Biosphere - Insomnia

Dating back to 1997, the same year that saw the release of Geir Janssen's career-defining Substrata album, this set of recordings was made as an accompaniment to Erik Skjoldbjaerg's Insomnia, a movie later remade by Christopher Nolan with Al Pacino replacing Stellan Skarsgard in the leading role. Janssen's soundtrack remains a force unto itself however, standing up alongside his other works under the Biosphere moniker as a formidable venture into arctic ambience. Opening with that familiar loop of plunging low-end bass and wonderful ice-scraping crackle 'Proem' kicks off the OST beautifully. The music takes a turn towards Angelo Badalamenti territory next with the frosty neon of 'Lounge' and te symphonic-sounding 'Forum'. It's genuinely surprising as to just how well this works as an album. The music not only stands up brilliantly in its own right, divorced from the film, but it even manages to sound like it's been sequenced as though it were a standalone audio-only project. A wonderful companion piece to Biosphere's Touch releases, Insomnia must rank as essential listening for any fan of Janssen's unique brand of ambience.

Tracklist
1 Proem 3:16
2 Lounge 2:29
3 Forum 4:15
4 Field 4:37
5 Probe 1:30
6 Yard 1:17
7 Shade 2:26
8 Ride 2:44
9 Chamber 2:25
10 2nd Field 5:41
11 Rush 1:33
12 Transit 1:47
13 Visit 1:28
14 Gate 1:39
15 Quay 3:08
16 Tunnel 5:39
17 Insomnia (Alanïa Mix) 3:27



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