Biosphere (musician)

{{short description|Norwegian electronic musician|bot=PearBOT 5}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Biosphere | image = Geir_Jenssen_at_Sajeta_2011.jpg | caption = Geir Jenssen performing in 2011 | birth_name = Geir Aule Jenssen | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1962|5|30}} | alias = Bleep, Cosmic Explorer, E-Man | origin = Tromsø, Norway | instrument = Electronic keyboard, synthesizer | genre = {{flatlist| * Electronic * ambient * ambient house * IDM * drone * downtempo * experimental * field recordings }} | occupation = Producer | years_active = 1983–present | label = {{hlist|Beatservice Records|Touch|Biophon Records|Apollo|Origo Sound|SSR Records|Rune Grammofon|Smalltown Supersound|AD 93}} | website = {{URL|http://www.biosphere.no}} }}

'''Geir Aule Jenssen'''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ascap.com/repertory#/ace/search/workID/894278744 |title=STROMBILO DUB |website=ASCAP |publisher=American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers |access-date=April 26, 2023}}</ref> (born 30 May 1962)<ref name="Thompson">Thompson, Dave (2000) ''Alternative Rock'', Miller Freeman, {{ISBN|0-87930-607-6}}, p.197-198</ref> is a Norwegian electronic musician and composer who records as '''Biosphere'''. A resident of Tromsø within the Arctic Circle, Jenssen is well known for ambient and ambient house pieces, often inspired by Arctic or mountain settings, and his use of loops and peculiar samples from science fiction and natural sources. His 1997 album ''Substrata'' was voted by the users of the Hyperreal.org website in 2001 as the best all-time classic ambient album.<ref name="classicambient">See [http://music.hyperreal.org/epsilon/info/2001_classic_ambient.html "Classic Ambient Recordings: The 2001 Survey"] at Hyperreal.org</ref> He has also composed several film scores.

==History==

===Prior to Biosphere (1962–1991)=== Jenssen was born on 30 May 1962 in Tromsø, a city within the Arctic Circle in the northernmost portion of Norway. He was inspired by the music of artists such as New Order, Depeche Mode, Wire, and Brian Eno, which he described as "like discovering a new universe—a universe which I wanted to be a part of".<ref name="Thompson" /> Other formative influences included Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Throbbing Gristle and Cabaret Voltaire.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tokafi.com/15questions/15-questions-biosphere/|title=15 Questions to Biosphere|last=Fischer|first=Tobias|date=8 September 2011|website=Tokafi|access-date=8 March 2026}}</ref> In 1983, he bought his first synthesizer and composed his first piece of music, taking inspiration from his archaeological studies, later stating "Studying the Ice Age and Stone Age has definitely influenced my music."<ref name="Thompson" /> In 1984 Jenssen issued his first album, "E-Man", released on cassette only on the Norwegian indie label Likvider and credited to E-man.<ref name="Thompson" />

In 1985, Jenssen was part of the newly created Norwegian moody synth trio Bel Canto with Nils Johansen and singer Anneli Drecker.<ref name="Thompson" /> The band signed with Belgian label Crammed Discs and to Nettwerk in North America, and relocated to Brussels.<ref name="Thompson" /> Jenssen, however, soon returned to Tromsø, collaborating with the other band members by post, and continuing with his solo work.<ref name="Thompson" /> Bel Canto released two albums while Jenssen was a member, ''White-Out Conditions'' and ''Birds of Passage''. In 1990, he left the band in order to pursue a different music style altogether, and began using a sampler.<ref name="Thompson" />

Throughout the late 1980s, Jenssen used the moniker Bleep, under which he produced various 12" records, now releasing records via the Crammed Discs subsidiary SSR. His early influences were from acid house and New Beat music. Released in 1990, ''The North Pole by Submarine'' was the only album recorded as Bleep. Further singles followed in 1990 and 1991 before Jenssen abandoned the Bleep moniker and again changed musical direction.

===As Biosphere (1991–present)=== Following the release of ''The North Pole by Submarine'', Jenssen began releasing his music as Biosphere on obscure Norwegian compilation albums. His first Biosphere releases were the 12-inch single "The Fairy Tale" and the album ''Microgravity'', both of which were rejected by SSR as unmarketable.<ref name="Thompson" /> ''Microgravity'' was released in 1991 on the Norwegian label Origo Sound, and saw wider release via the R&S Records subsidiary Apollo in 1992, to much critical acclaim. In 1992, Jenssen contributed "I'll Strangle You" to Hector Zazou's ''Sahara Blue'' project.<ref name="Thompson" /> In 1993, Jenssen collaborated with German ambient musician Pete Namlook on ''The Fires of Ork.''

