Mungolian Jet Set
Encyclopedia
Mungolian Jet Set is a Norwegian
electronic music
duo consisting of DJ and turntablist Pål "Strangefruit" Nyhus and producer Knut Sævik.
, reminiscent of George Clinton
's Funkadelic
and Parliament
, some of which has been used in their recordings, sleevenotes and website. This includes a fabricated mythical language they call "Mung Su", various characters including a linguist named Ronald P. Hardaker, an allegedly ancient order of Knights called "The Knights of Jumungus", and numerous others based on occasional collaborators.
On their website they have also initiated a Halo 3
Clan
under the moniker of "The Noble Order of The Knights Of Jumungus" in order to perform battle reenactments from the artificial history of the Mungolians.
They also have an alleged "Mungolian" providing them with a blog ("The Homunculus
"), which is usually critical in tone of humanity and its pastimes, culture and various social and political machinations. In contrast, they also have a character named "The Dhaqwaan of Po-Lonte" who acts as official bard
, scattering epigrams and short poems throughout their website and sleevenotes, as well as contributing "special poetry" to the track "Y Lentokone Mungo" on their second album, "We Gave It All Away... Now We Are Taking It Back". This poetry previously appeared as an untranslated sleevenote on their first album (which they often refer to as their "difficult third album", an asynchronous anomaly their mythology attributes to DJ Strangefruit's ability to bend time through the use of his turntables), "Beauty Came To Us In Stone." No translation of this text has yet been supplied, although they collectively maintain there is one in existence.
Occasionally, mention is made of a "mad Irish writer" who collaborates with them. Credits on their second album suggest this writer may be named "Dave Mullan," but as no confirmation or denial has been issued by either the band or the writer, this cannot be stated with certainty.
, Norway
.
album for Bugge Wesseltoft
's Jazzland
Recordings label, it soon evolved from the tribute to electric era Miles Davis
it was intended to be into a densely woven pastiche of innumerable elements.
-based sound of its predecessor, and saw Knut Sævik take a leading role in the group, effectively replacing Reidar Skaar. The more club-oriented sound also meant the band moved from Jazzland
Recordings to Smalltown Supersound
, a label whose roster and aesthetic seemed to be a better home for the Psychedelic
Disco
music they were aiming to create. The album consists of a few original tracks interspersed with tracks that began as remixes of others, but were remixed a second or even third time to create a more consistent sound. The album covers two CDs with 8 tracks per disk, and each disk timed at 59 minutes and 15 seconds.
than the more freeform music they have previously made. The band have stated on their official Facebook page that the new album may be entitled "Cowells and Cowbells" or "Dhaqwaans and Deepwoods". How serious these titles are remains to be seen. A single has been scheduled for release in May 2010, entitled "Moon Jocks 'n' Prog Rocks". In keeping with their singles release policy, this will be vinyl only, with cover art once again provided by Suzie Webb. The B-Side, entitled "Moonstruck" is a remix of the A-Side, but with a greater emphasis on Progressive Rock elements. Also rumoured for the album are tracks with such titles as "Schtum", "Tie You Down", "Bella Lanay", and "Too Greasy For A Dancefloor, Too Big To Be A Face". Again, these may be jokes put forward by the band themselves, as they often refuse to be pinned down to a commitment until the album is around 95% complete.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
duo consisting of DJ and turntablist Pål "Strangefruit" Nyhus and producer Knut Sævik.
Mythology
The group have also created a kind of personal mythologyMythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
, reminiscent of George Clinton
George Clinton (musician)
George Clinton is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and launched a solo career in 1981. He has been cited as one of the foremost...
's Funkadelic
Funkadelic
Funkadelic was an American band most prominent during the 1970s. The band and its sister act Parliament, both led by George Clinton, began the funk music culture of that decade.-History:...
and Parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
, some of which has been used in their recordings, sleevenotes and website. This includes a fabricated mythical language they call "Mung Su", various characters including a linguist named Ronald P. Hardaker, an allegedly ancient order of Knights called "The Knights of Jumungus", and numerous others based on occasional collaborators.
On their website they have also initiated a Halo 3
Halo 3
Halo 3 is a first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie for the Xbox 360 console. The third installment in the Halo franchise, the game concludes the story arc begun in Halo: Combat Evolved and continued in Halo 2...
Clan
Clan
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clan members may be organized around a founding member or apical ancestor. The kinship-based bonds may be symbolical, whereby the clan shares a "stipulated" common ancestor that is a...
under the moniker of "The Noble Order of The Knights Of Jumungus" in order to perform battle reenactments from the artificial history of the Mungolians.
