Smalltown Supersound compilation with exclusive tracks inspired by Edvard Munch

We made this compilation for Oslo’s Munch museum and the LP has only been sold inside the museum, but we are now finally making it available worldwide both on double LP and digital. This is both a label compilation of exclusive tracks and a soundtrack to the Munch exhibition Jordsvingninger (Trembling Earth). With Edvard Munch artwork! We have got special permission and was given superhigh quality of Munch paintings and drawings. We are very proud of this one. You can buy it on Boomkat here.

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I have always wanted to make a Smalltown Supersound label compilation of exclusive tracks - to see the label’s red thread - and to see the label from the outside. But in my opinion to make a compilation it needs a purpose, there is way too many compilations. So for 25 years I have looked for a way of doing this.

After years of meetings about a possible collaboration with Oslo’s Munch museum I was told that they were going to make a big exhibition of the cosmic Munch works - and the minute I heard the words “cosmic” and “Munch" it just clicked. Smalltown ended up making 2 labelnight at the museum, Deathprod and Lost GIrls (Jenny Hval and Håvard Volden) made exclusive music for two of the  rooms in the exhibition, and the crown-jewel in the collaboration: I finally got the opportunity to make the label compilation of exclusive tracks, inspired by the Edvard Munch paintings in the exhibition.

Together with the curator of the exhibition, Trine Otte Bak Nielsen, we gave a selection of paintings to each of the artists for them to choose a painting and then make a musical piece inspired by the art. The tracks we sent out had the english titles, the titles on the compilation is Munch’s original, in Norwegian. We also got permission to use rare Munch writings and paintings for the cover artwork, the artwork is based on photos of the originals done by the museum. I feel that we this way came even closer to the soul of Edvard Munch.

As I write this, I just realised, I sit in the cafe beneath the room where Edvard Munch lived at Grünerlokka in Oslo in 1892, just 200 meters from where I live. Munch has always been close to us Norwegians, and especially for us living in the eastern part of Oslo. Today it just felt particularly close. And with this compilation I hope that we have given something back. And I hope he would have liked the sounds we have created for him : )

Joakim Haugland

Smalltown Supersound