In 1994, the second Biosphere album, ''Patashnik'' was released, through which Jenssen continued to explore his ambient-house stylings to an even greater extent, employing the theme of a lost cosmonaut drifting aimlessly through space. ''Patashnik'' contained the first hints of the reduction in beat-driven song structure that would mark later Biosphere releases. Unlike the first album, ''Patashnik'' was quickly picked up by a comparatively large international audience, which brought Biosphere greater recognition. Jenssen also recorded as Cosmic Explorer, scoring a hit in Belgium with the EP ''The Hubble''.<ref name="Thompson" />

In 1995, Levi Strauss & Co. was searching for a new angle to add to their television advertisement campaign (which up to that point had never featured electronic music), and they decided to use the uptempo track "Novelty Waves" from ''Patashnik''. Shortly thereafter, "Novelty Waves" was released as a single (featuring remixes by various other artists), and managed to chart in several countries, reaching No. 51 in the UK singles chart.<ref name="Thompson" /> Although Jenssen never regretted his approval for use of the track, he also never sought this kind of fame and subsequently turned down various requests by his record company and peers to collaborate with well-known techno and drum 'n bass artists, or to create a follow-up album in the same style. During that same year, Biosphere contributed the song "The Seal and the Hydrophone" exclusively to ''Apollo 2 – The Divine Compilation'' released by Apollo Records.

''Substrata'' (1997) is a purely atmospheric ambient Biosphere album, released on All Saints Records. ''Substrata'', which marked Jenssen's embarkation towards an intensely minimal style, is not only often considered to be Jenssen's best work to date, but is also seen as one of the all-time classic ambient albums.<ref name="classicambient" /> ''Substrata'' contains samples from the American TV show ''Twin Peaks'' directed by David Lynch and a soundtrack by Angelo Badalamenti.

In 2000, Jenssen released ''Cirque'' on his new home Touch, an ambient album driven by muffled beats, samples, and minimal atmospherics. Though ''Cirque'' briefly revisited territory covered by earlier Biosphere releases, the rhythm section throughout the album remains an element of the background, unlike Jenssen's first two Biosphere releases, wherein the drums occupied a dominating proportion of the foreground.

In 2002, he released ''Shenzhou'', the fifth full-length album under the name Biosphere. This album was a more abstract work, comparable to Aphex Twin's 1994 album ''Selected Ambient Works Volume II''. The material on the album draws from elongated, pitch-shifted loops taken from Debussy's ''La Mer'',<ref>[http://www.junkmedia.org/index.php?i=193 Biosphere: Shenzhou] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204141803/http://www.junkmedia.org/index.php?i=193 |date=February 4, 2012 }}. ''Junkmedia''. Retrieved on 2013-02-18.</ref> and ''Jeux''.

Released in 2004, ''Autour de la Lune'' stands as the most minimal and austere Biosphere album to date. The drones employed on this album are comparable to Coil's 1998 album ''Time Machines'' in their timbre and slow rate of change. The bulk of this work was originally commissioned and broadcast in September 2003 by Radio France Culture for a musical evocation of Jules Verne.

In 2006, Jenssen released ''Dropsonde'', a half beatless, half rhythmic album composed of jazz rhythms evocative of Miles Davis' 1970s jazz fusion works. A partial vinyl sampler was released a few months earlier in 2005.

In 2009, Biosphere issued ''Wireless: Live at the Arnolfini, Bristol,'' his first live album, containing new tracks such as "Pneuma" and "Pneuma II".

Jenssen has scored a number of films, including ''Eternal Stars'' (1993) and ''Insomnia'' (1997).<ref name="Thompson" /> He collaborated with German ambient composer Pete Namlook on ''Fires of Ork'', and has also worked with Jah Wobble's Invaders of the Heart and with Bobby Bird of Higher Intelligence Agency.<ref name="Thompson" /> In 2010, two soundtracks were announced on Biosphere's website, for German film ''Im Schatten'' and Norwegian ''Nokas.''

