40 Years of Electronic Music  1976 - 2016

Ragnar Grippe electronic music since 40 years with films and modern dance in his repertoire, la musique concrète and lectures as his trademark.

Ragnar Grippe has worked in film, modern dance, composed instrumental music and collaborated with many artists in exhibitions at places like Musée d'Art Moderne, Paris, Malmö Konsthall. Films range from Jönssonligan to TV sitcom Svensson Svensson, roadmovie Remdriven and several feature movies such as Kejsaren with its electronic score. The virtual acoustics in recent Grippe compositions such as the 8th Abstraction, Napoli Down, Crushing Silence, the Cellist, 1952, Ligne de Faille, Spider's Web and Tomorrow, add a new dimension to the stereo listening - Grippe refers to this phenomenon as double exposure virtual acoustics. The blend of harmonic material with the roots of musique concrète together with rhythmical elements makes Grippe's music differ from much of the electronic music scene.

Presented in international festivals in the US and France together with a wide variety of music available as album on digital platforms makes Grippe's music easily accessible for the interested listener.

Grippe studied at Groupe de Recherches Musicales in Paris with Pierre Schaeffer and François Bayle and Guy Reibel 1972 -1974.

Luc Ferrari was his next stop in Paris where the Shandar label released Grippe's SAND in 1977 composed in Ferrari's studio ALM (Atelier de la Libération Musicale). Through Ferrari Grippe came to know Carolyn Carlson who choreographed a solo performance for Paolo Bortoluzzi based on Grippe's Situation I.The work was presented at Espace Cardin, Paris. Bortoluzzi in his turn commissioned Grippe for the La Scala bi-centennial modern dance performance entitled Omaggio a Picasso featuring Elisabeth Terrabust and  Carla Fracci.

The use of the Synclavier directed Grippe into a world of mixed musique concrète and harmonic material.

Just before acquiring the Synclavier Grippe composed Orchestra in 1980. This work was his first on a 24 track machine at the Elektronmusikstudion in Stockholm (EMS). Orchestra even though composed on a Buchla synthesizer, this work (Orchestra) gave an indication of in what direction Grippe's music was heading with both tonal elements and references to the musique concrète.

The work was presented in the 1980 electronic music festival at Circus in Stockholm 1980.

Commissions from Radio France, GRM and the Swedish Broadcasting Corp. were numerous between works for film and modern dance. The work the Human Confetti based on paintings by the late Uno Svensson who Grippe had already collaborated with when Svensson had his one man show at the Beaux Arts Academy in Stockholm 1974 was presented with a slideshow to Grippe's music at the Malmö Konsthall.

During the 90's feeling the lack of interest in electronic music, Grippe ventured into instrumental music with chamber music and a piano Concerto for the acclaimed pianist Roland Pöntinen who recorded it with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra (SRO) 2003.

The virtual acoustics being a omnipresent interest in Grippe's work since his IRCAM days in Paris with Peppino di Guigo  and Luciano Berio where they worked on phase angles giving the stereophonic width a new dimension is now continued in Grippe's new pieces where his double exposure virtual acoustics are used. Pieces using this technique is among others Crushing Silence the album and also the Podcast available on this site.

Please listen to the different podcasts from the 70's  up 'til today and hopefully you'll find this interesting.

My production ranging in so many different styles couöd be called eclectic,

So Be It

which by the way also is one of my compostions.

I hope you'll enjoy this site, and I promise to add more and more information as time allows.

Thanks for your interest and support

Best

Ragnar Grippe

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