Ólafur Arnalds
| Ólafur Arnalds | |
|---|---|
Ólafur Arnalds in 2007
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| Background information | |
| Born |
3 November 1986 Mosfellsbær, Iceland |
| Genres | experimental, electronica, ambient |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, record producer |
| Instruments | Piano, drums, guitar, banjo |
| Years active | Early 2000s–present |
| Labels | Erased Tapes, Mercury Classics |
| Associated acts | Kiasmos, Alice Sara Ott, Janus Rasmussen |
| Website | olafurarnalds |
Ólafur Arnalds (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈouːlavʏr ˈarnals]; born 3 November 1986) is a BAFTA-winning multi-instrumentalist and producer from Mosfellsbær, Iceland. Ólafur Arnalds mixes strings and piano with loops and beats crossing over from ambient/electronic to pop. Ólafur was a drummer of hardcore / metal bands Fighting Shit, Celestine, and others.
In 2009, Ólafur also formed an experimental techno project, entitled Kiasmos, with Janus Rasmussen from the Icelandic electro-pop band Bloodgroup. In 2014 Ólafur announced his electronic debut album under the Kiasmos project.
In 2004, Ólafur composed and recorded the intro and two outros for tracks on the album Antigone by German metal band Heaven Shall Burn. On his Facebook page, he described how he got to know them: "I was playing drums in a hardcore band and we were supporting the German metal band Heaven Shall Burn on their Icelandic tour. Being a huge fan, I gave them a demo with some very overly dramatic prog-rock songs I had been making at home – it was not so classic like this but had some badly computerized strings and piano in it. A few months later they contacted me asked if I would write some intros and outros for their new album, but only with the piano/strings elements – So I wrote my first classical pieces. Their album was a big success in Europe and a few months later I got a phone call from a label asking 'would you be interested in making a full album with compositions like this?' I hadn't really considered continuing writing music like this, but said yes."
On 12 October 2007, Ólafur's first solo album Eulogy for Evolution was released. It was followed by the EP Variations of Static in 2008. In the same year, Ólafur toured with Sigur Rós and his second collaboration with Heaven Shall Burn, the album Iconoclast (Part 1: The Final Resistance), was released. He is also reported to have sold out The Barbican Hall in London.
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