On 27 June 2011, Geir Jenssen released the album ''N-Plants'', inspired by nuclear energy and nuclear plants in Japan.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.touchmusic.org.uk/catalogue/to84_biosphere_nplants.html |title=TO:84 - Biosphere "N-Plants" |website=Touchmusic.org.uk |access-date=2012-05-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120401083509/http://www.touchmusic.org.uk/catalogue/to84_biosphere_nplants.html |archive-date=2012-04-01 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 2016, Jenssen released ''Departed Glories'' as Biosphere. The thematic focus of the album draws inspiration from the defence of Kraków from Nazi invasion during the Second World War. Jenssen conceived of the album while living in the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.factmag.com/2016/09/27/biosphere-interview-departed-glories/ |title=Biosphere comes in from the cold: The ambient iceman on his new album ''Departed Glories'' |website=Factmag.com |date=17 September 2016 |access-date=14 October 2018}}</ref>

On 5 February 2021, Jenssen released the electronic-classical album ''Angel's Flight'' which features twelve tracks based on Beethoven's String Quartet No. 14.<ref>{{cite web |title=Angel's Flight |url=https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/biosphere/angel-s-flight |website=Rough Trade |access-date=28 January 2021}}</ref>

In January 2022, Jenssen released ''Shortwave Memories'' as Biosphere. The album marked a sonic departure from Jenssen's previous work – using manually-programmed analogue synthesizers from the late 70s and early 80s to create a more vintage sound.<ref>{{cite web |title=Shortwave Memories |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/biosphere-shortwave-memories |website=Pitchfork |access-date=28 October 2022}}</ref>

On 14 October 2022, Jenssen released ''Substrata (Alternative Versions)'' on Biophon Records, featuring ten alternative versions picked from the ''Substrata'' recording sessions that took place between 1995 and 1996.

On June 30, 2025, Jenssen released ''The Way Of Time'' on AD 93. According to the artist's Bandcamp, this album takes loose inspiration from Elizabeth Madox Roberts’ novel The Time Of Man, sampling Joan Lorring’s voice from the 1951 radio play adaptation of the novel. <ref>{{Cite web |title=The Way of Time, by Biosphere |url=https://biosphere.bandcamp.com/album/the-way-of-time |access-date=2025-10-31 |website=Biosphere |language=en}}</ref>

==Live== Biosphere regularly performs live during electronic music festivals and in clubs throughout Europe and various other locales around the world. Live performances usually consist of Jenssen performing improvisations or variations on newer tracks on a laptop while video art is projected behind him; for example, full-screen video art was projected in his Picturehouse cinema tour in April 2006. Although these performances are rarely tied specifically to a recent album release, the uptempo material from the Bleep and ''Microgravity''/''Patashnik'' era is occasionally featured in Biosphere performances.

In May 2004, Biosphere's first United States performance took place in Detroit.

In 2008 Jenssen announced a year-long break from touring due to his reported hatred of "airports, security checks, unhealthy food, air conditioning, hotels, etc.". However he resumed concert activity in 2009<ref>Unsound Festival 2009 website: {{cite web |url=http://unsound.pl/en/festival/news/2008 |title=Unsound |access-date=2009-06-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090420132604/http://unsound.pl/en/festival/news/2008 |archive-date=2009-04-20 }}</ref> and 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.inagrm.com/content/presences-electronique-2011|title=PRESENCES electronique 2011 - INA - GRM|access-date=19 September 2016}}</ref>

==Other interests== Jenssen is also an active climber and mountaineer. This hobby is an inspiration on his work, as well as a source of natural sound samples.<ref name="Thompson" /> His highest feat was in 2001, climbing the Cho Oyu (Himalaya, 8201 meters) without oxygen; in 2006, he thus released ''Cho Oyu 8201m – Field Recordings from Tibet'' (as Geir Jenssen).

