Biosphere is a native tromsean (Norway) composer and performer Geir Jenssen who got into a public spot in the mid 90s after releasing a number of successful ambient albums, including Patashnik and Substrata.

Since then, Jenssen refined his sound into less melodic yet more induring. If Substrata was a imaginary soundtrack for almost silent science documentary on Arctic, Dropsonde (just like its sleeve) is a one for a gorgeous photography of a clouded skyscape. Or intricate ice patterns, they both look the same from a distance.

This album utilizes themes of ice and air, since dropsonde is in fact a weather reconnaissance device dropped from an airplane to the ground. And while dropsonde is falling down, it's moving in air, so does the album. It's not so terminally frozen like Shenzhou, rhythmically it resembles more of Patashnik or Microgravity, what seems to be a few steps back for Biosphere. Technically, it's all about looped filtered drums and keys layered below the massive fuel of sonic drones.

It says, Jenssen is moving towards the jazz colors of Miles Davis and Jon Hassell, but actually I don't see that much of similarity, maybe just sample hints, hidden deep inside.

As always, Biosphere is a pleasure plus dread of arctic sound. Like in Carroll's Looking Glass, you need to be able to go deeper in order to get higher. Biosphere always acts on a level of emotions, even in its most carefully measured tracks like Altostratus or Sherbrooke.

Dropsonde encourages you to drift into a haze of athmospheric images and cloud scenes, where spectacular beauty hides unseen danger. It's more danger here than in Autour De La Lune or Shenzhou - dropsonde is moving and you never know where it'll drop down.

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Aulis Vierhovssen
October 2005