toppkonst is our music label and TKO (toppkonst orchestra) is a ensemble with us, the founding members off toppkonst

Highrisk electronic/acoustic impro from Gothenburg, Sweden!
Johan Björklund - drmz
John Lönnmyr - keyz
Anders Augustsson - gtrz

Thymeshift + Amsler:
Johan Björklund (SWE) - drums
Thomas Gunillasson (SWE) - guitar
Thomas Backman (SWE) - saxophone, clarinet
Katrine Amsler (DK) - keyboards, laptop

Thymeshift + Jensson:
New, exiting collaboration between Swedes Gunillasson/Björklund/Backman and Icelander Jensson.
Groovy, cool, wild, crazy, beautiful music came out of this combo when they went on their first tour in the Nordic countries 21-25 february 2011.
Next tour is schedueled for april 2012, keep eyes and ears open!

Hilmar Jensson (IS) – guitar, electronics
Hilmar first picked up the guitar at the age of six but started studying formally at age eleven. In 1982 he started studying jazz at FIH school of music in Iceland and graduated from there in 1987. 
He the went to Boston to study at Berklee College of Music and got his BM degree in 1991. While in Boston he performed extensively and took private lessons with Mick Goodrick, Jerry Bergonzi and Hal Crook to name a few. 
After teaching and performing in Iceland for two years Hilmar went to New York in 1993 where he performed with various musicians as well as taking private lessons with Joe Lovano. Since returning to Iceland in 1994 Hilmar has performed and recorded in a wide variety of settings and appeared on over 30 records including 4 as a leader or co-leader. 
Since 1999 Hilmar has been a member of Jim Black’s AlasNoAxis, a critically acclaimed NY based quartet that records for Winter & Winter and has toured extensively in the U.S and Europe.
He also lead his own trio, TYFT with two records and extensively international touring.
Hilmar has performed and/or recorded with Tim Berne, Leo Smith, Kevin Drumm, Herb Robertson, Trevor Dunn, Greg Bendian, Jim Blacks, Chris Speed, Briggan Krauss, Jamie Saft, Cuong Vu, Rafael Toral, Carlos Zingaro, Tom Rainey, Ben Perowski, Per Jörgensen, Eyvind Kang, Terje Isungset, Arve Henriksen and Ståle Storlokken 

www.hilmarjensson.com

Thomas Gunillasson (SE) – guitar, electronics
Born and raised in Kiruna as a son of a miner, Picked up the electric guitar at age 9. Heavily into pop music at the time (still am) wanting to learn the sounds of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Later on in the teens developed an interest in heavy rock and metal music which led to joining a couple of metal and rock bands in Kiruna. At 15 I started studying jazz music and got sucked up in trying to cover the sounds of Mike Stern, John Scofield and Allan Holdsworth among others. Has been working with: Militanta Jazzmusiker, How, Mess, The Dora Steins, Lawn Penguin, Love truth & joy, Brownouts, vobler and Zara Tellander

www.myspace.com/thomasgunillasson

Thomas Backman (SE) – saxophones, clarinet
Thomas Backman can be found in a lot of different settings. He is a member of several bands like Paavo, Klabbes Bank & Television Pickup, but can also be found in the band behind pop-singer Maia Hirasawa. Thomas is also the leader of his own band "Jerry the Cupboard" where all the music is written by himself.

Thomas has been working as a freelancer with for example: Georg Riedel, Miss Li, Loney dear, Nicolai Dunger, Josefine Lindstrand (Jazz i Sverige), Goran Kajfes.

www.myspace.com/backmanthomas

Johan Björklund (SE) – drums, electronics 
Innovative drummer/composer/bandleader. Works with his own bands Mess, Johan Bjöklund Dynamic Flavours and Yoleeyo. His main project Mess has released three CDs and he appears on several other recordings. Johan has worked with a number of interesting bands/artists in a broad range of genres: Bohuslän Big Band, Änglaspel, Zara Tellander, Johannes Lundberg, Cue Act, Celso Paco, Erena Rhöse Earthbeat, Jon Balke and several others. 
He has also done extensive work with dancers in groups like Transorganic Experience and Adeps Improvisation.

