Erik Wollo

Norwegian composer Erik Wollo started out as a jazz guitarist and dabbled in jazz-rock fusion on his early recordings. In 1984, however, he came out with Traces, an electronic album of startling originality. His subsequent releases are equally impressive. While there's always a sense of warmth to his atmospheric pieces, his music resounds with the stark beauty of Norway's wintry landscapes. Through his subtle minimalist patterns and nebulous breaths of sound, you can easily imagine the composer staring through windows splayed with ice crystals as Arctic winds whisper across the snow fields and ethereal northern lights pulse steadily in the distance.