Borderless music is definitely the term when describing the music of Norwegian composer, bass player and vocalist Guro Skumsnes Moe. Dance, improvisation, rock, jazz and noise music, are all elements that are important to her expression. She has got her own octobass – that’s cool!
The bass and voice element give her a physical sound unlike any other, and the octobass expresses friction and noise, which draw inspiration from concrete music, noise and performance. In fact, It seems like she is searching for a sound that is not possible.
Guro Skumsnes Moe was born in Hedemark, Norway 1983. She has studied at the Music conservatory in Kristiansand and the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo, where she graduated 2007.
Related: World Music from Norway
Her background from improvised music through contemporary music and rock is remarkable and shows that the boundaries of today’s music are beginning to blur. Her production includes over 20 recordings, music to several plays for Plexus Polaires Compagnie, crossover productions like «Len Dem Ikke Ut» and composing for chamber orchestra The Touchables (With among others Ole-Henrik Moe and Kari Rønnekleiv).
She has toured continuously in Europe, the US, Japan, Southeast Asia and Mexico since 2006 with her main projects, MoE and Sult. She has also been an active performer with a wide field of interest on the Oslo’s jazz and free impro music scene recent years.
Related: Norwegian Electronica Musician André Bratten
On her debut solo album It Pictures (2011) she collaborates in trio with drummer Sveinar Hoff and guitarist Håvard Skaset.
Octobass is a unique stringed instrument which makes the string bass or cello look like junior instruments. This exceptionally large instrument carries a very low end sound, dropping to lower realms than any other stringed instrument. The octobass was first constructed in 1850 by Jean-Baptiste Vyillame in Paris. Due to its very large girth, the instrument was considered a two-player vessel, with one player operating the bow and the other manning the fingering. It also features hand and foot activated pedals and levers for added bass depth in tone.
Norwegian Musician Plays the Largest String Instrument Ever Invented, written by Tor Kjolberg