The Norwegian music scene expanded a great deal in the ’90s, featuring artists in virtually every genre breaking into the international scene, whether it be goth or metal or even house. Prima Norsk, a collection of house music from the Scandinavian country, features ten different artists who maintain a sound that makes them musically distinct. Most common with these tracks is the disco influence, which seems to leak into the album at different points. Olav Brekke Mathisen takes the sounds and instruments of disco music and makes a liquid funk mix out of them, where Future Phrophecies simply produces a commercial disco house blend that leaves nothing to the imagination. Rune Lindbaek may have the best disco song of the bunch, if only because it takes the basic disco song setup and mixes in house, funk, and other danceable music forms. The other songs on the album are good, but these three are the standouts on an interesting compilation that shows what Norway is doing with a genre that still has a lot of room to grow. – Bradley Torreano
more »
