Musikkfest 2023 is upon us with Jaeger hosting a stage from our gården featuring a whole bunch of artists and DJs. Here’s our guide to Jaeger Oslo’s stage.
With so much going on during Musikkfest 2023 it is always hard seeing some of your favourite acts, and harder still seeing new acts that might become some of your favourite acts. So, we thought we’d make it a little easier on you with a guide to the artists we’ve got playing on our backyard stage in order of appearance. You can check out the full lineup here.
True Cuckoo (13:00 – 14:00)
Synth-wizard, You Tuber and “happy electro” button twiddler, True Cuckoo makes his second appearance on Jaeger’s stage. With a big international following of 160k+ subscribers on YouTube, Cuckoo is famed for his synth bleep jams, his invaluable tutorials on complex synthesisers and groove boxes, and for his unusually recognisable, positive, bubbling electronic musical style, which has become a bit of a signature for this bearded synth ninja. With a successful LP in the bag from last year and a prowess for the stage, he’s adept skills extend beyond the internet too. Here is playing in the basement earlier this year:
Why Kai? (14:00 – 15:00)
Oslo-based Jazz ensemble, Why Kai has been a staple on our Musikkfest stage since as far back as we can remember. A live band with a hand on the pulse of a dance floor, elements of soul and funk imbue their meticulously honed orchestrations. Blending bold experimentalism with beatific melodies and chirpy rhythms, the quartet’s sound is uniquely Norwegian as technical ability and curiosity find accessible outlets. Their last album Deep Fishing is only a year old and well worth the dip. Why Kai? … Why Not?
Mutual Intentions (15:00 – 18:00)
Mutual Intentions are back in that sweet spot for Musikkfest at Jaeger and we’ve given them the run of the stage in what is becoming an annual tradition. The Oslo-music collective is a highlight in the city at the moment, and we can’t stop singing their praises. With live performances from Ivan Ave, Arthur Kay, Kristoffer Eikrem, DUMMY THICC and Sigmund Vestrheim interrupted by DJ sets from Stian Stu and the rest of the Mutual Intentions crew, Mutual Intentions have a busy programme this year.
Mutual Intentions’ star has been embedded in the firmament of Oslo’s music community and with a release schedule that simply won’t quit they have remained at the forefront of genres like Hip Hop and House, garnering an international audience in their efforts. Just this year they’ve released All season gear from Ivan Ave, the 3rd album from Tøyen Holding, and two albums featuring Fredfades. they are operating on another level, and the stage offers a rarefied glimpse of the extent of their musical reach. Here’s Ivan Ave doing his thing and here’s an interview with him from our archives.
LAFT (18:00 – 18:45)
LAFT are Håkon Vinnogg (Vinny Villbass) and Tomas Järmer (Motorpsycho). Combining their efforts they make House music with a penchant for the organic resonances from live spontaneity. Their bio reads: “Together they seek to explore functional dance floor communication built around unique improvisations. Their structural and compelling sound is carefully composed and expertly performed with real musicianship and thrilling rhythms at its core.” With Håkon’s established dance floor credentials and Tomas’ reputation for beating the shit out of a drum the pair have found a unique sound on their first record, New Objectivity. Have a listen:
Charlotte Bendiks & Nefertiti (18:45 – 19:45 & 22:00 – 23:00)
It wouldn’t be Jaeger without a DJ set or two and besides the Mutual Intentions’ interludes Charlotte Bendiks and Nefertiti will prime the dance floor during the first of two sets from the sauna. Charlotte Bendiks is back! The Tromsø native always conjures a vibe for the dance floor with her corporeal approach to dance music. Between Techno and House, and with a focus on the percussive rhythm, Charlotte Bendiks’ DJ sets are forged in the mystical impulsiveness of ritualism. She’s an established artist to boot with releases on the likes of cómeme and love OD.
Charlotte is not alone this time as she joins forces with a DJ that has been a feature in Jaeger’s booth fo late, Nefertiti. Building on those same rhythmical impulses as bendiks, Nefertiti takes them closer to home, indulging images of Africa as she combines euro-centric elements of House- and Techno music, with Afro-beat, GQOM and Amapiano. Together, Charlotte Bendiks and Nefertiti leave no course uncharted in dance music. Here’s Charlotte Bendiks doing her thing on Rinse FM:
Ost & Kjex (19:45 – 20:30)
Ost & Kjex (Petter Haavik & Tore Gjedrem) are a comic strip brought to life in 4D. Fuelled by a Dadaistic approach to music, art and life, they’ve drawn an international audience to their work with records on Crosstown Rebels, Solomun’s Diynamic and more recently Snick Snack Music. Snick Snack is the label Ost & Kjex, alongside Truls & Robin, have been dedicating all their time too. Featuring artists like Robert Owens to Øyvind Morken, the label is making waves here and across the seas, set in motion by Ost & Kjex LP, Songs from the end of the world. On stage however, Ost and Kjex continue to travel the world as a live act with stamps from Panorama Bar, Fabric, ADE, Sonar, Rex, and tons of other famous clubs and festivals smudged through their passports. Ost & Kjex bring an indelible energy to the stage as they channel the sounds of their vast discography into jubilant live shows. Here they are performing for Oslo Clubcast.
Third Attempt (20:30 – 21:15)
As we’ve said in the past, the third time’s the charm for this young artist. Whether DJing or more likely, playing live, Third Attempt is now an established artist in his own right. His last record found it’s way out via the internationally acclaimed and scando-favourite label, Paper Recordings as they started highlighting the next generation of artists following in the footsteps of the likes of Bjørn Torske and Rune Lindbæk. With affiliations to Tromsø and making his own mark in the landscape Third Attempt is a descendent of that legacy and one of the torch bearers for new electronic music in Norway. His productions utilise those live performative elements of Jazz, Soul and Funk and re-establish them in a progressive, House aesthetic.
Karolinski (21:15 -22:00)
Karolinski is a force like no other. The artist and DJ approaches everything with a kind of unbridled enthusiasm that charges the air and touches eveybody and everything in its wake. Whether she’s DJing, playing saxophone, making remixes, producing, and most of all playing live, she arrives with a palpable energy. Last time she played live at Jaeger she literally rattled the very foundations with her bass-heavy set from the basement. Between Dub, Techno, Drum n Bass and House music, Karolinski’s touch knows no bounds. This will be her first live set at Jaeger in some time, so who knows where her musical inclinations will take us. Best to just strap in and enjoy the ride. Here are some possible clues from her recent discography.
O. Blom (23:00 – 00:00)
O. Blom (previously Ra-Shidi) is back in the fray in Oslo and like her compatriot Charlotte Bendiks she has a proclivity for percussion. She’s starting to become a fixture again in the city after a brief stint in Bergen and while tempos have eked out to unattainable heights everywhere else, O. Blom has remained steady in her pursuits in finding that balance between the dance floor and musical enlightenment. Here she is in a cathartic mood for the most recent Jaeger mix.
g-HA & Olanskii (00:00 – 03:00)
Sunkissed residents and Frædag mainstays g-HA & Olanskii conclude proceedings for this Musikkfest. The DJ duo assume the position in our Sauna as we go from festival to club night. As two of the pillars of our little establishment, none know Jaeger’s dance floor better than these two veterans of Oslo’s clubbing scene. From Foot Food, established back in the days of Skansen by g-HA to every Friday at Jaeger, their combined efforts have laid the foundation for much of the city’s clubbing scene. g-HA & Olanskii are an event, a club, a DJ duo, and a musical authority for Norway.