Origo Sound

Origo Sound
Founded 1990
Founder Harald Lervik
Distributor(s) Cdbaby (digital)
Planet Origo (retail)
Genre Ambient
Electronica
Industrial
Electronic music
Downtempo
Country of origin Norway
Location Norway
Official website http://www.myspace.com/origosound

Origo Sound is a Norwegian independent record label formed in 1990 in Norway by Harald Lervik. The initiative to start the label was taken after Tormod Opedal, an employee in Lervik's software company, in 1989 had decided to close his own label Cicada which had released two albums by the Norwegian composer Erik Wøllo. Wøllo had a new album ready to be released, and Origo Sound was formed the year after, with two albums launched in the autumn 1990, of which one was the new Wøllo album.

Origo Sound's major successes were the two albums by Biosphere, Microgravity and Patashnik. Hailed by Norwegian and international press for setting the standard for what was to become known as ambient techno, the albums were followed by two more albums on the label, Substrata and the movie soundtrack Insomnia.

Up until 2007, all but one of the albums released were by Norwegian bands and artists. The one exception was the Finnish duo Dystopia's album The Second Dawn in 1998, but Harald Lervik says this was purely coincidental. In 2010, the label released its first CD of original music since 2004.

Over the years, Origo Sound has released albums in a variety of styles, all founded in various electronic music subgenres. The first few years were dominated by a mix of styles ranging from new-age music to ethnic and techno. The mid 1990s saw some techno influenced albums, while in the recent past the label has moved in the direction of ambient and experimental music. The melodic approach is also covered in the catalogue.

In 2007, Origo Sound was merged into Planet Origo, an Estonian company owned by Norwegian investors, including Harald Lervik. In October that year, the label released its first CD since 2004, the sampler Planet Origo, as a warm-up to future releases. In 2013, Origo Sound was re-established as an independent, Norwegian record label.

Discography

This list is organized by release year. Titles are full length albums unless otherwise mentioned.

Year Artist Title Comment
1990 Erik Wøllo Images of Light
Green Isac Strings and pottery
1991 Karsten Brustad Intarsia
Biosphere Microgravity
Biosphere The fairy tale 12" vinyl single
Langsomt Mot Nord Hildring
1992 Green Isac Happy endings
Erik Wøllo Solstice
1994 Biosphere Patashnik
Karsten Brustad Cape West
Neural Network Brain-state-in-a-box
Sverre Knut Johansen Distant Shore
1995 Eyeman Reel Bird Colony
Neural Network Modernité
Erik Wøllo Fossegrimen Book + CD, joint release with Cappelen
Biosphere Novelty waves CD single
Eyeman Reel Cyber Delhi CD single
1997 Current Enter the Dream
Circular Nanotopia
Biosphere Insomnia
Biosphere Substrata
Exile Dimension D Exile = Erik Wøllo
Various artists Future Proof Label sampler/compilation
1998 Dystopia The second dawn
1999 Sverre Knut Johansen The source of energy
2001 Current Musik
2002 Living Dreamtime Exploring the Water Element
2003 Current Communion
Current Ghost trip CD single
2004 Circular Glass Darkly
2007 Various artists Planet Origo Label sampler/compilation
2010 Nemesis Gigaherz
2012 Sverre Knut Johansen Planets
2013 SynthX Noxia The label's first ever 2CD
2013 Pertti Grönholm Winterplanet
2013 Super Fata Structural Tendency

See also

External links