-
Within Olafur Arnalds most revealing and vulnerable work to date, is a self-confessed perfectionist grappling with the messier realities of everyday life / The Catholic universe
Posted At : January 11, 2021 12:00 AM
'some kind of peace' is the stunning new album from the ground-breaking Icelandic multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer Ólafur Arnalds, available now on Mercury KX. More than anything he's ever made, 'some kind of peace' is the story of Ólafur Arnalds' life - and there is quite the life-story to tell. Throughout Ólafur urges you to embrace all that life throws at you, and above all to react, and contemplate, to find your kind of peace. Within, you'll find a self-confessed perfectionist grappling with the messier realities of the everyday: the possibilities of love, of settling down, and how to navigate all of that during a global pandemic (the album was half-written prior to lockdown and completed at Arnalds' harbour studio in downtown Reykjavik). What's emerged on 'some kind of peace' is a record about letting your guard down, and ultimately what it means to be alive. Within the expansive, grand sonics is a form of intimacy and even reassurance, Ólafur masterfully balances the two through-out.
The Catholic universe Nick Benson writes......Within his most revealing and vulnerable work to date, listeners will find a self-confessed perfectionist grappling with the messier realities of everyday life: the possibilities of love, of settling down, and how to navigate all of that during a global pandemic. The album was half-written prior to lockdown and completed at Arnalds' harbour studio in downtown Reykjavik. What's emerged on Some Kind of Peace is a record about letting your guard down and ultimately what it means to be alive.
READ THE FULL Catholic universe ARTICLE
-
Olafur Arnalds - some kind of peace makes Bob Boilen's 'Top 10 Albums Of 2020' / NPR
Posted At : December 29, 2020 12:00 AM
Ólafur Arnalds has recently surpassed a staggering 1 billion streams, an incredible milestone for the Icelandic multi-instrumentalist. 'some kind of peace' is the stunning new album from the ground-breaking composer and producer. Available on Mercury KX.
Bob Boilen selected 'some kind of peace' for his 'Top 10 Albums Of 2020' and he writes; Ólafur Arnalds, the Icelandic composer, was most inspiring. Some Kind of Peace is centered around Ólafur's melodic piano, and it's packed with passion but has an aura of calm. His songs work for me as background music, but the intricate textures also make the perfect headphone album. (In fact, I used some of his music software, called Stratus, to make my music.) I feel similarly about Agnes Obel's Myopia, Roger & Brian Eno's Mixing Colours and Nils Frahm's Empty. Photo illustration: Courtesy of the artists / Renee Klahr / NPR
SEE THE PAGE
-
Olafur Arnalds - some kind of peace makes NPR: Best Music Of 2020
Posted At : December 4, 2020 12:00 AM
This week we shared NPR Music's best songs and albums of 2020, lists voted on, politely argued over and presented by our staff, station partners and contributors. Today we're featuring the good stuff from the private reserves. Below you'll find lists of top 10 albums and songs from the members of NPR Music's staff.
Bob Boilen HOST, ALL SONGS CONSIDERED writes
Quietude. More than half of the music I connected with and loved in 2020 fit that description. In past years, many of my nights were spent at clubs, seeing live music - loud, brash, fun, uplifting and thrilling. That all stopped in mid-March, right about the time I'd usually be in the midst of thousands of fans seeing hundreds of musicians at SXSW. Being alone, away from friends, colleagues and clubs, I connected deeply with music that drew me in with subtly, yearning and atmosphere. Thank you to all those musicians who poured their hearts into their instruments in 2020.
For 'Top 10 Albums Of 2020, Bob chooses Ólafur Arnalds, some kind of peace
and for 'Top 10 Songs Of 2020' Bob chooses Ólafur Arnalds, "Back to the Sky" (feat. JFDR)
SEE THE NPR PAGE
-
Olafur Arnalds - some kind of peace makes Echoes November 2020 Top 25
Posted At : December 1, 2020 12:00 AM
'some kind of peace' is the stunning new album from the ground-breaking composer and producer Ólafur Arnalds, available now on Mercury KX. The record features a brand new track 'The Bottom Line' ft. Josin, alongside a beautiful video featuring the work of Japanese flower artist Azuma Makoto out today, and 'Loom', Arnalds' collaboration with Bonobo. Also out now is 'finding some kind of peace', a very special behind the scenes film about the new album.
