Nils Petter Molvær, born 1960, is a Norwegian jazz trumpeter, composer, producer, and improviser. His music blends jazz, electronic music, ambient, trip-hop, drum’n’bass, and future jazz. His official biography says he was born in Sula in 1960 and first became known through Masqualero, before his solo breakthrough.
His most important albums include Khmer, Solid Ether, NP3, Streamer, Hamada, Baboon Moon, Switch, Buoyancy, Stitches, and KHMER Live in Bergen. Khmer, released on ECM, is especially important because it fused electronic textures, live trumpet, and fractured beats, gaining attention beyond jazz circles.
Well-known tracks include “Khmer,” “Song of Sand,” “On Stream,” “Access / Song of Sand 1,” “Tlon,” “Gilimanuk,” “Puri Jati,” and “Honey in Your Head.” Apple Music lists tracks such as “Honey in Your Head,” “Song of Sand 2,” “On Stream,” and “Khmer” among his popular songs.
Nils Petter Molvær is known as a pioneer of future jazz / electro-jazz, bringing the trumpet into a modern electronic sound world while keeping a strong improvisational jazz identity. ECM describes Khmer as a bridge between improvised soundscapes and trip-hop, drum’n’bass, ambient, techno, industrial, electronica, and samples.