Dalminjo

Whether he is recording as Dalminjo or as <a href="spotify:artist:6RsX6d6GUFMNnKNDSvdgxB">ORG Lounge</a>, Norway native Ole Roar Granli has represented the kinder, gentler side of club-oriented electronica in the late '90s and 2000s. Electronica is a broad, far-reaching term that has been used to describe a wide variety of electronic club music; the term electronica has been applied to everything from the most harsh, abrasive, dissonant, and amelodic techno recordings to the smoothest and most ethereal of chillout, acid jazz and downtempo -- and clearly, Dalminjo (or <a href="spotify:artist:6RsX6d6GUFMNnKNDSvdgxB">ORG Lounge</a>, if you prefer) falls into the latter category. The Norwegian producer/arranger/composer is known for being rhythmic and funky, but not in a confrontational way; while techno can be every bit as in-your-face as death metal, gangsta rap, or free jazz, Dalminjo has a totally different vision of electronica that favors lushness and sexy seduction rather than confrontation. If Dalminjo was a jazz saxophonist, people would compare him to <a href="spotify:artist:0FMucZsEnCxs5pqBjHjIc8">Stan Getz</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1pwr5rTWLVfqhvHfB7Reap">Zoot Sims</a>, or <a href="spotify:artist:68l2i6GeNtwQlhKS59u5bu">Paul Desmond</a> instead of an avant-garde firebrand like <a href="spotify:artist:2wn2nqzITvJ1vcMRO8Wzv6">Albert Ayler</a> -- and jazz, in fact, is one of the things that has influenced the Scandinavian artist. Although Dalminjo is not a jazz performer per se and wouldn't be right for a gig at New York City's legendary Village Vanguard, he has shown a willingness to bring jazz overtones to chillout, downtempo, trip-hop and house. And Latin music, including Afro-Cuban salsa and Brazilian samba, has also influenced some of Dalminjo's hypnotic grooves; he is obviously well aware of Brazilian heavyweights such as Eumir Deodato and the late <a href="spotify:artist:3pO5VjZ4wOHCMBXOvbMISG">Antonio Carlos Jobim</a>.

Born in 1982, Dalminjo was only ten when he began fooling around with synthesizers and recording trance tunes in the early '90s. At that point, music was strictly a hobby for Dalminjo, who subsequently dabbled in drum 'n' bass. But by the early 2000s, music was actually a career for the Nordic producer (who turned 21 in 2003). As <a href="spotify:artist:6RsX6d6GUFMNnKNDSvdgxB">ORG Lounge</a>, he recorded a few albums for the Varese label in the early 2000s, including a self-titled CD in 2001 and Has It Come to This? in 2003 -- and as Dalminjo, he has provided several 12" vinyl singles for Sweden's Deeplay Music (one of which is the Brazilian-influenced "Bossa Note"). In 2004, the Miami, FL-based Kriztal Entertainment (a label that is known for focusing on the smoother side of electronica) released the Dalminjo album Fjord Fusioneer in the United States; Fjord Fusioneer came out on Deeplay in Western Europe. ~ Alex Henderson, Rovi