Ólafur has been confirmed as the closing act for Iceland Airwaves' virtual festival, ‘Live from Reykjavík', on November 13th, where he will perform mostly new material played live for the very first time. Ólafur's music will also play a major role in the forthcoming Netflix documentary on Shawn Mendes, 'In Wonder', which is set to be released on November 23rd. Ólafur has also recently surpassed a staggering 1 billion streams, an incredible milestone for the Icelandic multi-instrumentalist.
Olafur Arnalds - some kind of peace makes Echoes November 2020 Top 25. SEE THE CHART
-
Olafur Arnalds 'Spiral' from 'some kind of peace' makes NPR Music's 'No. 1 Albums And Songs Of November'
Posted At : November 30, 2020 12:00 AM
On this edition of All Songs Considered, we pick our favorite music released in November 2020, featuring Kali Uchis' heart-struck devotionals, Tierra Whack's playful pop, metal duo Jucifer's tribute to Arabic music and Salaam Remi's star-studded soundtrack of the Black experience, as well as; Ólafur Arnalds: "Spiral" from Some Kind of Peace.
Some Kind of Peace is a perfect description of what lies within; it's the most impactful record I've heard this year. At its center is Ólafur Arnalds' calming piano and electronics, which often sets the tone for the many collaborations heard within. (By the way, you can listen to my conversation with Ólafur Arnalds in the All Songs Considered podcast feed.) This is music that works as background or foreground, rich in textures making it the perfect headphone album. - Bob Boilen
SEE THE FULL NPR PAGE
-
Olafur Arnalds leads UK record store chart with 'some kind of peace' / live4ever
Posted At : November 14, 2020 12:00 AM
The latest UK Record Store Chart is topped by Icelandic multi-instrumentalist Olafur Arnalds with his new album Some Kind Of Peace. There's re-entries not far behind Arnalds from Dermot Kennedy and Phoebe Bridgers, while Bruce Springsteen is at #11 this week with his recent E Street Band LP Letter To You.
'some kind of peace' is a stunning new album from the ground-breaking composer, available now on Mercury KX. The record features a brand new track 'The Bottom Line' ft. Josin, alongside a beautiful video featuring the work of Japanese flower artist Azuma Makoto out today, and 'Loom', Arnalds' collaboration with Bonobo. Also out now is 'finding some kind of peace', a very special behind the scenes film about the new album.
Ólafur has been confirmed as the closing act for Iceland Airwaves' virtual festival, ‘Live from Reykjavík', on November 13th, where he will perform mostly new material played live for the very first time. Ólafur's music will also play a major role in the forthcoming Netflix documentary on Shawn Mendes, 'In Wonder', which is set to be released on November 23rd. Ólafur has also recently surpassed a staggering 1 billion streams, an incredible milestone for the Icelandic multi-instrumentalist.
The Official Charts Company launched the UK Record Store Chart in 2012 to reflect the last decade's drive to support independent music outlets and the concurrent surge in vinyl sales. It is compiled from the best selling albums at 100 of Britain's leading independent music shops.
SEE THE Live4ever PAGE
-
Max Richter - Voices & Olafur Arnalds - some kind of peace make 'Rough Trade 2020 Albums of the Year' / BrooklynVegan
Posted At : November 12, 2020 12:00 AM
Always first out of the gate with end-of-year lists, Rough Trade has just announced their 2020 Albums of the Year list. Making the list are Max Richter - Voices & Olafur Arnalds - some kind of peace.
Over a decade after its inception, ground-breaking composer Max Richter announced the release of VOICES via Decca Records – a major new recording project inspired by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The first single from his uplifting new work, is described as "a place to think and reflect." At the heart of both VOICES is a profound sense of global community, born out of Richter's career-long view of music as activism and his desire to unite audiences worldwide.
'some kind of peace' is the stunning new album from the ground-breaking composer and producer Ólafur Arnalds, available via Mercury KX. The record features a brand new track 'The Bottom Line' ft. Josin, alongside a beautiful video featuring the work of Japanese flower artist Azuma Makoto out today, and 'Loom', Arnalds' collaboration with Bonobo. Also out now is 'finding some kind of peace', a very special behind the scenes film about the new album.
