”The Choko King” is Jono´s third album since 2009, but the recordings are from the period between 1995 and 2008, some of which predates his first album by four years. ”The Choko King” offers an open door into Jono´s surrealistic musical universe and is a rare gift to his increasing number of fans and anyone interested in the workings of a truly eccentric and artistic mind. The album has been meticulously assembled from home recordings, demos, rehearsal tapes, live and studio recordings and made into a completely new work by Jono himself.
Jono El Grande is a self-taught composer, musician, conductor and prankster and remains an outsider on the far margin of the Norwegian experimental music scene. He released his debut mini album ”Utopian Dances” in 1999, a collection of absurdist instrumentals recorded at home using not much more than a workstation synth. 2003 saw the release of ”Fevergreens”, an album that drew upon classic progressive rock, film music, easy listening and a variety of pop idioms and featured a nine piece orchestra. The Wire noted that ”the vitality of his writing keeps just the right uplifting balance between sweetness and acidity” and called it ”a pleasant surprise”. Next up was ”Neo Dada” (2009), an album brimming with musical adventure, odd turns, weird combinations of sounds and instruments, complex signatures and a good portion of pure joy, all mysteriously sugared with infectious melodic hooks. ”Neo Dada” represented something of an artistic breakthrough and received great reviews everywhere. This was followed by ”Phantom Stimulance” in late 2010. The sleeve paintings are by acknowledged Norwegian artist Christer Karlstad and shows the Choko King, intentionally misspelt to point to the megalomaniac´s hybris: to choke on what you desire the most.
”The Choko King” also comes as a limited, numbered vinyl edition of only 300 copies with ”insanely nerdy details” on each track by Jono himself.
The CD edition has a 14 minute bonus track.
Jono El Grande is a self-taught composer, musician, conductor and prankster and remains an outsider on the far margin of the Norwegian experimental music scene. He released his debut mini album ”Utopian Dances” in 1999, a collection of absurdist instrumentals recorded at home using not much more than a workstation synth. 2003 saw the release of ”Fevergreens”, an album that drew upon classic progressive rock, film music, easy listening and a variety of pop idioms and featured a nine piece orchestra. The Wire noted that ”the vitality of his writing keeps just the right uplifting balance between sweetness and acidity” and called it ”a pleasant surprise”. Next up was ”Neo Dada” (2009), an album brimming with musical adventure, odd turns, weird combinations of sounds and instruments, complex signatures and a good portion of pure joy, all mysteriously sugared with infectious melodic hooks. ”Neo Dada” represented something of an artistic breakthrough and received great reviews everywhere. This was followed by ”Phantom Stimulance” in late 2010. The sleeve paintings are by acknowledged Norwegian artist Christer Karlstad and shows the Choko King, intentionally misspelt to point to the megalomaniac´s hybris: to choke on what you desire the most.
”The Choko King” also comes as a limited, numbered vinyl edition of only 300 copies with ”insanely nerdy details” on each track by Jono himself.
The CD edition has a 14 minute bonus track.