Fredrik Rasten

Fredrik Rasten (born 1988) is a guitarist and composer based in Oslo and Berlin. He is primarily focusing on musical exploration of just intonation and related sound phenomena, and in his work he is reaching for an actively listening state wherein to intuitively explore the complexities of tone and harmony. On the guitar he is applying real time retuning of the instrument, vocal shadings and different preparations to create warm and fluctuating resonances. As a composer he is mostly creating music for smaller ensembles and collaborative projects where the ongoing exploration of pitch relations is guiding the work, while also finding inspiration in early music, folk traditions and reductionist expressions. Other elements influencing his work include ideas of music as social, non-hierarchical practices, and essential philosophical conundrums, such as the elusive relationship between mind and matter. He is currently active in the Berlin based collective Harmonic Space Orchestra, the duo Pip with Torstein Lavik Larsen and with his solo project, among other things. His compositions have been performed in Montreal, New York, Buenos Aires, Auckland (NZ), Berlin, Prague, Oslo and other places, by vocal ensemble EKMELES, performers Judith Hamann, Émilie Girard-Charest, Johnny Chang, Johan Lindvall, Miroslav Beinhauer and others. Rasten’s recording output has been published on labels such as SOFA, Edition Wandelweiser, Ftarri, Shhpuma and INSUB.