Launched their second album at the Jew’s harp festival

The universe on their side: Although they don’t have any plans to tour, Kenneth Lien (to the right) and Jørgen seem to have the universe on their side. ‘We haven’t lifted a finger to get any bookings, they just happen,’ Kenneth says. Photo: Veronika Søum.

Kenneth Lien and Jørgen Skjulstad aka Center of the Universe got festivalgoers on their feet.

By Veronika Søum
Translated by Lucy Moffatt

‘I’ve always liked Norwegian folk music but I’ve never played it myself,’ says Jørgen ‘Sissyfus’ Skjulstad, aka Center of the Universe.

He and Kenneth Lien dropped their second album on Friday 19 September, and their launch concert at the Jew’s harp festival in Molde sparked enthusiastic applause and dancing.

‘The Jew’s harp festival is always a high point,’ Kenneth says.

The pair’s album, Norwegian Electronic Folk Music, has already attracted attention in Norway and abroad – it earned a 6-star review on audiophile.no and was mentioned on BBC 6 radio.

As on their first album, Snu hver stein (2023), which bagged the duo a Folkelarm prize in the Open category, Jørgen is in charge of the electronic side while Kenneth brings the folk music. The result is a mix of different beats blended with fiddle, harmonic flute and, of course, Jew’s harp.

‘People were screaming all night

But Kenneth and Center of the Universe only ended up becoming a duo by accident.

‘Vegar Vårdal was commissioned to compose a work for children, and Jørgen was asked to sample different folk music instruments for a jam. But Vegar couldn’t do it so I was asked to step in. It wasn’t wildly successful – there was only ever one performance – but I recorded a few tunes,’ Kenneth explains.

‘I quickly got a taste for it, and kept on producing. Then we got asked to play a gig and suddenly we were a duo,’ Jørgen says.

‘We had a chance to try out our music at Riksscenen. It was the last night of a dance event, with all kinds of dances, and it just took off – people were screaming all night,’ Kenneth adds.

Use What’s Cool

While the tracks on the first record didn’t start out as album material, Kenneth and Jørgen had a plan for their second outing. When they went back into the studio at Easter one-and-a-half years ago, it was with the specific intention of recording an album, and they collaborated closely on the result. 

That said, the track list on the album reflects another ‘accident’ for the duo: They’re mostly tunes Kenneth happened to have rehearsed just before recording. With one exception. 

‘Fantitullen was my special request. I was surprised to find there weren’t any electronic versions or remixes of it,’ Kenneth says.

‘With Kenneth, you just put a coin in the slot and the tunes come pouring out. The rest of it happens while I experiment in the studio. I make my best music when I have no idea what I’m doing or don’t have a clear idea,’ Jørgen explains.

Springars are tough

One of the challenges he faced was the springar groove – how to reproduce the time signature electronically. But an hour of study and experimenting was all Jørgen needed to work it out.

‘It’s really interesting to try something different from what a lot of other people are doing with electronic music; I like that. I have a lot of fun in this world,’ Jørgen concludes.