SEE THE FULL LIST via Brooklyn Vegan
-
The passionate calm of Olafur Arnalds / NPR: All Songs Considered
Posted At : November 10, 2020 12:00 AM
Ólafur Arnalds' album some kind of peace is the most impactful record NPR's Bob Boilen has heard this year. The album, centered around Ólafur's melodic piano sounds, is packed with passion but generates an aura of calm. The songs work as a background music, but they're also rich in the kind of textures and intricacies that make it the perfect headphone album.
Boilen spoke with Ólafur Arnalds from his studio in Reykjavik. On this episode of All Songs Considered he plays DJ for us and selects music from the many collaborators who helped shape the sound and words on some kind of peace.
PHOTO: Anna Maggy
LISTEN TO THE SEGMENT & WATCH THE VIDEOS
-
Olafur Arnalds becomes Apple Music curator for 'Peaceful Music' playlist / udiscovermusic.
Posted At : May 17, 2019 12:00 AM
Ólafur Arnalds believes that travelling the world playing music is an inspiring experience. "Travel is an influential part of my life," says the Icelandic multi-instrumentalist and composer. "It feels like your mind gets slowly pushed open, because you are seeing new things, learning new things and you are breaking down prejudices. That feeling induces a lot of creativity. When you come home from a trip to the Middle East, for example, you feel that you just want to create. You feel like your mind has expanded." It's this sense of adventure that Arnalds brings to the Peaceful Music playlist, which he has just started guest-curating in partnership with Universal Music Group and Apple Music.
Arnalds is currently travelling the globe for his new album, re:member, with a tour that takes him from America to Australia and then back to Europe. The 32-year-old Arnalds says he intends to find some time amid his own hectic touring schedule for some composing. "Creating is definitely a mind-set. At the moment, I am on tour and we have a new setlist, new band and production crew. For now, I am in the mode of trying to improve the show every day. Later on the tour, when things fall into a rhythm, I can write. I have packed my mobile studio just for that." Photo: Benjamin Hardman
p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d}
p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px}
READ THE udiscovermusic. Q&A Listen to the Peaceful Music playlist exclusively on Apple Music
-
Olafur Arnalds - re:member makes echoes: january top25
Posted At : February 1, 2019 12:00 AM
BAFTA winning artist, composer, musician and producer Ólafur Arnalds has unveiled his new track ‘re:member' featuring his ground-breaking new software, Stratus, which transforms the humble piano into a unique new instrument. The Stratus Pianos are two self-playing, semi-generative player pianos and the centrepiece of Ólafur's new works. The custom-built software controlling the pianos is the result of two years of work by Ólafur and audio developer Halldór Eldjárn. The algorithms generated from Stratus also helped create the innovative artwork for ‘re:member'.
Olafur Arnalds - re:member makes echoes january top 25. SEE THE CHART
-
Olafur Arnalds manipulates an impressive array of sounds and tempos at the London Palladium / musicOMH
Posted At : October 30, 2018 12:00 AM
Icelandic composer Ólafur Arnalds‘ new album Re:member, released this August, was a beguiling combination of intricate, impeccable craftmanship and human warmth, capable of scaling heights few of his contemporaries can match. A collection of often beautiful keyboard/strings pieces underpinned by subtle electronica, it achieved extra layers of harmonic complexity through Arnalds' use of his pioneering Stratus technology, which allows notes played on a main piano to generate alternative notes on two further pianos.
Seeing these pianos ‘play themselves' on stage was just one highlight of Arnalds' first of two back-to-back shows at the venerable London Palladium. Arnalds was backed by a live string quartet and the drummer Manu Delago, an Austrian percussionist who had already opened the evening as the support act with his intriguing, otherworldly music played on the hang, a modern, steelpan-like instrument.
While the other musicians were given plenty of opportunity to show off their talents, Arnalds himself was very much at the centre of proceedings, switching between pianos and synthesisers, seamlessly manipulating an impressive array of sounds and tempos and occasionally pausing between songs to talk to the crowd with an understated, wry Nordic humour. At one point he even dabbled with audience participation, asking the crowd to sing a single note which he then recorded and included in his next song.
