Bjørn Torske: 8/10 in Future Music Magazine

The one thing you’re guaranteed with an album of Norwegian House is a skewed generic interpretation, and as if to justify that statement, Bjorn Torske has made a record about his dinner; Kokning referring to the process of putting the potatoes on while you pop out to sea to catch the main course. Since Torske’s previous album (Feill Knapp), the producer has remixed for Lindstrom, Sunburned Hand of Man, and previously collaborated with follow countrymen Röyksopp, remixing their 2001 hit single ‘Eple’. There’s shades of Husky Rescue on the tasteful title track, with Torske implementing curling guitar refrains against melancholy backing and only the subtlest percussion. Kokning induces a highly organic sound for the first half of the album; the electronic component mostly residing in the music’s soft beats and fluctuating melody tones, intertwined with the gentle, mellow flow of plucked guitar strings. On side two, Kokning elevates itself to toxic disco, encompassing a healthy portion of dub, starting with the rousing tribal drums of the spacey Bergensere and continuing with the analogue-driven punch of Slitte Sko. Torske blends these generic elements well to produce a playful patchwork of styles that is incomparable to anything outside of the Arctic Circle, and satisfyingly adventurous to boot. 8/10 Danny Turner