ONL was formed in 2006, after the three core members Stig Olson, Paul Nieman and Steve Lodder met, talked, played and recorded together.
“I got to the point where I had worked in a multitude of music situations, but had no voice of my own,” said Olson in an interview earlier this year. “Over a short, intense period I wrote a number of songs influenced by the ideas of space, the need for some simple tunes, a more minimalist approach to jazz”.
Nearly twenty songs emerged from this process, and Olson and Nieman began a collaboration which resulted in the formation of ONL. “There was a certain amount of Cosmic Timing in the way that happened”,says Nieman, “I’d taken a break from music but was hungry to return when, out of the blue, Stig called and things started to roll for both of us”. Soon after this, Lodder joined the band and the three expanded the original songs as well as producing new material jointly at ONL’s London studios. The group completed the work at Eastcote Studios in London, augmenting the line-up with a drummer and bass player to finish off the album “ONE”.
“ONE is a debut album that should have happened years ago - Olson, Nieman and Lodder are prodigiously talented as their music careers have proved. The fact that they’ve finally embarked on a joint creative venture of their own after so many years of making other people sound great is terrific for their audiences.”
- Michael Reece Yes Media.