Jóhann Jóhannsson
Encyclopedia
Jóhann Jóhannsson (ˈjoːuhanː ˈjoːuhanːsɔn; born September 19, 1969 in Reykjavík
, Iceland
) is an Icelandic musician, composer and producer
. He is a co-founder of Kitchen Motors
in Reykjavík
, the art organization/think tank/record label which specializes in initiating collaborations, promoting concerts and exhibition
s, performances, chamber operas, producing films, books and radio shows based on the ideals of experimentation, collaboration and the search for new art forms.
Jóhann founded the Apparat Organ Quartet
in 1999, who have played various European festivals. Jóhann has also produced and written music with artists as diverse as Marc Almond
(Stranger Things
album), Barry Adamson
and Pan Sonic
, The Hafler Trio
, Magga Stina and others. He has written music for theatre, documentaries and soundtrack music for several feature films. Jóhann is a member of the Icelandic electronica supergroup Evil Madness.
Jóhann was a member of the selection committee for ART2000, the first Icelandic International Computer and Electronic music festival which was held at Salurinn in Kópavogur
. Also, he has taught a course on the creative use of sound in art, film and multimedia at Borgarholts College in Reykjavík.
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
) is an Icelandic musician, composer and producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
. He is a co-founder of Kitchen Motors
Kitchen Motors
Kitchen Motors is an Iceland based think tank, record label and an art collective specializing in instigating collaborations and putting on concerts, exhibitions, performances, chamber operas, producing films, books and radio shows....
in Reykjavík
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
, the art organization/think tank/record label which specializes in initiating collaborations, promoting concerts and exhibition
Art exhibition
Art exhibitions are traditionally the space in which art objects meet an audience. The exhibit is universally understood to be for some temporary period unless, as is rarely true, it is stated to be a "permanent exhibition". In American English, they may be called "exhibit", "exposition" or...
s, performances, chamber operas, producing films, books and radio shows based on the ideals of experimentation, collaboration and the search for new art forms.
Jóhann founded the Apparat Organ Quartet
Apparat Organ Quartet
The Apparat Organ Quartet is an Icelandic band founded in 1999 by Jóhann Jóhannsson, Hörður Bragason, Músikvatur and Úlfur Eldjárn.Apparat Organ Quartet's debut album, simply entitled "Apparat Organ Quartet" was almost 3 years in the making. The Quartet's members say it took so long because they...
in 1999, who have played various European festivals. Jóhann has also produced and written music with artists as diverse as Marc Almond
Marc Almond
Marc Almond is an English singer-songwriter and musician, who originally found fame as half of the seminal synthpop/New Wave duo Soft Cell...
(Stranger Things
Stranger Things
Stranger Things is the fourth album by American jam band Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, released July 25, 2006 on Fantasy Records.- Track listing :#"Stranger Things" - 3:20...
album), Barry Adamson
Barry Adamson
Barry Adamson is a British rock musician who has worked with rock bands such as Magazine, Visage, The Birthday Party, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and the electronic musicians Pan sonic and Depeche Mode. Adamson created the seven-minute opus "Useless " remix for the latter band in 1997...
and Pan Sonic
Pan sonic
Pan Sonic was a Finnish experimental electronic music duo consisting of Mika Vainio and Ilpo Väisänen.-Music:...
, The Hafler Trio
Hafler Trio
The Hafler Trio is a conceptual and sound art collaborative between Andrew M. McKenzie, the only permanent member, and guest musicians. The project has seen the release of numerous albums and CDs in experimental musical styles ranging from electronica, cut-up, ambient, environmental soundscape,...
, Magga Stina and others. He has written music for theatre, documentaries and soundtrack music for several feature films. Jóhann is a member of the Icelandic electronica supergroup Evil Madness.
Jóhann was a member of the selection committee for ART2000, the first Icelandic International Computer and Electronic music festival which was held at Salurinn in Kópavogur
Kópavogur
Kópavogur is a city and Iceland's second largest municipality, with a population of 30,779.It lies immediately south of Reykjavík and is part of the Greater Reykjavík Area. The name literally means seal pup bay...
