Arctic ambient archive
Biosphere is the primary creative alias of Geir Jenssen (born 30 May 1962 in Tromsø, Norway), a pioneering electronic musician and composer. His work is characterized by its atmospheric depth, minimalist structures, and evocative use of field recordings and samples. Jenssen's music often explores themes of nature, isolation, technology, and the sublime, creating immersive soundscapes that transport the listener to remote and contemplative spaces. He began his musical journey in the late 1980s, initially involved in more synth-pop and EBM projects before transitioning to the ambient and experimental techno sound that defines Biosphere.
The complete Biosphere album catalogue, including studio records, archival albums and expanded works. Live albums, collaborations and compilations are grouped separately below.
1991
Debut album, establishing Biosphere's signature ambient techno sound with themes of space and isolation. A pivotal work shifting from earlier EBM styles.
1994
A landmark album blending ambient textures with subtle techno rhythms. Features samples from Twin Peaks, and "Novelty Waves" gained widespread recognition.
1997
Widely acclaimed as a masterpiece of dark ambient. Evokes vast, cold, desolate landscapes with deep drones and melancholic beauty. Includes material from the "Insomnia" soundtrack.
2000
More rhythmic and sample-heavy, incorporating loops from Debussy and other classical sources to create a dreamlike, slightly unsettling atmosphere.
2002
Based on Debussy's "La Mer" and other works by the composer, filtered through Biosphere's ambient lens. Explores themes of space and ocean.
2004
A conceptual album commissioned by Radio France Culture, sonically depicting a journey around the Moon, inspired by Jules Verne.
2006
Features jazz-influenced rhythms and textures, incorporating Miles Davis samples. A warmer, more organic sound than previous works.
2011
Inspired by Japanese post-war nuclear power plants, using field recordings from these sites. Creates an atmosphere of industrial awe and unease.
2012
A dark, abstract reconstruction of Monteverdi's opera, built from stretched voices, spectral harmonies and slowly shifting electronic space.
2014
An archival companion assembled from recordings made between 1992 and 1994, revealing alternate versions and unreleased paths around Patashnik.
2016
Utilizes samples from old Polish and Ukrainian folk music recordings, creating a haunting and melancholic atmosphere of faded memories.
2017
A shorter album, often considered an EP. Dark, brooding ambient pieces evoking a sense of ancient stillness and mystery. Features samples from "The Petrified Forest" (1936 film).
2018
The remastered and expanded edition of field-recording pieces created at the organic farm 't Schop in Hilvarenbeek, the Netherlands.
2019
Ambient pieces inspired by and recorded on the island of Senja in Northern Norway. Evokes the stark beauty and isolation of the Arctic landscape.
2021
A return to more classically-influenced ambient, focusing on Beethoven's String Quartet No. 14. Melancholic, beautiful, and deeply atmospheric.
2022
Created entirely with analog synthesizers, particularly the EMS Synthi AKS. A tribute to early electronic music pioneers and the mysteries of shortwave radio.
2022
Ten alternate versions selected from the original 1995–1996 Substrata recording sessions, familiar in atmosphere but newly shaped.
2023
Inland Delta contains nine new musical pieces recorded from 2022 to 2023, featuring mainly improvised performances on newly restored vintage keyboards.
2025
The Way Of Time takes loose inspiration from Elizabeth Madox Roberts’ novel The Time Of Man, sampling Joan Lorring’s voice from the 1951 radio play adaptation of the novel.
Official collaborative and concert albums released under the Biosphere name or jointly credited to Geir Jenssen's long-running ambient project.
1993 · with Pete Namlook
The first Biosphere and Pete Namlook collaboration, balancing deep-space electronics, slow pulses and long-form ambient drift.
1996 · with Higher Intelligence Agency
Recorded on a mountain above Tromsø using sounds gathered from the surrounding Arctic environment and processed live electronics.
1998 · with Deathprod
Biosphere and Deathprod reshape the electronic works of Norwegian composer Arne Nordheim into a tactile, shadowy ambient suite.
2000 · with Higher Intelligence Agency
A second location-based collaboration, drawing Birmingham's canals, roads and industrial resonance into spacious live electronics.
2000 · with Pete Namlook
The duo's second album expands the project into warmer, cinematic and increasingly abstract long-form pieces.
2009 · live
Biosphere's first official live album, recorded at the Arnolfini in Bristol and interwoven with field recordings by Jony Easterby.
2013 · archival live album
An archival concert document capturing the transition from Patashnik's rhythms toward the colder spaces of Substrata.
2015 · with Deathprod
A split collaboration alternating Biosphere and Deathprod pieces, moving between lucid suspended tones and dense analogue darkness.
2024 · with Sketch
Four long-form remixes made by Norwegian duo Sketch in 1995 and released three decades after Patashnik reached the independent chart.
1996 · compilation
A concise early-career collection spanning the rhythmic space of Microgravity and Patashnik.
1999 · remix album
A collection of Biosphere remixes for other artists, gathering rare transformations into one coherent album.
2012 · compilation
Fifteen non-album, compilation and limited-release tracks gathered from the first thirteen years of Biosphere.
2015 · compilation
Site-specific and commissioned works made across a decade, collected from installations, exhibitions and unusual listening spaces.
EPs and defining stand-alone releases. The Petrified Forest is catalogued above as a mini-album; the 2016 Hilvarenbeek EP is retained separately from its expanded 2018 album.
1991
А 7” single released in 1991 by the Norwegian ambient artist Geir Jenssen, under his Biosphere moniker. It was one of his earliest releases following his transition from techno/house into more ambient and experimental music."
1995
Released in 1995. These versions showcase different interpretations of the track, blending ambient and techno elements characteristic of Biosphere’s style.
2001 · split EP
A four-track Touch split release with Hazard and Fennesz, including two alternate Biosphere versions.
2010 · with Jon Wozencroft
Three archival audio pieces issued alongside Jon Wozencroft's limited print edition The Planet Is Blue.
2014 · EP
A commissioned minimalist work built around the rare East German Subharchord electronic instrument.
2016 · original EP
The original four-track digital EP made from field recordings at the organic farm 't Schop, later doubled in length for the 2018 album.
2017 · remix EP
Spieltape's remix of Black Mesa paired with the previously unreleased Biosphere track Dignity Village.
Released soundtrack albums and field-recording editions credited to Biosphere or Geir Jenssen. Unreleased film scores are not listed as albums.
1997
Soundtrack for the original Norwegian film "Insomnia." Dark, atmospheric, and integral to the film's chilling mood. Some tracks later appeared on Substrata.
2001
Soundtrack for Dziga Vertov's 1929 silent film, commissioned for the Tromsø International Film Festival. Blends modern electronics with the film's avant-garde spirit.
2006
Pure field recordings captured by Jenssen during an expedition to Cho Oyu in the Himalayas. An immersive document of a unique sound environment.
2012 · soundtrack EP
Four pieces written for Diane Doniol-Valcroze and Arthur Flam's 1999 psychological film, released later through Biophon.
2012 · soundtrack
The restrained, nocturnal score for Thomas Arslan's 2010 German crime film, released as eight compact movements.
2012 · soundtrack
Six tense, economical cues for Erik Skjoldbjærg's film about the 2004 NOKAS robbery in Stavanger.
2013 · field-recording EP
Recordings made at the edge of Stromboli's active crater, presented in a direct version and a spacious dub treatment.