www.johanbjorklund.se


Jazz/impro-orchestra from Gothenburg, Sweden.
Drummer and composer Johan Björklund has put together a band of uncompromising and brave top-of-the-line improvisers.
With influences from a wide range of musical styles, such as jazz, heavy metal, free form and ethnic music, Björklund creates a unique musical world. Since the beginning in 1999, the band has toured extensively and has been established as a live-act beyond the usual.
In a kind of rest mode since 2010 but not dead...
Through the years you could hear the following musicians in the band:
Lisen Rylander
Andreas Hall
Björn Almgren
Björn Cedergren
Joakim Rolandsson
Eric Arrellano
Samuel Olsson
Klas Nilsson
Johan Holmberg
Magnus Nyström
Thomas Gunillasson
Mats Eriksson
Gustaf Karlöf
Fabian Kallerdahl
Henrik Bengtsson 
Mattias Grönroos
Johannes Lundberg
Owe Almgren
Thomas Markusson

Discography:
I manegen - 2002 Apparat Records APPCD 004
St Amblendfoll - 2005 Imogena Records IGCD 123
OnWards - 2009 Imogena Records IGCD 158

All CDs can be ordered by sending an e-mail to:
johan@johanbjorklund.se
The Imogena-records can be found at:
www.imogena.se
www.cdon.com

Written about Mess (Swedish only, sorry...):

"I Manegen":
"En av låtarna på ”Mess” första album heter ”Spår i gräset”. Det kan bero på vinterkylans
attack, men jag tänker lika mycket på fotspår i snön. Människor som går omkring i en storstad med tjocka kläder. Minnen från sommaren. Sekvenser från en svettig klubb. Yra fjärilar. Lyrisk jazz som spretar, växlar mellan tempo och stilar, men som knyts ihop av sextettens
drivna spel. Och inte minst, av trumslagaren Johan Björklunds låtar. Ny ung jazz med stora framtidsutsikter."
PM Jönsson Göteborgsposten

”Det pratas ofta om exportfaktorn hos det svenska popundret. Näst i tur står den unga
framväxande jazzen. Göteborgsbaserade Mess är en ny men överraskande bra bekantskap. För att inte säga väldigt bra! Trummisen Johan Björklund har skrivit de
tio låtarna som färgas av potent jazz med stark poetisk ton, stundtals med smak av nordisk
vistradition.”
Stefan Nilsson, Nerikes Allehanda:

"St. Amblendfoll:"
"Det är frågan om kontrastrik och bitvis chockerande musik, som spränger de flesta ramar…Influenserna finns hos flera musikformer, jazz, heavy metal, folkmusik och fri improvisation. Den här gruppen har förstås väckt uppståndelse främst på livescenen. Men vill man sätta fart på hjärncellerna duger även den här skivan gott."
Stig Jonasson Smålandsposten

"Den fina skivans styrkor är Björklunds egenkomponerade melodier, vars sångbara melodier ibland överraskar."
Jukka Piiroinen – JazzRytmit

"…en av saxofonerna presenterar temat och de andra ansluter efter hand för att ge samplern sista ordet med ett sound som låter som om det hämtas ur en gammal radioapparat som letar efter stationer på mellanvåg - fascinerande!"
Leif Wigh - OJ

LIVE-recensioner:
”Björklunds musik har markant eget tonfall, undviker konventioner och klichéer, men hamnar aldrig i
effektsökeri för originalitetens skull. Han nyttjar intelligent alla klangliga variationsmöjligheter besättningen ger; skuggor och dagrar, stillhet och stegringar avlöser varann i ständig, omväxlande och intresseväckande, oavbrutet sammanhållen kontrastrikedom. I hans musikaliska kaleidoskopbilder tycks historien och nuet fundera över framtiden om den reflektionen tillåts. Och i all sin komplexitet har musiken en öppen famn mot lyssnarna, bjuder in till delaktighet i diskussionen”
Johnny Olsson, Nya Wermlandstidningen

”Mess levererar en musik som tillhör det mer spännande som bjuds i svensk jazz.
Fantasifulla kompositioner, framförda med dynamik och ett uttryck som pendlar mellan det vackert
lyriska och kokande intensitet.”
Olle Hernegren, Värmlands Folkblad:

All CDs can be ordered by sending an e-mail to:
johan@johanbjorklund.se
The Imogena-records can be found at:
www.imogena.se
www.cdon.com

Erik Ivarsson trio är en grupp ifrån Göteborg som skapar musik med ett högst personligt sound och en stor dos musikalisk finess.
Repertoaren består av originalkompositioner. 
Med mycket rot och mycket sväng tar gruppen sig an musiken, som sträcker 
sig från blues till psykedelisk jazz-rock och lugna, eftertänksamma bitar. 
Trions motto är att ge publiken en minnesvärd stund  fylld av spelglädje, hjärta och spännande ljudbilder.

Swedish Guitar Player and Recording Artist.

Followers of Erik Ivarsson Trio