This is one amazing album. It was in my collection for quite some time before i decided to give it a thorough listening to. As it happens i was tripping hard on acid at the time. For the first three and a half songs i was completly immersed in space. And then it happened... the phrase uttered by the giant:

"Sorry to wake you...I forgot to tell you something. The things I tell you will not be wrong."

I think something in my brain melted at that stage. The following minute or so of sounds was the best music i have ever heard. Period! It is now a week later and i still am not over the chillness of that one track. The rest is awesome too! Only minor is track 5, dont kwno why but i just have to skip that one...

I love man with a movie cam more than substrata even though the whole show is completely timeless.You can expect nothing but the best from Mr.Jennsen.All in all it's a subtly yet epic voyage into ambient realms and is in a league of its own.Man with a movie cam makes you feel like your in a film about the deepest of dreams and will really grab the inside of your soul.I recommend this one with a hot bath,incense and candles or alternatively to fall asleep to, but in the best possible way. To cut a long story short it's a classic.

This is Geir Jenssen at his best.
The lyrics are a mix of quotes from David Lynch's Twin Peaks
(Episode 9, 2002, 'Coma': "In my vision I was on the veranda of a vast estate, a palazzo of some fantastic proportion .. and I awoke with a tremendous feeling of optimism and confidence"), some more allusions to the power of the subconscious, german samples ("Hallo Schanghai - Ja, Bitte") and more weird stuff.
Hypnotically enveloping creepy electronica, designed to reward the careful listener. Highly recommended, something especially for the enquiring minds among us.

Substrata by Biosphere is one of the all-time classic ambient albums, if not THE all-time classic album. Chilling atmospheric tones with ambient samples of ice, snow, forests, Twin Peaks-samples and Russian radio broadcasts… Substrata is difficult to describe in words alone. This is one album that every ambient fan needs to hear, if not own. For my own part the album is never far from my stereo. From the initial drone of an aircraft high overhead to the rambling monologues of later tracks every minute sends a chill down your spine.

Biosphere’s work is often described as “dark ambient” but to me this sounds to negative as every piece of music Geir Jenssen composed expresses so much different feelings and his albums are not simply a couple of “drones” thrown together. Neither is Substrata
Substrata is inhabited by the vast spaces spreading across the artic region, endless nights and midnight sun, sub-zero temperatures and northern lights. This is a 60 minutes long masterpiece that takes you on the most unique trip you’ll ever have experienced.

Never a record had been so intimate with nature, so close to the sounds, colours and smells of its environment. Jenssen emphasises the intensity of these elements by bringing them into his beat-less compositions, allowing them to take control of this new organic world. From time to time, more urban sounds come into the spectrum, when voice samples – from Twin Peaks f.e.- telling abstract stories (remember the vision of Dale Cooper?), or a melancholic guitar offering support to an unlikely song emerge, but always, these components get swallowed in by the magma-like ambience. The listener becomes a helpless witness of the beauty and cruelty of this CD. Perhaps the most essential ambient album of all times…

Today is Aug26 2007. I am listening to this Cd at work. It has brought me peace and great joy as it has done now for 10 years.
I am still brought very nearly to tears by some of the soundscapes in this collection. Substrata is so incredibly beautiful that I sometimes feel that if mankind is ever to truly evolve, this cd will be required listening by all of us. How can it be possible that something so profoundly beautiful could have ever been created by human beings? it sems impossible but it is true.
As I sit and watch the leaves play in the wind on the tree across the road I realize that the music is connected to everything at once. Substrata is so completely perfect that even the random chaotic nature of wind through leaves syncs up with every moment of this cd. I realize to that i am part of the cycle of life that created this recording and this tree and i feel both over come with immense joy and at the same time great saddness.
To me, this is the true triumph of mankind. That One man could make this happen for me here, today, at work.
I love this cd and nothing will ever change that.

Well i'll try to keep this review short. If you've never heard this CD before... Then you're missing out. IDM? Not really... Ambient? Yes, very much so. Not your typical ambient mind you. This ambient is pure arctic. You can feel the cold winds in Sphere of No-Form. Meanwhile tracks like Poa Alpina and Hyperborea warm you up with their unique sound. You'll also hear various samples of voices (both english and russian), an airplane and various nature sounds. This adds a lot of life to the music. As a bonus, this re-issue comes with Geir's soundtrack to "Man With A Movie Camera", which as far as I know, was unavailable in CD format before this release. The sound of these tracks is very different then the Substrata side, but i'm guessing it was included probably because the music was recorded around the same time of eachother. As if that wasn't enough, we also get the 2 b-sides of Substrata that were included only in the Japanese release of the album in 1997. If you're considering getting into Biosphere, this would be the best place to start.. Not only do you get his classic (and probably best) album, but the bonus tracks just make it that much sweeter.

Although short, my favorite song on this album happens to be the opener "As the sun kissed the horizon". Definitely a perfect beginning to a long audio journey. The simple use of the "airplane flying overhead" sample, creates such a strong feeling of euphoric freedom. I really feel like I'm lying out in an open field on a sunny day. Overall a fantastic release.

Thanks for the translation - I have always wondered and its refreshing to know he wasn't reading the ingredients from a tube of toothpaste.

That aside, this is an outstanding "ambient" album, for want of a better "genre" word. It engages from start to finish. "Kobresia" is possibly one of the few "instant classic" ambient tracks I've ever heard. The very first time you hear it - you know there's something fundamentally universal and connecting in it - that you could turn to a stranger and know you both recognize the same. Wonderful music from up north. I think that Geirs use of acoustic guitar as heard again on "Dropsonde", over sampled loop, synth pads and general whitenoisey sounds combined with an impeccable sense of timing creates a rather unique soundscape.

Substrata is NOT overrated. Substrata is the mark of an ambient genius. I say this as one who initially was, at best, lukewarm towards it. I say this as one who owns thousands of albums and comes across plenty of fodder. This album needs time to grow, to plant its melodies, like seeds in your head, to sprout years later upon further listening. If you like brain-tingle ambient, Substrata won't disappoint. I do not say this lightly.

I will only single out three tracks for special mention. 1 vividly evokes childhood memories as planes pass in the distant sky. I usually hate "environmental music", so to even mention this track is quite a compliment. 4 should immediately satisfy as it's brilliant and not inaccessible; and quintessentially Biosphere. 10 is the drop-dead standout track of the century. You may not believe it on first listen, but... trust me. Play it with headphones very (very!) loud.

Any true ambient fan who doesn't at least acknowledge some of the brilliance in Substrata hasn't listened to it enough. Period.

For those who are wandering about what is said on 'Kobresia' track, here is the approximate translation from Russian:
"This is either a metal, or... if it is a metal, then it's painted... cold surface... This is either a metal, painted, or could be a plastic... Colorful, there are... Bright... Seems like... is this a toy, probably? The surface is smooth, but... there are some bumps on it... Even the finger stucks in it... Probably it is... some marks, or is this a letters?... Or just a bumps... Looks like a toy... Colorful metal, or a plastic, painted as a metal... That's all.. Stop."
The sampled text above came from a documental recordings about russian telepathic Karl Nikolaev, who's sitting in a room, trying to guess, which item is lying on a table, which is situated in a room two stages above him. This sample is taken by Geir from a Moscow radio broadcast translation.