When - Psychedelic Wunderbaum (1998)

"A complete joy to listen to and a complete nightmare to explain in words. I'll give it a try. WHEN create bizarre "songs" with complex sound and dialogue sample collages (they sample just about anything and everything) combined with "real" organ, mellotron, bass, guitar and percussion playing and Pedersen's vocals (in English) on a few songs. There is a definite 60s psychedelic element throughout much of this disc, especially in the groovy (and surprising) "Magical Mystery Tour" -era BEATLES meets mid 60s London swing vibe of "Kali". Also, "Time Ago", "Young Feet Flush" and "The Intrepid Traveller" are all catchy, bizarre pop tunes with a bit of a swing. It's amazing what sounds can be used as the rhythm or lead instruments in a song! "Psychedelic Wunderbaum" is a lot of fun and I really like it. It's most likely unlike anything else in your collection and it's guaranteed to force some sort of reaction out of whoever you play it for ... confusion and/or laughter followed by "this is fucking cool!" is the common reaction I've been getting from friends." - Mark Weddle/Brainwashed

Lars Pedersen - sampling, organ, mellotron, bass, percussion, voice
Bjorn Sorkness - guitars, programming

"WHEN are a duo, a sampler and the words of Tom Wolfe and Aleister Crowley. Opener "Time ago" is straight out of the Olivia Tremor Control top drawer, all surf-psychedelia and schizoid shifts whereas "Extremist cow" and "Snowful" up the technology ante with obvious beatbox and samples from what sounds like those lavish musicals where dancing girls make patterns with umbrellas for an overhead camera. The idea of combining psyche and techno which was previously confined to trance music is now liberated for rock and WHEN are rejoicing in the freedom. "Young feet flush" is operatic pomp and brass overload imploring the listener to turn on, tune in and drop out, and the album's closing track, "Track 10" is a bad trip comedown of merry-go-round blur." - Jimmy Possession/Robots and Electronic Brains

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