They also have an alleged "Mungolian" providing them with a blog ("The Homunculus
Homunculus
Homunculus is a term used, generally, in various fields of study to refer to any representation of a human being. Historically, it referred specifically to the concept of a miniature though fully formed human body, for example, in the studies of alchemy and preformationism...
"), which is usually critical in tone of humanity and its pastimes, culture and various social and political machinations. In contrast, they also have a character named "The Dhaqwaan of Po-Lonte" who acts as official bard
Bard
In medieval Gaelic and British culture a bard was a professional poet, employed by a patron, such as a monarch or nobleman, to commemorate the patron's ancestors and to praise the patron's own activities.Originally a specific class of poet, contrasting with another class known as fili in Ireland...
, scattering epigrams and short poems throughout their website and sleevenotes, as well as contributing "special poetry" to the track "Y Lentokone Mungo" on their second album, "We Gave It All Away... Now We Are Taking It Back". This poetry previously appeared as an untranslated sleevenote on their first album (which they often refer to as their "difficult third album", an asynchronous anomaly their mythology attributes to DJ Strangefruit's ability to bend time through the use of his turntables), "Beauty Came To Us In Stone." No translation of this text has yet been supplied, although they collectively maintain there is one in existence.
Occasionally, mention is made of a "mad Irish writer" who collaborates with them. Credits on their second album suggest this writer may be named "Dave Mullan," but as no confirmation or denial has been issued by either the band or the writer, this cannot be stated with certainty.
Cover Artwork
The artwork of their second album and many of the releases of DJ Strangefruit's own record label, Luna Flicks, was created by Suzie Webb, an English ex-patriot artist and designer living in OsloOslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
.
Beauty Came To Us In Stone
This album is a collective effort, guided by Pål Nyhus and Reidar Skaar primarily, with some contributions from Knut Sævik. Initially a commissioned jazzJazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
album for Bugge Wesseltoft
Bugge Wesseltoft
Jens Christian Bugge Wesseltoft is a Norwegian jazz musician, pianist, composer and producer. He has his own label named Jazzland Records. In the 1990s, Bugge has made a transition from Nordic jazz traditions exemplified by the ECM record label to a style sometimes referred to as "future jazz" or...
's Jazzland
Jazzland
Jazzland can refer to the following:* Jazzland, an amusement park later known as Six Flags New Orleans.* Jazzland Records - a US-based company.* Jazzland Records - a Norwegian-based company....
Recordings label, it soon evolved from the tribute to electric era Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
it was intended to be into a densely woven pastiche of innumerable elements.
We Gave It All Away ... Now We Are Taking It Back
Their second album moved away from the JazzJazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
-based sound of its predecessor, and saw Knut Sævik take a leading role in the group, effectively replacing Reidar Skaar. The more club-oriented sound also meant the band moved from Jazzland
Jazzland
Jazzland can refer to the following:* Jazzland, an amusement park later known as Six Flags New Orleans.* Jazzland Records - a US-based company.* Jazzland Records - a Norwegian-based company....
Recordings to Smalltown Supersound
Smalltown Supersound
Smalltown Supersound is an independent record label based in Oslo, Norway, and dedicated to new forms of jazz, rock and electronic music.Their catalog features albums by Annie, Jaga Jazzist, 120 Days, Mental Overdrive, Bjørn Torske, Mats Gustafsson and Sonic Youth, amongst others.In 2004, the...
, a label whose roster and aesthetic seemed to be a better home for the Psychedelic
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
Disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
music they were aiming to create. The album consists of a few original tracks interspersed with tracks that began as remixes of others, but were remixed a second or even third time to create a more consistent sound. The album covers two CDs with 8 tracks per disk, and each disk timed at 59 minutes and 15 seconds.
Work In Progress
Currently, the band are working on a third album, as yet untitled. Early reports suggest it will be closer to pop musicPop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
than the more freeform music they have previously made. The band have stated on their official Facebook page that the new album may be entitled "Cowells and Cowbells" or "Dhaqwaans and Deepwoods". How serious these titles are remains to be seen. A single has been scheduled for release in May 2010, entitled "Moon Jocks 'n' Prog Rocks". In keeping with their singles release policy, this will be vinyl only, with cover art once again provided by Suzie Webb. The B-Side, entitled "Moonstruck" is a remix of the A-Side, but with a greater emphasis on Progressive Rock elements. Also rumoured for the album are tracks with such titles as "Schtum", "Tie You Down", "Bella Lanay", and "Too Greasy For A Dancefloor, Too Big To Be A Face". Again, these may be jokes put forward by the band themselves, as they often refuse to be pinned down to a commitment until the album is around 95% complete.
Discography
- Beauty Came to Us in Stone (2006)
- We Gave It All Away... Now We Are Taking It Back (2009)
- Schlungs (2011)