. Also, he has taught a course on the creative use of sound in art, film and multimedia at Borgarholts College in Reykjavík.
Albums
- Englabörn (20022002 in musicThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2002.-Events:*February 3 – U2 perform during the halftime show for Super Bowl XXXVI...
, TouchTouch MusicTouch is a British audio-visual organisation, operating the Touch label. It is the main arm of the London-based multimedia publishing company Touch, established in 1982...
) - Virðulegu Forsetar (20042004 in musicSee also:* 2004 in music Record labels established in 2004-January:*January 1**The Vienna New Year's Concert is conducted by Riccardo Muti.**Kurt Nilsen wins World Idol....
, Touch) - Dís (20042004 in musicSee also:* 2004 in music Record labels established in 2004-January:*January 1**The Vienna New Year's Concert is conducted by Riccardo Muti.**Kurt Nilsen wins World Idol....
, 12 Tónar, in Iceland; 20052005 in music-Events:*During the year 2005, 12 rock music albums scored number 1 in the USA. This was the first time even ten albums have scored number 1 since 1996.-January:...
, The Worker's Institute, in the US) - IBM 1401, A User's Manual (20062006 in musicThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2006.-January:*January 10 – Eric Burdon releases his album Soul of a Man and begins touring with a new band....
, 4AD4AD4AD is a British independent record label that was started in 1979 by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent, funded by Beggars Banquet Records, and is still active today...
) - Englabörn (20072007 in musicThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2007.-January:*January 1 - George Shearing is knighted for services to music in the Queen's New Year Honours List. Evelyn Glennie becomes a Dame...
, 4AD) - FordlandiaFordlândia (album)Fordlandia is the sixth full-length studio album by Icelandic-born musician Jóhann Jóhannsson. The album was released on 3 November 2008 via 4AD. The album is thematically influenced by the failure of Henry Ford's Brazilian rubber plant Fordlandia...
(20082008 in music2008 was a huge year in music history with the emergence of pop superstars Lady Gaga and Katy Perry into the mainstream. Also, this is the year that is widely agreed upon by critics as the start of the fall of hip hop from the mainstream and the rise of Synthpop into the mainstream due to acts such...
, 4AD) - And In The Endless Pause There Came The Sound Of Bees (20092009 in musicThe following is a list of notable events and releases in 2009 in music. Susan Boyle's album I Dreamed a Dream became the biggest selling album in the world for 2009, selling 8.3 million copies in five weeks; more than any other artist's in the whole year...
) - The Miners' Hymns: United To Obtain The Just Reward Of Our Labour (2011)
Feature films
- Íslenski draumurinnÍslenski draumurinnThe Icelandic Dream is a 2000 Icelandic film directed by Robert Ingi Douglas. The movie depicts the story about an average Icelander and his dream to maintain wealth and fame.-Plot:...
by Robert Ingi DouglasRobert Ingi DouglasRóbert Ingi Douglas is an Icelandic film director, screenwriter and cinematographer who made his feature film debut with Íslenski draumurinn . That film became a sleeper hit in the summer of 2000 becoming one of Iceland's biggest box-office hits that year...
(Iceland, 2000) - Óskabörn þjóðarinnar by Jóhann Sigmarsson (Iceland, 2000)
- The End of St. Petersburg by Vsevolod PudovkinVsevolod PudovkinVsevolod Illarionovich Pudovkin was a Russian and Soviet film director, screenwriter and actor who developed influential theories of montage...
(Russia, 2001) - Maður eins og égMaður eins og égA Man Like Me is a 2002 romantic comedy about the life of "Júlli" , a lonely and confused man who is searching for some sense in his life. Surprisingly he meets a young woman from China who changes his life dramatically...
by Robert Ingi Douglas (Iceland, 2002) - Dís by Silja Hauksdóttir (Iceland, 2004)
- Wicker Park by Paul McGuiganPaul McGuigan (musician)Paul McGuigan , better known by his nickname, Guigsy , is an English musician and one of the four founding members of the English rock band Oasis...
