The Plant x Izumisan Ensemble began as a duo when Finnish/Japanese drummer Sammy Sielu (Izumisan) and experimental electronic producer Jonas Sjøstedt (The Plant) decided to make improvised music together. Early in 2019 they met up in Sammy’s rehearsal space in Copenhagen, set up a recorder and immediately started playing. That was to be the closest thing to actual practice sessions they ever had, preferring to refine the sound through a series of small live performances.
Later on in 2019 Sammy and Jonas were asked by the people of Copenhagen Underground Film Festival if they wanted to provide a live soundtrack for the cult classic silent movie Häxen. To adapt to the cinematic approach they decided to expand the project which was when the last two members, Frederik Buur Rosbach (Papa J-Cage) and Jeppe Kongstad Larsen (Pelle Whaling), were invited to participate. Thus the ensemble was born.
All four members come from different musical backgrounds. As a guitarist in multiple bands Frederik has been diving into various styles of rock music as well as trying out improvised music on different occasions. Jeppe’s approach to music has been more theoretical in some sense and focused on understanding the basics of a wide spread of genres while playing in numerous projects. They’ve both studied Musicology at the University of Copenhagen.
Sammy has been playing drums for decades with many different bands, spanning genres all the way from hip-hop and metal, to reggae and folk music.
Jonas has been producing electronic music for 20 years mainly as a way of dealing with mental illness issues but more recently for artistic reasons. His ambient soundscapes form the basis of the sound of the ensemble with Sammy’s eclectic live drumming adding a level of form and texture. Finally Jeppe and Frederik provide the flourishing details completing the sound.
The Plant x Izumisan Ensemble sound is based around the idea of free expression within a shared universe of a dark, introspective energy.
All the above culminates on Anthropomorphic which is the recording of an improvised scoring of the movie Metropolis performed in late 2019.
That recording was mixed and produced later on, becoming its own thing entirely.
Recorded in Loppen, Christiania (Copenhagen) on December 17, 2019 Mixed and produced by Izumisan and Morten Lyd Mastering by Ogen F (Up In It)
2’nd album, Anti-Format.
On this second release the group have worked more on the dream-like qualities of their sound, and incorporated more sampling in the post-production of the improvised live session.
This results in ANTI-FORMAT being more ethereal and liquid sounding than its predecessor, Anthropomorphic.
Album info:Recorded at Loppen, Christiania
Mixed and produced by Morten Lyd and Izumisan
Mastered by Lars Kivig at Vicious Studio
Artwork by The Plant
Photo by Niclas Lovejoy Hawkesworth.