Svarte Greiner

Svarte Greiner is the alter ego of Erik Knive Skodvin. Known for numerous releases under his own name, the Berlin-based Norwegian is also known for his projects and collaborations with Deaf Center, B/B/S, Aaron Moore, Jasmine Guffond, … He is the driving force behind the Miasmah label too.

Since the early 2000s, Skodvin has been working on an oeuvre that consists mainly of guitar- and electronica-driven, reverb-drenched, dark and experimental ambient music. In 2024, two films were released for which Skodvin composed the soundtrack: Danish film Afterwar and Swedish horror-thriller Ur Mörkret.

Olga Anna Markowska

A new signing to Miasmah is Polish multi-instrumentalist and composer Olga Anna Markowska. On her debut album, Olga uses zither, cello, sometimes a wordless voice, and electronica to forge a world of sound that touches deeply and gets under your skin. A beauty that lingers long after listening. Her music evokes echoes of timeless works by artists like Jacaszek and William Basinski, or the subtle emotionality of films by Kieslowski. Yet it is particularly the personal touch in her playing style and compositions that immediately stands out.

Olga explains: “The cello pieces in particular arose from a desire to reconnect with the instrument that I have known inside and out since my childhood. But I had to take a two year break from it to gain perspective and find a fresh approach when I returned.” She continues: “ISKRA is an album about ‘ignition’ – a gradual shift in how I think about music and a search for new values. It also marks the end of a chapter, one in which archive recordings merge with the first light of new ideas.”

About Miasmah

Miasmah is a record label that has steadily carved out its own path over the past twenty years, focusing on a select number of timeless musical works that balance beauty and darkness, loud and quiet. With a strong emphasis on atmosphere, the label explores soundscapes on the edge between the recognisable and the obscure, often making the music difficult to define.

The label is run by Berlin—based Norwegian Erik K. Skodvin, who originally established it as a reaction to the underground-demo scene of the late ‘90s. In 2006, the label (as we now know it) also began producing physical releases for like-minded artists, including in projects like Deaf Center and Svarte Greiner.

In addition to Erik’s own work, Miasmah also releases music by artists like Gareth Davies, Volcano The Bear, Kreng, Kaboom Karavan, … The latter two have a warm bond with AB and Belgium, having performed here numerous times.

Photo of Olga: Kachna Baraniewicz
Photo of Erik (Svarte Greiner): Oda Egjar Starheim

This is a Liveurope concert, the first pan-European initiative supporting concert venues in their efforts to promote emerging European artists. Liveurope is co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union.