READ THE FULL musicOMH REVIEW
-
With Olafur Arnalds starting world tour, let's recall his path / sonofmarketing
Posted At : October 12, 2018 12:00 AM
Two years after Island Songs, Icelandic BAFTA winning artist, composer, musician and producer Ólafur Arnalds released a new album. re: member is out now via Mercury KX. Arnalds has unveiled ‘re:member' featuring his ground-breaking new software, Stratus, which transforms the humble piano into a unique new instrument. The Stratus Pianos are two self-playing, semi-generative player pianos and the centrepiece of Ólafur's new works. The custom-built software controlling the pianos is the result of two years of work by Ólafur and audio developer Halldór Eldjárn. The algorithms generated from Stratus also helped create the innovative artwork for ‘re:member'.
Today starts his world tour in Lucerna Club in Prague, and then there will be dates in Italy, Switzerland, France and Holland before London and Reykjavik. Then he will move between the States, Australia, Canada and Europe again with the last gig in Oslo (8th of June 2019). Ólafur says, "I'm very excited about going on tour again for the first time in three years. So far we have announced the European part of our tour this fall but more dates and countries to follow soon." The tour is the right time to recall his path through 7 meaningful tracks. WATCH THE sonofmarketing VIDEOS
p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060}
p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px}
-
Olafur Arnalds live setup on musicradar: rig tour
Posted At : October 12, 2018 12:00 AM
Ólafur Arnalds has been refining the Stratus Pianos for his latest album re:member and we managed to hook with him, on stage, to find out more about the tech behind the live setup. We find out how it all works, the constant tuning schedule required when touring with three acoustic pianos and how much fun it really is to play generative pianos with their very own synced-up light show.
The UK-part of the tour, which has consisted of eight dates, starting out with a sold-out Albert Hall show, has been a roaring success. And it doesn't stop there, with Arnalds and his five accompanying musicians taking on a relentless schedule of worldwide tour dates that stretch far into 2019.
WATCH THE musicradar VIDEO
-
Unpeeling the sonic layers of Olafur Arnalds - re:member / musicOMH
Posted At : September 12, 2018 12:00 AM
Listening to a record as accomplished as Re:member, it's hard to comprehend that Ólafur Arnalds became a classical composer almost by accident. Back in his native Iceland in the mid-2000s, drumming for an obscure hardcore band, he was asked to write some short piano and string pieces for an album by German metal group Heaven Shall Burn after sharing demos of his own prog rock-influenced compositions while supporting them on tour. These first forays were well-received, and it wasn't long before Arnalds put down his drumsticks permanently to focus full time on his unexpected new direction.
On a surface level, Re:member is a very pretty, well-structured collection of fairly conventional keyboard/strings compositions, underpinned by subtle electronica. Yet unpeel the sonic layers and the listener will find so much more going on. Arnalds' use of the pioneering Stratus technology he helped develop allows notes played on a main piano to generate alternative notes on two further pianos. This results in cascades of sometimes dizzylingly complex but always fluent and harmonically gorgeous interplays, a key ingredient of Re:member's deceptively complex recipe.
READ THE FULL musicOMH REVIEW
-
Olafur Arnalds' re:member is Echoes 'CD of the Month' for September
Posted At : September 1, 2018 12:00 AM
BAFTA winning artist, composer, musician and producer Ólafur Arnalds has unveiled his new track ‘re:member' featuring his ground-breaking new software, Stratus, which transforms the humble piano into a unique new instrument. Ólafur has been performing The Stratus Pianos across the world including a sold-out shows at London's Royal Albert Hall and New York City's Le Poisson Rouge. Ólafur says, "I'm very excited about going on tour again for the first time in three years. So far we have announced the European part of our tour this fall but more dates and countries to follow soon."
