Kiasmos is made up of Icelandic BAFTA-winning composer Ólafur Arnalds and Janus Rasmussen from the Faroe Islands, known as the mastermind of the electro-pop outfit Bloodgroup. Their recently released 4 track EP ‘Swept’ released through Erased Tapes Records is a work of art, it is such a powerful listening experience and it is one that will move you in every direction!
WhenWeDip recently sat down with Kiasmos for a quick chat ahead of their upcoming set at the Primavera Sound Festival on June 3rd. Their sound can be described as moody melodic electronic music and their sound will certainly not disappoint.
You can find more information about the Primavera Sound Festival here.
I am truly honored to have Kiasmos here with me today. How are you both?
Janus: We’re good I think, keeping busy as usual.
How did your partnership come about in forming Kiasmos?
Ólafur: We met when I was working as a sound technician at a local venue in Reykjavík. Janus’s band Bloodgroup was playing there quite frequently. I later went on tour with them and that’s when we discovered that we shared a love for electronic music. After that we started to meet up at my place on weekends for drinks and beat making.
You are both very successful in your own right, are you ever faced with any difficulties or confrontation when working together?
Janus: Not really. It’s not that we agree on everything all the time, but we’re just so used to producing music by now that we know fairly soon how to advance in a song once we are stuck.
I would just like to say that I play your ‘Swept’ EP every week and as soon as that needle hits the record and it starts playing, it sends me into another world, it’s both intriguing and uplifting and I absolutely love it! Can you tell us a little about its production?
Janus: The title track of the EP was written not that long after we finished the album, so that process was pretty much the same. We wrote the other two tracks in Berlin last August. That was the first time we have ever worked on music together in a rented studio. I think it had a big effect on how the tracks ended up sounding in the end.
There are slight elements of your sound that remind me of Jon Hopkins and Bonobo, but while saying that you do have a very unique sound that as soon as you hear one of your tracks you know straight away that it is a Kiasmos track. If you had to describe your sound, how would you describe it?
Janus: Moody melodic electronic music? We don’t really know what to call it, but it’s very flattering to hear that you think our sound is unique.
You are set to play at the Primavera Sound Festival on June 3rd, are you excited, nervous?
Janus: It’s a huge honor to get to play along with such amazing acts, so we’re definitely excited. I rarely get nervous anymore, which I actually miss sometimes.
Your live shows never disappoint so what can we expect to see and hear from your set at Primavera? Any outrageous visual displays planned?
Janus: There are some big things planned, but they are a bit of a secret still. So you will have to wait and see.
Because you are due to play on the Friday, will yous be catching any other acts performing at the festival and if so who?
Janus: Unfortunately we’re only at the festival on Friday, so whatever we can manage to catch that day will have to do.
5 acts to see at Primavera?
Janus: Tame Impala, Sigur Rós, Brian Wilson, Evian Christ and LCD Soundsystem.
Ólafur and Janus, it’s been enjoyable. Thanks again for taking the time to chat, we look forward in seeing you soon and all the best with Primavera!
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