==Discography== ===Album as E-Man=== *''E-Man'' (1984)

===Album as Bleep=== *''The North Pole by Submarine'' (1990)

===Albums as Biosphere=== *''Microgravity'' (1991) *''Patashnik'' (1994) *''Substrata'' (1997) *''Cirque'' (2000) *''Substrata²'' (2-CD reissue of ''Substrata'' with ''Man with a Movie Camera'', Touch, 2001) *''Shenzhou'' (Touch, 2002) *''Autour de la Lune'' (Touch, 2004) *''Dropsonde'' (Touch, 2006) *''Wireless: Live at the Arnolfini, Bristol'' (Touch, 2009) *''N-Plants'' (Touch, 2011) *''L'incoronazione di Poppea'' (2012) *''Patashnik 2'' (recorded 1992–1994, 2014) *''Das Subharchord'' (EP, 2014) *''Departed Glories'' (2016) *''Black Mesa'' (EP, 2017) *''The Petrified Forest'' (2017) *''The Hilvarenbeek Recordings'' (2018) *''The Senja Recordings'' (2019) *''Angel's Flight'' (2021) *''Shortwave Memories'' (2022) *''Substrata [Alternative Versions]'' (2022) *''Inland Delta'' (2023) *''The Way Of Time'' (2025)

===Soundtracks and field recordings=== * ''Eternal Stars'' (1993 film soundtrack) * ''Man with a Movie Camera'' (1996 festival soundtrack, released on ''Substrata²'', 2001) * ''Insomnia'' (1997) * ''Cho Oyu 8201m – Field Recordings from Tibet'' (as Geir Jenssen, Ash, 2006) * ''Nokas'' (as Geir Jenssen, 2010) * ''Kill by Inches'' (2012, for the 1999 movie ''Kill by Inches'') * ''Stromboli'' – field recording from the Stromboli crater edge (EP, Touch, 2013) * ''Sound Installations (2000-2009)'' (2015) * ''The Good Nurse'' (film score, 2022)

===Collaborations=== (Usually as "Geir Jenssen" instead of "Biosphere") * Bel Canto – ''White-Out Conditions'' (1987) * Bel Canto – ''Birds of Passage'' (1989) * with Pete Namlook – ''Fires of Ork'' (1993) * with Higher Intelligence Agency – ''Polar Sequences'' (live, 1996) * with Deathprod, remixes of Arne Nordheim – ''Nordheim Transformed'' (1998) * ''Biosystems: The Biosphere Remixes'' (Compilation with remixes by others, 1999) * with Higher Intelligence Agency – ''Birmingham Frequencies'' (live, 2000) * with Pete Namlook – ''Fires of Ork II'' (2000) * with Deathprod – ''Stator'' (Touch, 2015)

==See also== {{portal|Norway|Music}} *List of ambient music artists

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{Commons category|Biosphere (musician)|Biosphere}} ; General * {{Official website}} including: [https://www.biosphere.no/news.html News] – [https://www.biosphere.no/discography.html Discography] – [https://web.archive.org/web/20060225061715/http://www.biosphere.no/mp3.html MP3s] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20050114103052/http://www.mic.no/mic.nsf/doc/art2003072514223315188372 "De la Terre à la Lune"] (July 2003) Good biographical retrospective of Biosphere (at MIC Norway) * [https://web.archive.org/web/20060429045502/http://www.themilkfactory.co.uk/interviews/biosphereiw.htm "Biosphere: Ground Level"] (July 2004) Comprehensive interview with Geir Jenssen (at The Milk Factory)

; Discographies * [https://www.beatservice.no/biosphere.asp Biosphere discography (including lone tracks)] at Beatservice Records * [{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=biosphere-mn0000081248/discography|pure_url=yes}} Biosphere discography (with critics comments)] at AllMusic * [https://www.discogs.com/artist/Biosphere Biosphere discography (with users comments)] at Discogs

; Lyrics, quotes, samples * [http://groups.google.fr/group/rec.music.ambient/msg/7bcbd06f335793b8?dmode=source An enhanced version of the "Biosphere Samples list v1.0 by Igor Boronenkov"]{{Dead link|date=February 2026 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }} (Usenet archive) * [http://www.s107.net/biosphere.php Sources of voice samples in music from Biosphere] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150329041705/http://s107.net/biosphere.php |date=2015-03-29 }} at S107 * [http://www.usatt.org/rseguine/FAX/fax_facts/samples_quotes.html Samples and quotes in FAX albums] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120523135455/http://www.usatt.org/rseguine/FAX/fax_facts/samples_quotes.html |date=2012-05-23 }} – including ''Fires of Ork''

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{{Biosphere}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Biosphere}} Category:1962 births Category:Living people Category:Norwegian electronic musicians Category:Ambient musicians Category:People from Tromsø Municipality Category:Musicians from Tromsø Category:All Saints Records artists Category:Rune Grammofon artists Category:Smalltown Supersound artists Category:Fax Label artists