For September - Olafur Arnalds' re:member is Echoes 'CD of the Month'
-
Olafur Arnalds goes far beyond the use of innovative software on re:member / AP
Posted At : August 29, 2018 12:00 AM
Icelandic composer Olafur Arnalds goes far beyond the use of innovative software involving self-playing pianos on "re:member," a wistful album also incorporating various string ensembles, fast and slow beats and even the human voice as it alternates between being buoyant and calm. The multi-part title track launches the album as a good sampler of the rest of the record. A swirling string section latches onto a gentle piano figure, what sounds like the Stratus is soon enveloped by watery sounds, the strings make an expanding return and restless drums boost the intensity. The fade is short and definitive.
READ THE FULL AP ARTICLE
-
Olafur Arnalds' adds AI on first solo project since 2013 / RollingStone
Posted At : August 26, 2018 12:00 AM
On his first solo project since 2013, Icelandic composer Ólafur Arnalds adds a new element – robots! – to his mix of post-minimalist repetition, indie swoon, film score frisson and ambient drifts. Re: Member is a conversation between Arnalds and algorithms, the programmed and the human, his own intentions and new inspirations, composed with a software called Straus connected to two player pianos. Arnalds' signature gorgeous melancholy – as heard on albums like 2013's For Now I Am Winter and the soundtrack to Broadchurch – with a gentle pulse. "Brot" features luminous throbs of strings, the itchy "Ekki Hugsa" twinkles with typewriter piano and "Inconsist" is reminiscent of fellow minimalist Hauschka gone downtempo. A gentle mix of the stiff, sad and soothing.
READ THE FULL Rolling Stone REVIEW
-
Shhhh....uffle! University librarians are creating spotify playlists ending the days of silent study / Daily Mail
Posted At : August 18, 2018 12:00 AM
University librarians are creating Spotify playlists to help pupils focus while studying – an about-turn after years of telling students to ‘be quiet'. Oxford, Newcastle and Liverpool universities are just some of the many institutions throughout the UK which are now encouraging students to listen to music on their headphones to improve focus. However, eight years ago, Spotify was banned at Oxford, as there were concerns that having scores of students using the internet at the same time would slow down others' access to online research, according to The Times. For about two years, though, the Sainsbury Library has been offering playlists to replicate ‘library ambience' with the likes of Max Richter and Ólafur Arnalds providing contemporary classical experimental music to ‘help you focus in the library'.
p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060}
p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px}
span.Apple-tab-span {white-space:pre}
READ THE FULL Daily Mail ARTICLE
-
Olafur Arnalds returns to Australia for run of shows / MUSICFEEDS
Posted At : July 30, 2018 12:00 AM
Post-classical Icelandic composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist Ólafur Arnalds has announced his return to Australia for a run of headline shows in 2018. Performing songs from his impressive back catalogue and upcoming album RE:MEMBER, Arnalds will be hitting up expansive theatres in Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne and Adelaide between November and December.
RE:MEMBER - which is set for release on 24th August - sees Arnalds use custom-built Stratus software to control self-playing pianos and feed them a stream of generative music. "The self-playing pianos are a jolt to the creative process that forces me to try new and often surprising things," Arnalds says. "In a live setting the pianos are an integral part of the performance due to their generative nature. Each time they are played is a little different, making every performance unique."
CLICK HERE TO Catch all the tour dates and ticket details
-
BrooklynVegan tours announced. Includes; Bela Fleck, Olafur Arnalds
Posted At : July 21, 2018 12:00 AM
He's usually out with The Flecktones, but banjo master Béla Fleck will go on a short solo tour in late summer, hitting Washington, CT, Brooklyn, East Hapton, NY, North Adams, MA, Flagstaff, AZ, and Berryville, VA. The Brooklyn date (his first-ever solo show in NYC) is at Murmrr Theatre on 8/4. Then in the fall, he'll be out on an extensive tour with bass fiddle player Edgar Meyer and tabla master Zakir Hussain which includes a NYC show at Town Hall on 11/15. He's also got 2019 dates with jazz icon Chick Corea. Visit Béla's website for dates and tickets.
Icelandic composer, musician and producer Ólafur Arnalds will release his new album, re:member, on August 21 and you can check out the video for new single "saman" below. He's also announced North American tour dates, including a short November East Coast run with shows in Washington, DC, Philadelphia and NYC. He'll be back in early 2019 for more shows, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Toronto, and more. has dates in the UK, Europe and elsewhere, too. For his full tour schedule and tickets, head here.