(United States, 2004)- Writer and performer for tracks: "Sálfraedingur", "Ég Átto Gráa Aesku", and "Ég Sleppi Thér Aldrei"
- Blóðbönd AKA Thicker than Water by Árni Óli Ásgeirsson (Iceland, 2006)
Short films
- Keepsake by Tim Shore (United Kingdom, 2003)
- Propinquity by Jonathan Skinner (United Kingdom, 2006)
- Varmints by Marc Craste (United Kingdom, 2008)
Television documentaries
- Corpus Camera (Iceland, 1999, Stöð 2Stöð 2Stöð 2 is an Icelandic television channel, owned and operated by 365. Founded in 1986, It was the first privately owned television station in Iceland following the lifting of the state monopoly on television broadcasting...
) - Leyndardómar Íslenskra Skrímsla (Iceland, 2000, SjónvarpiðSjónvarpiðRÚV is the television channel of RÚV, the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service, launched in 1966. The channel broadcasts primarily news, sports, cultural programs, children's material, American, British & Nordic films and entertainment programming...
) - Erró- Norður, suður, austur, vestur (Iceland, 2000, Stöð 2)
Plays
- Margrét Mikla by Kristín Ómarsdóttir (1996, Icelandic Take-away Theatre)
- Vitleysingarnir by Ólafur Haukur Símonarsson (2000, Hafnarfjördur Theater)
- Fireface by Marius Von Mayerberg (2000, RÚV)
- Englabörn by Hávar Sigurjónsson (2001, Hafnarfjördur Theater)
- Kryddlegin Hjörtu by Laura Esquivel (2002, Borgarleikhús)
- Viktoría og Georg by Ólafur Haukur Símonarsson (2002, Icelandic National Theatre)
- Pabbastrákur by Hávar Sigurjónsson (2003, Icelandic National Theatre)
- Jón Gabríel Borkman by Henrik Ibsen (2004, Icelandic National Theatre)
- Dínamít by Birgir Sigurðsson (2005, Icelandic National Theatre)
- Døden i Teben by SophoclesSophoclesSophocles is one of three ancient Greek tragedians whose plays have survived. His first plays were written later than those of Aeschylus, and earlier than or contemporary with those of Euripides...
/Jon FosseJon FosseJon Fosse is a Norwegian author and dramatist.Fosse was born in Haugesund, Norway and currently lives in Bergen. He debuted in 1983 with the novel Raudt, svart . His first play, Og aldri skal vi skiljast, was performed and published in 1994. Jon Fosse has written novels, short stories, poetry,...
(2008, Det Norske Teatret)
Stage works
- IBM 1401, a User's Manual with Erna Ómarsdóttir (2002)
- Mysteries of Love with Erna Ómarsdóttir (2005)
Installations
- Music for an installation by Ari Alexander Magnússon at Gallery Mokka (1997)
- "Chairmen of the board" by Ari Alexander Magnússon at the 30/60 exhibition, Kjarvalssta_ir Art Museum and Akureyri Art Museum (1998)
- Collaboration with Óttarr Proppé.
- "XXX-reyri" by Snorri Ásmundsson at the "Orgasm 2000" exhibition at Akureyri Art Museum (January 2000)
- "We are the world" by the Icelandic Love Corporation at Batofar in Paris (2000)
- "Duet" by Sigurður Guðmundsson at the Icelandic National Gallery (October 2000)
- Title of composition: "Já".
- "Fjörfiskar" by Finnur Arnar at the Epal showroom (March 2001)
- "Vocal IV" by Rúrí at Reykjavík Art Museum Hafnarhús (October 2008)
Other projects
- Music for the radio art piece Völuspá by Jón Hallur Stefánsson (with composer Haukur TómassonHaukur TómassonHaukur Tómasson is an Icelandic composer. He has a Masters degree from the University of California, San Diego. He has also attended the Reykjavík College of Music, the Cologne University for Music and the Sweelinck Conservatory of Amsterdam.His works include six orchestral pieces, three concertos...
