On Friday 6 and Saturday 7 November, the National Library of Norway will host the first edition of Diskoteket (The Discothèque) – a new annual festival about music. Geir “Biosphere” Jenssen, the Norwegian electronic musician and composer, will premiere a commissioned work based on sounds from the National Library’s collection, while Dag Johan Haugerud, a Norwegian author and film director, will present a newly written text based on the personal archive of Norwegian singer and entertainer Jahn Teigen.

Through conversations, talks featuring live music and shared listening sessions, the festival showcases the breadth of Norway’s musical history, with everything from folk music and joik to jazz, punk and electronic music on the agenda.

“The National Library’s collection encompasses much of Norway’s musical history – some of it unknown or forgotten, some popular and loved by many, and some groundbreaking and provocative. All of it is part of our shared history, and tells us about the musical life of the past and how it has shaped the present,” remarks Eirik Kydland, Head of editorial content at the National Library of Norway.

The festival name, “Diskoteket” (The Discothèque), recalls the time in the early 1960s when libraries began collecting records. The record collections became known as “discothèques”, and from that point on, libraries were also expected to be places where music was collected and shared.

Biosphere with new music

For the first time in five years, there will be an opportunity to see musician and composer Geir “Biosphere” Jenssen on stage. The musician from Tromsø, in northern Norway, is known internationally for his “Arctic ambient” sound, combining electronic sounds with field recordings and acoustic instruments. On Saturday 7 November, he will premiere a new piece he has composed for the festival, inspired by the National Library’s collection of 78-rpm records.

Dag Johan Haugerud with a fresh perspective on Jahn Teigen

Author and film director Dag Johan Haugerud has explored Jahn Teigen’s personal archive and written a new text about the much-loved artist. On Friday 6 November, he will present this text to an audience.

Sara Skorgan Teigen, Jahn Teigen’s daughter, has selected some of her father’s songs and will explain why these particular ones are her favourites, before listening to them together with the audience.

Visitors will also have an opportunity to take a closer look at the material from Teigen’s archive in a pop-up exhibition that will only be open during the festival. Research librarian Tor Aarnes Sæther will present this unique material.

Accordions, joik and a meeting between generations

On Saturday 7 November, Stian Carstensen, a Norwegian multi-instrumentalist, and Amalie Kinsarvik Tvilde will bring in accordions from different periods to demonstrate the instruments and explore the history of the accordion in Norway. After this talk featuring live music, audience members will have the opportunity to try playing the diatonic button accordion.

Musicologist Ola Graff and artist Lávre Johan Eira will explore joik, a traditional Sámi form of vocal expression, and how the tradition has been passed down and preserved despite generations of suppression.

Although composers Bendik Giske, also a saxophonist, and Synne Skouen belong to different generations, they have known each other ever since Giske was a child. On stage, they will meet for a conversation drawing on music, texts and old newspaper clippings.

Helge Gaarder’s photographs in a new book publication

During the festival, the National Library will also publish a book featuring a selection from an archive of 4,500 analogue photographs belonging to Helge Gaarder, vocalist of the Norwegian punk rock band Kjøtt. Most of the photos were taken by Gaarder himself. Musician and author Sverre Knudsen and journalist Nazneen Khan-Østrem will tell the stories behind the images.

A closer look at the collection

The National Library’s music researchers will present various aspects of their work during the festival. Musicologist Hans-Hinrich Thedens will present a selection from more than 30 years of sound and video recordings of kappleik (Norwegian folk music and dance competitions), while composer Charlotte Piene, who also works in the National Library’s music section, will present scores by various Norwegian composers.

Diskoteket opens the dance floor

When evening comes, the audience can let their hair down on the dance floor. On Friday, vinyl collector Julia Lola Rosa, also known as DJ Platina Rosa, will play records and hidden treasures that she has collected from all over the world. On Saturday, Folkestova, one of the Library’s public spaces, will be transformed into a nightclub for the night, with FAFO (also known as Lea Furaha) on the decks, and refreshments from Credothe Library’s restaurant partner.

Admission to the festival is free, and stage events will be streamed online.

For the full programme and details, visit the National Library of Norway’s website.