SEE ADDITIONAL TOURS ON BrooklynVegan
-
Olafur Arnalds, Nils Frahm, and A Winged Victory For The Sullen hit the road / Under The Radar
Posted At : July 16, 2018 12:00 AM
In honor of avant-classical label Erased Tapes' fifth birthday, Ólafur Arnalds, Nils Frahm, and A Winged Victory For The Sullen are hitting the road for a brief European tour. Check out the full jaunt below.
10/8 - HAMBURG (DE) – Fliegende Bauten
10/9 - PRAGUE (CZ) – Palac Akropolis
10/10 - BUDAPEST (HU) – Trafo
10/11 MANNHEIM (DE) – Alte Feuerwache
10/13-14.10 BERLIN (DE) – Radialsystem
10/15 AMSTERDAM (NL) – Paradiso
10/16-17.10 LEUVEN (BE) – Stuk
10/18 LONDON (UK) – Hackney Empire
10/19-20 ISTANBUL (TR) – Salon IKSV
SEE THE Under The Radar PAGE
-
Olafur Arnalds, set for Luminato / Toronto Star
Posted At : June 24, 2018 12:00 AM
"No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main," wrote John Donne 400 years ago. But one meeting with Olafur Arnalds would have changed his mind. Arnalds is an Icelander who has carved out a musical niche clearly influenced by classical Western music as well as ambient pop. But it would be unfair to place him in either slot. The 31-year-old is about to arrive in Toronto with a string quartet and a percussionist to offer a one-night sample of his latest musical thinking for Luminato at the Elgin Theatre on Sunday, June 24. The Toronto Star caught up with OA on the phone from Bali,
READ THE FULL Toronto Star ARTICLE
-
Olafur Arnalds - re:member on NPR: all songs considered
Posted At : April 11, 2018 12:00 AM
On this episode, a couple of remarkable new discoveries for co-host Robin Hilton: the summery, early-'70s psych-pop of Whyte Horses and the transfixing voice and carefree pop of Dallas native Caleb Campbell, who writes and records as Ari Roar. Host Bob Boilen shares the band Khruangbin and the trio's mostly instrumental songs that are both genre and mind-bending. Bob's also got a heart-rending story-song from Canadian Inuk singer Beatrice Deer and a gorgeous - and curious - piano piece from Iceland's Ólafur Arnalds.
Composer and multi-instrumentalist Ólafur Arnalds performs this piano piece with the help of newly developed music software. The software, called Stratus, takes his performance on one piano and, in real-time, creates a performance on two other pianos, which he then reacts to. It leads him down musical paths he likely would never have explored.
SEE / HEAR NPR: all songs considered PAGE
-
Spitfire Audio joins Olafur Arnalds for Chamber Evolutions
Posted At : January 22, 2018 12:00 AM
Spitfire Audio joins forces with BAFTA-winning composer Ólafur Arnalds (Broadchurch, Kiasmos, Erased Tapes) to record an all-star ensemble performing his latest set of awe-inspiring evolutions. Based in Reykjavík, Iceland, Ólafur's approach to sound and composition has inspired a new generation to enjoy and create orchestral music, and following the success of his own Spitfire libraries and our Symphonic Strings Evolutions, he became the obvious choice to create Chamber Evolutions. Here, the 4,3,3,3,3 ensemble of British players (Violin I + II, Viola, Cello, Double Bass) led by long-term collaborator Viktor Orri Árnason perform a range of fragile yet warm beautifully evolving phrases, recorded at the world-famous Hall in Air Studios (London).
Christian Henson and Ólafur Arnalds sit down in Ólafur's studio in Iceland to talk about teaming up for their new orchestral sample library, Ólafur Arnalds Chamber Evolutions. Watch the attached video.
