2023 ses the return of multi-talented Norwegian producerEspen Horneto Wah Wah 45s, after a 24 year hiatus. The man behind the label’s very first release, the now seminalMagnetica, never lost his connection with the imprint and has remained very much part of the Wah Wah family, making a comeback this year with his first solo material under his own name since that club classic from 1999.


Back in the spring, the first single from the project, the gorgeous soul-jazz beautyBakeren, featuring the stunning vocals of Resonators’Faye Houston, quickly found a home onGilles Peterson’s internationally renowned BBC Radio 6 show as well as that of Jazz FM legendRobbie Vincent,Bandcamp Weeklyand theFresh Finds JazzSpotify playlist.
Following that,Bergen Sunrays, became a weekly fixture on theCraig CharlesFunk & Soul Show on BBC 6 Music, with the limited 7-inch of both singles selling out within hours of release.
Next up was the wistfulDen Franske Gitaren,a lugubrious soul-jazz piece with drum & bass leanings featuring Bergen based MC and vocalistAich, which found favour with legendsLaurent GarnierandJazzanovaas well as hot Japanese production outfitDazzle Drums. This was closely followed by the final single to be taken from the album, the stunning and outspoken vocal jazz waltzerNada Pode Me Calar(which roughly translates toNothing Can Shut Me Up!) featuring the sublime talent ofOlav Wölloon vocals and Juno.

And now the full album, entitledThe Anatomy Of Serene Eloquenceis available for your aural delectation. Recorded largely during lockdown, the LP is a sophisticated and composed piece of work that sees the Norwegian producer make connections with musicians from across Europe, and some closer to home, to collaborate on this sedate and peaceful collection of songs.

The aforementionedFaye Houstonalso appears on the soulful, dub flavouredDon’t Fall Asleep, a piece of music that explores the feeling of being isolated whilst sharing a mutual love and drive to explore new sonic possibilities.

Elsewhere,Olav Wöllopops up again too, this time onO Mar E A Luaand once again singing in Portuguese to give this track a certain Tropicalia feel, as Espen explains:

“Olav Wöllo is a close friend, an excellent musician and vocalist, and a capoeira professor here in Bergen. He has spent much of his life living in Brazil and speaks Portuguese fluently. He wrote the lyrics for this tune years ago and had just been waiting for the right collaboration to come along.

We went to his lovely studio out on this remote island, made a massive gyoza meal, had some serious good wine and stayed the whole night to record his vocal harmonies and outspoken lyrics.”

The singleBergen Sunraysalso appears on the album in instrumental form with featured keys courtesy of London based playerRory More- here entitledRory’s Sunrays. His Lowrey organ adds a more melancholic feel to the track, as it does on the stunningBelle Époque, alongside the ivory work ofErik Blåsternes- an emotional, contemplative and atmospheric track that was tested and shaped in the eclipse of Covid.

As withBelle Époque, La Psychosomnieis a playful yet explorative cut that examines insomnia, paralysis and hypnosis courtesy of some enigmatic French spoken word spinning around a framework of drums, bass and swirling keys.

And finally, the album offers up an alternative version of the singleDen Franske Gitaren, this time featuringMartin Halla, a vocalist out of the Bergen Grieg Jazz Academy and winner of the Norwegian version ofThe Voiceback in 2012! The perfect flip to Aich's more mournful interpretation of this bass and drum future classic.

Espen will be celebrating the release of the album at Grow, Hackney Wick in London on Friday 11th November with special guests Faye Houston and Olav Wöllo.