Patashnik
Encyclopedia
Patashnik is an ambient house
album, the second release by musician Biosphere
(alias Geir Jenssen). Its track "Novelty Waves" was used for the 1995 campaign of Levi's.
Through Patashnik, Jenssen continued to explore his ambient-house stylings to an even greater extent. Patashnik contained the first hints of the reduction in beat-driven song structure that would mark later Biosphere releases. Unlike the first album, Patashnik was quickly picked up by a comparatively large international audience, which brought Biosphere greater recognition.
In 1995, Levi Strauss & Co.
was searching for a new angle to add to their television advertisement campaign (which up to that point had never featured electronic music), and they decided to use the uptempo track "Novelty Waves" from Patashnik. Shortly thereafter, "Novelty Waves" was released as a single (featuring remixes by various other artists), and managed to chart in several countries. Although Jenssen never regretted his approval for use of the track, he also never sought this kind of fame and subsequently turned down various requests by his record company and peers to collaborate with well-known techno
and drum 'n bass
artists or to create a follow-up album in the same style.
In 2007, Patashnik was reissued by Beatservice Records with a new cover and the same contents.
In addition to the eponymous track, other titles are obvious space references: the Mir
space station and the SETI
project.
. 2007 reissue: With "Thanks to Helge Gaarder (1953–2004)"; CD photography and design by Hanne Brochmann.
Ambient house
Ambient house, a music genre that first emerged in the late 1980s, is a sub-genre of house music, combining elements of acid house and ambient music...
album, the second release by musician Biosphere
Biosphere (musician)
Biosphere is the main recording name of Geir Jenssen , a Norwegian musician who has released a notable catalogue of ambient electronic music. He is well known for his "ambient techno" and "arctic ambient" styles, his use of music loops, and peculiar samples from sci-fi sources. His track "Novelty...
(alias Geir Jenssen). Its track "Novelty Waves" was used for the 1995 campaign of Levi's.
Overview
According to Jenssen, the word patashnik is allegedly Russian cosmonaut slang for "a traveler" or "a goner", a cosmonaut who didn't return from a space mission because his security cable disengaged and he was lost in space. There seem to be no such word in contemporary Russian but such surnames exist, and it still sheds light on Jenssen's intent with the title.Through Patashnik, Jenssen continued to explore his ambient-house stylings to an even greater extent. Patashnik contained the first hints of the reduction in beat-driven song structure that would mark later Biosphere releases. Unlike the first album, Patashnik was quickly picked up by a comparatively large international audience, which brought Biosphere greater recognition.
In 1995, Levi Strauss & Co.
Levi Strauss & Co.
Levi Strauss & Co. is a privately held American clothing company known worldwide for its Levi's brand of denim jeans. It was founded in 1853 when Levi Strauss came from Buttenheim, Franconia, to San Francisco, California to open a west coast branch of his brothers' New York dry goods business...
was searching for a new angle to add to their television advertisement campaign (which up to that point had never featured electronic music), and they decided to use the uptempo track "Novelty Waves" from Patashnik. Shortly thereafter, "Novelty Waves" was released as a single (featuring remixes by various other artists), and managed to chart in several countries. Although Jenssen never regretted his approval for use of the track, he also never sought this kind of fame and subsequently turned down various requests by his record company and peers to collaborate with well-known techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
and drum 'n bass
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
artists or to create a follow-up album in the same style.
In 2007, Patashnik was reissued by Beatservice Records with a new cover and the same contents.
Track listing
- "Phantasm" – 4:50
- "Startoucher" – 5:02
- "Decryption" – 6:04
- "Novelty Waves" – 6:27
- "Patashnik" – 6:13
- "Mir" – 5:18
- "The Shield" – 8:54
- "Seti Project" – 5:58
- "Mestigoth" – 1:43
- "Botanical Dimensions" – 5:43
- "Caboose" – 5:12
- "En-Trance" – 4:40
In addition to the eponymous track, other titles are obvious space references: the Mir
Mir
Mir was a space station operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, at first by the Soviet Union and then by Russia. Assembled in orbit from 1986 to 1996, Mir was the first modular space station and had a greater mass than that of any previous spacecraft, holding the record for the...
space station and the SETI
SETI
The search for extraterrestrial intelligence is the collective name for a number of activities people undertake to search for intelligent extraterrestrial life. Some of the most well known projects are run by the SETI Institute. SETI projects use scientific methods to search for intelligent life...
project.
Credits
All tracks written by Geir Jenssen, except "Botanical Dimensions" (written by Karsten Brustad, arranged and remixed by Geir Jenssen). "The Shield" was commissionned by Concerts NorwayConcerts Norway
Concerts Norway was established in 1967 on the initiative of the Arts Council Norway , with the main purpose described as follows: "Concerts Norway should do living music of high artistic quality accessible to all people in the country." The organization had its opening concert in Hammerfest...
. 2007 reissue: With "Thanks to Helge Gaarder (1953–2004)"; CD photography and design by Hanne Brochmann.
Samples
As is usual in Biosphere's music, the album incorporates several known or obscure speech samples:- Track 1: Phantasm – "We had a dream last night, we had the same dream" speech from the movie The KraysThe Krays (film)The Krays is a 1990 film based on the lives and crimes of the British gangsters Ronald and Reginald Kray, twins who are often referred to as The Krays...
- Track 2: Startoucher – "So, you're really into this space stuff...?" speech from the movie SpaceCampSpaceCampSpaceCamp is a 1986 American film based on a book by Patrick Bailey and Larry B. Williams and inspired by the U.S. Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama. Directed by Harry Winer from a screenplay by Clifford Green and Casey T. Mitchell, the film stars Kate Capshaw, Kelly Preston, Larry B...
- Track 3: Decryption – "So frightening to lose yourself..." speech from the movie ScannersScannersScanners is a 1981 science-fiction horror film written and directed by David Cronenberg and starring Jennifer O'Neill, Stephen Lack, Michael Ironside, and Patrick McGoohan...
- Track 5: Patashnik – "Получаю данные, восемнадцать тридцать восемь" speech in Russian (English translation is "Receiving data, 18 38") from the movie 2010
- Track 7: The Shield – "Will I dream?"/"What do you mean?" speech from the movie 2010
- Track 8: SETI Project – "Can you imagine, an extraterrestrial disc jockey..." speech from the movie SpaceCampSpaceCampSpaceCamp is a 1986 American film based on a book by Patrick Bailey and Larry B. Williams and inspired by the U.S. Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama. Directed by Harry Winer from a screenplay by Clifford Green and Casey T. Mitchell, the film stars Kate Capshaw, Kelly Preston, Larry B...