Oneiric by Rural Tapes
LP/CD/DL
Release 17/10/25.
Pre-orders from Bandcamp and Greedbag
Clay Pipe Music is thrilled to welcome to the label Norway’s Rural Tapes - the alias of producer and multi-instrumentalist Arne Kjelsrud Mathisen.
His new record Oneiric is one for the dreamers - a trippy, cosmic aural experience of mostly instrumental music, recorded on analogue equipment at his Nygrenda Vev & Dur studio in rural Norway. Arne is also joined on two vocal tracks by long-time collaborators Alexis Taylor (Hot Chip) and Gary Olson (The Ladybug Transistor).
He says: “The word Oneiric refers to things connected with dreams. I've drawn inspiration from the strange, surreal, humorous, imaginative, and vividly colourful experiences that often unfold within them.”
“I have played with genres, sounds and timbres and put together pieces of music that I think could be the soundtrack to a dream sequence. I love the way a dream can be so bizarre and yet still feel so natural, and I can relate to that otherworldliness in the way I compose and put together musical pieces. Some songs have a clear structure, some have not, some are minimalist, some are maximalist, some are wistful and some are joyful, but I think all of them are quite colourful and playful.”
“I’ve taken inspiration from many different music eras and many different corners of the world, from quirky British music to French dream pop to the 60s New York tape music scene to ambient and psychedelic music. The music is created hands on using old analogue gear such as tape machines, dictaphones, tape echoes and more to colour the music and give the sounds the right textures. This way I feel connected to the music I make.”
Over the past two decades, Arne has established himself as a key figure in the Norwegian music scene. He has played in influential bands including I Was A King and Heroes & Zeros, and more recently has been releasing music and playing live with The No Ones — alongside Peter Buck and Scott McCaughey and The Minus 5, and I Was A King frontman Frode Strømstad.
He launched his Rural Tapes project in 2021 with a self-titled debut which established his reputation for inventive, forward-thinking music. He has continued to draw widespread praise across subsequent releases, including Inner Space Music (2022) and Contact (2024).
ACCLAIM
FOR RURAL TAPES
“A
level of its very own”
MOJO
"Consistently
inventive"
Uncut
Magazine
"Rural
Tapes delights in the unexpected. At every turn, you encounter
something new, something to be marvelled over. Kjelsrud Mathisen has
said he wants this music to stand the test of time. It will."
The
Independent
“A
dreamy self-titled debut full of broad soundscapes... Melding smooth
jazz with floaty puffs of synth, the album is both meditative and
uplifting, the sort of soundtrack you might expect from a dream
sequence in a 1970s film."
GQ
Magazine
“A
wonderfully woozy and captivating listening experience.”
Electronic
Sound
"
Norwegian maverick confirms his position as a master mood
technician."
Prog
Magazine
"Mathison’s
musical pedigree makes Rural Tapes an intriguing musical journey of
an album that takes in pulsating Krautrock, neo-classical moods and
dreamy, proggy pop, all formed through an intuitive composition
process."
Shindig
Magazine