-
Olafur Arnalds scores three episodes from Amazon's 'Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams' / Brooklyn Vegan
Posted At : January 13, 2018 12:00 AM
Today is the premiere of Amazon's Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams which is based on stories by the acclaimed science fiction writer of the title, whose work has been adapted into such films and series as Blade Runner, Minority Report, Total Recall, and Amazon's The Man in High Castle (to name just a few). The 10-episode first season includes such notable actors as Bryan Cranston (who is also a producer), Janelle Monáe, Juno Temple, Timothy Spall, Anna Paquin, Terrence Howard, Vera Framiga, Greg Kinnear, Richard Madden (Game of Thrones) and more.
p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060}
p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px}
Ólafur Arnalds scored three of the episodes, including work on "Autofac" which Janelle Monáe is in, and EDM artist BT worked on the music as well. Watch the trailer
-
Olafur Arnalds performs 3 sold-out shows in Tehran / Mehr News
Posted At : December 11, 2017 12:00 AM
Overcoming a distance of almost 6000km and five years of negotiations finally brought the Icelandic BAFTA-winning multi-instrumentalist composer Ólafur Arnalds to sold-out, jam-packed shows in Tehran. Music connects us all. It may sound like a platitude, but it is no less true. Have any doubts? Don't. Here is a beautiful experience I would like to share with you all:
p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Helvetica}
p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Helvetica; min-height: 13.0px}
Yes, I am talking about the Ólafur Arnalds, the BAFTA-winning multi-instrumentalist composer from Mosfellsbær, a suburban Icelandic town a few kilometers outside of Reykjavik. Iceland may sound like such a far-away land, a dream land for some, and Icelandic words may be at times too difficult to pronounce (try ‘Eyjafjallajökull', the name of a volcano in Iceland), but the music hits home with Iranians in a way that leaves you wondering why. How is it that music hailing from a country so different in terms of traditions, culture, history and geography from Iran, can resonate so strongly with us, entwine with our senses like tendrils of notes, a crescendo of mournful piano, bleeding violin, and jarring ambient electronics, like it is ours, that it has come from within, and it grabs us by the heart and moves us along the dreary edges of everyday life…a ‘Lost Song' that finds us in our lowest low or the highest high. In short, Ólafur Arnalds' music is phenomenal.
READ THE FULL Mehr News ARTICLE
-
Olafur Arnalds shares trailer for new video series 'All Strings Attached / LEMON WIRE
Posted At : December 6, 2017 12:00 AM
Pianist and composer Olafur Arnalds has shared the trailer of a new video series with the world. Before he embarks on what he calls his most "ambitious' tour ever, Arnalds has decided to turn the experience into a video series he is calling "All Strings Attached." As Arnalds and his collaborators put together music for the tour, fans will be able to watch the process on each new episode. In the trailer for the series, we get a sneak peek into what we can expect to see and hear in future episodes.
Throughout the video, Arnalds describes his favorite parts of making art and collaborating with others, touching on new technologies (one of them a generative piano device he's been developing) he'll be utilizing to create new sounds, as well as the people helping him along the way. Arnalds will tour with a drummer for the first time, and will also travel with a group of string players, whose parts will be developed over the next few months, which the video series will document.
READ THE FULL LEMON WIRE ARTICLE & WATCH VIDEO
p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060}
p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px}
-
New Kiasmos EP on the way / XLR8R
Posted At : August 17, 2017 12:00 AM
There's a new Kiasmos EP on the way. 'Blurred' is scheduled for October 6 release. Kiasmos is the electronic music duo of composer Ólafur Arnalds and producer Janus Rasmussen. With a number of releases coming on Erased Tapes, including their seminal 2014 self-titled full-length and their most recent work, the 2015 Swept EP, the duo return now with a new six-track endeavor, entitled Blurred, featuring four all new, original tracks, along with remixes from Bonobo and Stimming. The duo had this to say on the making of Blurred:
"To write new material felt like a new beginning for us after two years of touring. The plan was to write something a tad darker than our previous stuff. Spring in Reykjavík had other plans though, as this turned out to be our brightest release to date"
- Janus Rasmussen
"Stimming was one of the reasons we started making four-on-the-floor music and we have been listening to Bonobo since we were young, so it was a great honor that they wanted to contribute remixes for the EP" - Ólafur Arnalds
SEE THE XLR8R PAGE & LISTEN TO TITLE TRACK
p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial}
p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px}
-
Decca Records Group launches new label - Mercury KX / Music Business Worldwide
Posted At : February 26, 2017 12:00 AM
Universal's Decca Records Group has launched a new record label, Mercury KX – dubbed ‘the first post-classical imprint operating within a major music group'. A fresh incarnation of the Mercury Classics label, the imprint was unveiled with a special launch event at London's Omeara this week, introducing the label's newest acts. Already home to Icelandic composer Òlafur Arnalds, Mercury KX has added multiple new artists to its growing roster, including London duo Solomon Grey, Australian composer and pianist Luke Howard, and the mysterious, masked pianist Lambert – whose self-released debut album featured input from Nils Frahm. The new label aims to ‘identify and work with composer-performers of strong creative individuality that bring a distinctive perspective to contemporary music'. It is focused on new instrumental music – ‘crossing borders between electronic, modern, classical, alternative and ambient'.
