Gabbarein is the Nordic ethereal folk duo of Norwegian vocalist & sound healer Cecilie Hafstad and American composer & producer Christopher Bono (Ghost Against Ghost, Nous Alpha, NOUS).

In early 2018, Christopher approached his longtime friend Cecilie to record a project within the Arctic Circle in the north of Norway. He had found himself creatively starved after an arduous year renovating an old barn in New York’s Hudson Valley that was designed to be the new Our Silent Canvas label studio. This artistic dry spell motivated him to curate four collaborative projects in 2018, one of which became Gabbarein. Gabbarein was born from the love and admiration Christopher had developed for Cecilie’s voice, after recording her vocal improvisations on the ambient last track of Ghost Against Ghost’s 2017 album still love. Her authentic emotion, timbre and Scandinavian inflections left a lasting impression on him, and over time he felt a strong intention to produce a project devoted to framing her unique voice like a visual artist would frame the primary subject of a painting.

Guided by only this intention and their enduring, trusted friendship, the duo (along with Christopher’s wife Karina) scheduled a week-long recording session at a a surreal location on the water’s edge in Lyngen, Norway. They turned the living room of a rented house into a temporary recording studio and set themselves up to create music while looking out at an awesome Fjord lined with sharp mountains rising up across the shore, during the summer season of the Norwegian midnight sun.

There was no pre-written material or lyrics brought to the sessions. Cecilie had no idea what they were planning to do as the two had not discussed a musical approach beforehand. However, Christopher had recently finished two improvisational projects and had a history of performing and producing improvisational music. These experiences allowed him to trust in the moment unfolding during the recording process. This spontaneous approach was uncomfortable for Cecilie at first, but once they got into the comfort of routine, she also began to trust the vast creative and spacious opportunity that this approach offered. As she fell into a flow with it, lyrics and melodies began to easily appear.

On the first morning, Cecilie went for a short walk and came upon a clump of white fur on a rock by the shore. That evening the strange fur revealed itself to be from an injured female White Reindeer taking refuge at the shore’s edge. This stunning animal remained near them the full week and became seen as a spirit guide for the project. Cecilie felt a particularly special connection with the animal, certain that the Reindeer’s presence was energizing her creativity. Later in the week they had a recording session with a local Sámi Shaman who told them of the spiritual significance of sighting of a White Reindeer in the random wild.  The two then decided to name the project Gabbarein (‘white reindeer’ in Sami) after this mystical creature.

Many things coalesced to allow Gabbarein to evolve into the album it became – the sublime Arctic setting of Norway’s northern territory, the mystical appearance of the White Reindeer, Sami culture, the cathartic power of unearthing deeply buried emotions – but the bond between Hafstad and Bono was undoubtedly the basic grounding force.

14 tracks were completed from this fertile set and setting. The album is built on emotive improvised vocals framed by sensitive, sparse textures and arrangements and a variety of instrumentation including synths, mandolin, kalimba, guitars, flute, violin, mixed percussion, and local nature samples. Most of the tracks have a calming and transcendent aura, while some channel an ancient Scandinavian intensity through pounding rhythms and indigenous melodies.  As a whole, Gabbarein is a moving and powerful listening experience. One the world needs during these turbulent times.