Kasper Bjørke - Puzzles (LP) [HFN Music]

Just when you thought you had Kasper Bjørke pegged, he comes back with yet another great musical curveball. His new album, Puzzles, to be released on hfn music, follows two recent collaborative EPs on Live at Robert Johnson and Mule Musiq, as well as his second neoclassical/ambient album with the Kasper Bjørke Quartet, Mother, on Kompakt.

Puzzles is Kasper’s love letter to the New York sound of the early 2000s, merged with his Scandinavian sense of producing songs that go beyond conventional club music; combining disco-tinged instrumentation blended with elements of 80’s funk, jazz, and contemporary pop songwriting, creating something familiar yet very fresh and innovative.

The album features collaborations with a wide array of musicians and vocalists. From Californian indie-disco troubadour Woolfy (DFA, Rong, Permanent Vacation, etc.) to the Icelandic dream-folk trio Systur, aka Sísý Ey (who were also featured on Kasper’s 2014 single, Apart, where Michael Mayer’s remix went on to become a timeless club anthem), as well as other long-standing collaborators and artist friends: Toby Ernest, Jacob Bellens, Tomas Høffding from WhoMadeWho on bass, Frederik Valentin from Posh Isolation on guitar and rising young jazz star Oilly Wallace on saxophone and flute. Essentially, most of Puzzles is played and recorded live, including drums by Rasmus Littauer (School of X, MØ). Many of the songs came about from chord progressions written during studio sessions between Kasper and Toby, which Kasper then produced into a colourful and effective album, rooted in an expressive live feel, far from programmed patterns.

The album’s first single, Conversations, features Systur (Sísý Ey) on vocals and immediately grips you with its elegant groove and beautiful melody. It calls to mind a great lost Fleetwood Mac song that feels equally at home in your living room or any discerning modern dancefloor.

Tears We Haven’t Cried, featuring Toby Ernest on vocals, gets under your skin in the best possible way. The subtle groove hooks you in and the emotion and beauty conveyed in the lyrics and melody keep you coming back to it again and again, discovering something more on every listen.

The song So Much features Woolfy on vocals. Its simple but seductive synth bassline, the direct and conversational lead vocal, along with the beautiful female backing vocals, make for a crisp rendition of a classic Balearic groover.

I Was There is the album’s dancefloor weapon. Full of proper post-disco energy that drives the groove, the bassline, swirling synths, guitars, and subtle percussion make this track simply irresistible.

Another stand-out track is the album opener, Corridor of Dreams, a cover of a track by revered cult indie project Cleaners From Venus, which sets the perfect tone for the rest of the album. Thoughtful and never overblown, every part, instrument, and vocal (performed by Systur) feels necessary. The album also features a second cover, both coincidentally released in 1982 by British indie artists: Love My Way by The Psychedelic Furs, with Jacob Bellens on vocals, is a catchy reinvention that never strays too far from the original’s infectious hooks.

Puzzles is a new step for Kasper as a producer and artist, showcasing his ability to move and flow freely between genres and expressions, yet still deeply rooted in his love and affection for classic disco groove, which is only natural after more than two decades as an active DJ.

Kasper confessed this was the album he was most proud of and wished he’d made 20 years ago, but didn’t know how to do so at the time. Thankfully, he honed his craft over the years and certainly pulled it off, and the result is nothing short of stunning.

Another piece has been added to Kasper Bjørke’s musical puzzle.