) - Theme music for the TV program Femin (Iceland, 2001, Stöð 2)
- Music for the TV program Svartir Englar (Iceland, 2008, RÚV)
- Music for the trailer of Battle: Los AngelesBattle: Los AngelesBattle: Los Angeles is a 2011 American military science fiction war film directed by Jonathan Liebesman, and starring Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Ramon Rodriguez, Bridget Moynahan, Ne-Yo and Michael Peña...
by Jonathan LiebesmanJonathan LiebesmanJonathan Liebesman is a South African film director.-Personal life:Liebesman was born in Johannesburg, South Africa...
(United States, 2011)
As producer/arranger
- Ýmsir - Megasarlög (1997, POP)
- Magga Stina - An album (1998, One Little Indian)
- Siggi Ármann - Mindscape (2001, Smekkleysa)
- Hafler Trio - La Chanson Dada (2002, These Records)
- Barry Adamson & Pan Sonic - The Hymn of the Seventh Illusion (2001, Kitchen Motors/Ómi)
As composer, performer, producer
- Daisy Hill Puppy Farm - 7" (1988, Lakeland Records)
- Daisy Hill Puppy Farm - Spraycan 12" (1989, Lakeland Records)
- HAMHAM (band)HAM is an Icelandic rock band which was active in the years 1988 to 1994. They are often listed as a heavy metal band but have never categorized themselves as such. They did not attain significant popularity while active, but have gradually come to be acknowledged as an important part of...
- Saga Rokksins 1988-1993 (1993, Nordisk Musik Disk) - HAM - Lengi Lifi (1994, Smekkleysa)
- HAM - Dauður Hestur (1995, Skífan)
- Lhooq - Lhooq (1998, Echo)
- Dip - Hi-Camp Meets Lo-Fi (1999, Smekkleysa)
- Emilíana TorriniEmilíana TorriniEmilíana Torrini Davíðsdóttir is an Icelandic singer, best known for her 2009 single Jungle Drum, 1999 album Love in the Time of Science and for performing "Gollum's Song" for Peter Jackson's film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.-Early life:Torrini grew up in Kópavogur, where, at the age of...
- Love in the Time of ScienceLove in the Time of ScienceLove in the Time of Science is an album by Emilíana Torrini. The album was recorded and released in 1999 with a variety of collaborators, including Roland Orzabal, Alan Griffiths, Eg White, Siggi Baldursson, and Mark Abis...
(1999, One Little Indian) - Apparat Organ Quartet - "Nafnlaust Uppklapp" from Nart Nibbles (1999, Kitchen Motors)
- Hljómúrinn - "Eind/Neind" from Nart Nibbles (1999, Kitchen Motors)
- Hilmar Jensson, Úlfar Ingi Haraldsson, Jóhann Jóhannsson and the CAPUT-ensemble - "Veltipunktur" from Motorlab 1 (2000, Kitchen Motors/Smekkleysa)
- Andrew Mckenzie and Jóhann Jóhannsson with Curver - "Telefónía" from Motorlab 1 (2000, Kitchen Motors/Smekkleysa)
- Apparat Organ Quartet - 3 songs from Motorlab II (2000, Kitchen Motors/Smekkleysa)
- HAM - Skert Flog (2001, Hitt)
- Marc Almond - Stranger Things (2001, IIIX Bis Records/Universal)
Miscellaneous
- Musical Director for the Icelandic Dance Company's performance of "Milli Heima" by Katrín Hall.
Awards
- First prize for Best Original Score for Varmints at the Rhode Island International Film FestivalRhode Island International Film FestivalFlickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival takes place every year in Providence and Newport, Rhode Island as well as satellite locations throughout the state. Started in 1997, the Festival is produced by Flickers, the Newport Film/Video Society & Arts Collaborative, a 501 non-profit...
(2008)
External links
- Johann Johannsson.com - Official website
- Biography of Johann Johannsson at Touch MusicTouch MusicTouch is a British audio-visual organisation, operating the Touch label. It is the main arm of the London-based multimedia publishing company Touch, established in 1982...
- Kitchen Motors.com - Johann Johannsson's record label
- Beggars.com - The biography, discography and promotional photos.
- Interview with Jóhann Jóhannsson on Headphone Commute (September, 2011)