Significant Time - Ekstatisk eufori (2025) [Hi-Res]

The album was born from a wish to rediscover our original “us” – the quartet as it first came to life. Pianist Øyvind received the small art booklet Øyvind og Øyvind-planen by artist Kurt Johannessen as a gift. A quiet tale about making plans, it became a fitting spark that set the work in motion.

The music took its final shape in the autumn of 2024 and was later recorded at Egersound Studio with engineer Eirik Bekkeheien. Ekstatisk eufori stretches between past and future, nodding to distant times and old heroes while honoring music’s gift of being both compass and companion.

All the compositions are written by pianist Øyvind Dale, who also adds lyrics to three of the pieces. The titles themselves read like small poems – poetic keys that open doors into the music – resonating with the visual design created by artist Kurt Johannessen.

Vocalist and bandleader Signe Irene Time describes the process as “an incredibly rewarding journey,” adding that the band has managed to “embrace both our youthful playfulness and a more mature, holistic expression.” The music stretches out in many directions, reflecting an openness to ideas and impressions.

Composer and pianist Øyvind Dale says he has “opened doors to new sonic landscapes – using techniques and approaches that challenge both myself and my fellow musicians.” He still looks toward old heroes as stars in the night sky, yet lets new technologies and aleatoric gestures cast unexpected shadows and flashes of light across classical ideas. “It’s about seeing history through different lenses – letting the past shine in new colors and contours.”

At the same time, Dale has discovered the poet within himself, giving voice to three of the compositions through text. “Working with words has opened a deeper resonance in the music,” he reflects, “and inspired me to play more consciously with the titles of the instrumental pieces – as small doors into other rooms.”

Ekstatisk eufori will be released digitally and on LP.

SIGNE IRENE TIME: vocals, synth
ØYVIND DALE: piano, synth
FREDRIK LUHR DIETRICHSON: upright bass
RAYMOND STORAUNET LAVIK: drums, percussion