Syamese

Per Martinsen is undoubtedly one Norway’s most prolific and influential techno musicians. As mentioned, he came to Brussels to join his friends from the band Bel Canto, who were signed to Crammed, and started producing his first tracks for SSR, under the Syamese moniker. He also collaborated with Samy Birnbach for the Gruesome Twosome project, with Bel Canto’s Nils Johansen for the +(positive) EP, and with Hans Grottheim (Photon) and others. He went on to release a string of hardcore records for R&S (as Mental Overdrive), ambient techno tracks with his Illumination project, and many more projects which came out on labels such as Virgin, Smalltown Supersound, Prins Thomas’ Full Pup label, and Per’s own Love OD Communications imprint, which he still runs. The Pure Sickness EP contains some of the best examples of Per Martinsen’s early, inventive work, and is complemented by two versions of his track Drum, an underground club classic at the time.