READ THE FULL Music Business Worldwide ARTICLE
p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Helvetica; min-height: 12.0px}
-
Olafur Arnalds - Island Songs / theguardian review
Posted At : November 4, 2016 12:00 AM
This sleekly produced project involved indie-classical composer Ólafur Arnalds travelling around his native Iceland recording seven songs in seven small-town locations with various local musicians. The vibe is picturesque hipster melancholia, with accompanying music videos by Baldvin Z showing long shots of rustic venues in bleak, gorgeous landscapes – not a dissimilar aesthetic to Sigur Rós's travelogue Heima, and the music's ambient-pop progressions and sugary, morose arrangements owe a similar debt.
READ THE FULL guardian REVIEW
p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Helvetica; min-height: 12.0px}
-
Olafur Arnalds - Island Songs / Second Inversion 'Album of the Week'
Posted At : October 31, 2016 12:00 AM
On Olafur Arnalds - Island Songs, Arnalds starts us off in a church on a hillside in Hvammstangi, a remote town on the shore of an inlet. This is where poet & collaborator Einar Georg Einarsson comes to escape his everyday worries and explore creativity through writing. Einarsson begins "Árbakkinn" with a recitation of one of his own poems; a poem about the landscape he painted his childhood against. As Arnalds joins him with a tranquil piano and the strings eventually drift in it's easy to imagine a restful day in Hvammstangi, with the easy flow of the nearby stream and a handful of small fishing boats bobbing in the nearby fjord.
SEE THE FULL Second Inversion PAGE
-
Olafur Arnalds set to release: Island Songs / The Line of Best Fit
Posted At : October 27, 2016 12:00 AM
Ólafur Arnalds is set to release a new record this week - it compiles his recent Island Songs project plus new, unreleased material. The album contains Arnalds seven "audio-visual collaborations" from earlier this year, plus a bonus track titled "Study for Player Piano (ii)". It's available as a CD/DVD, which also contains each accompanying short film, as well as a vinyl package. The AV collabs were recorded across Arnalds' native Iceland with a variety of high-profile figures, including Nanna Bryndís of Of Monsters and Men, Hollywood composer Atli Örvarsson, and the South Iceland Chamber Choir.
Island Songs was recorded across seven locations and seven weeks. Speaking about the concept, Arnalds says: "I always want to make everything sound perfect, but I also know that perfection doesn't necessarily make for good music. So these projects grew out of an internal fight with myself, a need to create something spontaneous and improvised."
p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Helvetica; min-height: 12.0px}
READ The Line of Best Fit FEATURE
-
Olafur Arnalds - Island Songs / TOWERLOAD review
Posted At : September 1, 2016 12:00 AM
Composer Olafur Arnalds' latest project - Island Songs, is a collection of seven tracks recorded over seven weeks in seven locations in Iceland. You could see Island Songs as a companion piece Arnalds' quite stunning 2011 album Living Rooms Songs but he has moved out of home in Reykjavik to explore the island. Icelandic musicians seems to be in love with their island (in fairness, there is an awful lot to love) and they like nothing better than getting it down in sound. See "Óveður" by Sigur Ros as a recent example – the track was accompanied by a 24-hour "slow TV" event, essentially a drive around Iceland's Route 1. It's hard to know what to say about Island Songs. Like everything Arnalds touches it is a thing of beauty. Every track more or less neatly fits into the "modern classical" genre but as collaborations they are given extra depth.
SEE THE FULL TOWERLOAD PAGE
