakob Sørensen - trumpet (tracks A2, A3, A5 & B3) Jonas Scheffler - trumpet (tracks A2, A3, A5 & B3) Artwork and Design by Daniel Halsall

[ondasyletras]

Svaneborg Kardyb – Over Tage (Official Video)

[biosuoni]

Over Tage by Svaneborg Kardyb

[twistedsoulmusic]

Svaneborg Kardyb are Nikolaj Svaneborg (Wurlitzer, Juno) and Jonas Kardyb (drums, percussion). Their debut album, Knob, was one of my favourite albums of 2019, and this new release offers more melodic dub-jazz and atmospheric building. For fans of Bremer/McCoy and Hvalfugl, with touches of Matthew Halsall and Mammal Hands.

[theoriginalrulesofearth]