MIKAEL STAVÖSTRAND
LITE
ALBUM MITEK RELEASE: AUTUMN, 2000 REVIEW: OCTOBER 10, 2000


In his native country, Swedish musician Mikael Stavöstrand is most known as organiser of several experimental events in the Stockholm-area. On these occasions, he has managed to gather a considerable part of the more obscure scene within electronic music. An impressive achievement that deserves all the respect that it possibly can get.
On the suitably titled album "Lite" (which means "a little" in Swedish) Stavöstrand explores the most stripped form of electronic music there is. It's minimalism drawn to it's extreme - no evident bass lines and utterly discrete melodic patterns based on popping sounds, not unlike the one's you hear when frying an egg or perhaps bouncing a table tennis ball.
You may initially think in terms of randomness, but after a while cleverly hidden rhythms are unveiled in the mind of the listener. Embryonic rhythms that never really blossom but still contains an odd form of groove. This organic approach sometimes reminds me of Warp's female hope Mira Calix as well as the harsh minimalism Pan Sonic always delivers with such clarity.
A bore for some people and excitement for others. I think I belong to the latter group.

ERIK ALMGREN