THE BAND
TOMAS JÄRMYR : drums
Tomas Järmyr (1987, Sweden) was born into a musical family with both parents being teachers at the local music school. This is where he discovered the drums at age 2. He started taking lessons at the age of 7, got his first Pearl (World Series) drum kit the following year, and joined the music school orchestra around the same time. As a young teenager, Tomas was already playing in several local bands and ensembles, spanning from punk and metal to jazz and folk music. It was during these years he really started developing his personal style of drumming characterized by great force, finesse, intensity and a sheer endless control over textures.
After more specialized studies in jazz and improvisation during high school and college, Tomas moved to Trondheim, Norway in 2008 where he obtained both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from “Jazzlinja” (Jazz department) at NTNU university. During his student years he manifested his musical expression and expanded his network of likeminded collaborators both nationally and internationally. While pushing his own bands and projects, he also started working more and more as a sideman and session drummer, all of which led to extensive touring mainly in Norway, Scandinavia and Europe.
In 2015 he temporarily joined the Italian jazz/metal monster Zu, picking up the sticks after Gabe Serbian (The Locust), until the return of original drummer Jacopo Battaglia in 2018. In January 2017, Tomas joined Motorpsycho, an internationally acclaimed, award winning band that has been, and still is, a driving force in Norwegian and European alternative rock music since 1989. In 2023 he left the band. His current projects are YODOK III (since 2012), THE VOID OF EXPANSION (since 2013), THE MAXX, BLACK MOON CIRCLE, WERL and Kristoffer Lo’ SLOW SHIFT.
KRISTOFFER LO : amplified tuba, flugelbone
Kristoffer has redefined the use of tuba and it’s role in band. From it’s traditional role as the low- end in symphony orchestras and Dixieland bands, Kristoffer has taken the instrument to a new direction, filling the position as the ultra low end in metal-and noise bands.
With a bunch of electronics and huge amps, Kristoffer’s tuba sounds like a low-end monster and a high pitched squeal at the same time. With education from the famous Jazz department at NTNU in Trondheim, and as a (former) member of bands like Pelbo, Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, microtub, Sunswitch and Highasakite, he has built up a solid reputation in both Norway and Europe. He just formed his own SLOW SHIFT band and is still an active member of YODOK III.
DIRK SERRIES : electric guitar, effects
Dirk Serries is an established sound artist. This Belgian-based artist has experimented with music on the border between avant-garde, industrial, experimental, and ambient for more than 30 years. He released his earliest work (1984) behind the pseudonym vidnaObmana up to 2007, with which he gained worldwide praise when he closed the book on this project (realizing an extensive discography). Other projects like Fear Falls Burning and his Microphonics series made him collaborate with several key players like Steven Wilson, Justin K. Broadrick, Cult Of Luna, Steve Roach, and toured extensively on the sides of Jesu, MONO, Low, My Bloody Valentine, and Cult Of Luna.
In October 2013 Dirk Serries re-booted his classic vidnaObmana ambient sound from the mid-eighties/early nineties. Contrary to his original music which was mostly synth-based, this ambient music is constructed on electric guitar. Music that flows from its discreet origins: sonic purity, washes of harmony, and organic textures that slow time to a phase of transcendence. On the spot, improvised and real-time.
However, being a follower of (free) jazz for years, when meeting Tomas Järmyr (Motorpsycho) and Kristoffer Lo to form YODOK III his confidence in improvisation boosted and slowly shifted from his meticulously executed subtle ambience to being a full improviser on mostly the guitar. As heavily influenced by legendary improviser Derek Bailey, over the past years Dirk manifested him as a strong and new leading figure in the Belgian impro scene and works extensively together with some of the best and modern improvisors like saxophonists Alan Wilkinson, Rodrigo Amado, John Dikeman, Colin Webster, José Lencastre, Cath Roberts and Cel Overberghe, drummers Tomas Järmyr, Steve Noble, Tom Malmendier, George Hadow and Andrew Lisle, tuba player Kristoffer Lo, viola player Benedict Taylor, Otto Willberg (double bass), John Edwards (double bass), Daniel Thompson (guitar) Kris Vanderstraeten (percussion), Patrick De Groote (trumpet), Charlotte Keeffe (trumpet), experimentalist Graham Dunning and pianist Martina Verhoeven. He is also the artistic curator of A New Wave of Jazz label.
He still performs his vintage ambient music, however infrequently while dedicating most of his free time to his free improvised music and label.
dirkserries.com 