Jóhann Jóhannsson

"Fordlandia" out November 3rd, New Video

2008-11-03T17:41:05Z

A new video by Magnús Helgason can be seen in the Media section.

Fordlandia is out on November 3rd: "A work of astonishing beauty." Q (4/5) "Jóhannsson's most ambitious and fully realised achievement to date." Rock Sound (8/10) "An ambitiously themed, leftfield, modern classical album that not only impresses, but totally enthrals." Drowned in Sound (8/10) Fordlândia is a fascinating, immersive and deeply rewarding web of ideas and melodies, sure to please fans and win him even more new listeners. It's the second installment in a proposed trilogy based on technology and iconic American brand names and where IBM 1401, A User's Manual (the first in the trilogy released in 2006) was a personal response to the first computer to arrive in Iceland and its inevitable obsolescence (inspired by his father's own work with mainframe computers in the 1960s), Fordlândia springs out of a far more diffuse set of influences. It brings together the soaring grandeur of its predecessor – some sections were recorded with the same orchestra in Prague – and the intimacy of Englabörn, moving between heady, melting cadences and crystalline motifs with gorgeous, dreamlike logic. Jóhann has also recently composed scores for the award-winning animator Marc Craste (Varmints, 2008) and the American independent film Personal Effects The full tracklisting for Fordlandia follows: 1. Fordlandia 2. Melodia (I) 3. Rocket Builder The (Io Pan) 4. Melodia (II) 5. FordlandiaAerial View 6. Melodia (III) 7. Chimaerica 8. Melodia (IV) 9. Great God Pan Is Dead 10. Melodia (Guidelines For A Propulsion Device Based On Heim's Quantum Theory) 11. How We Left Fordlandia More reviews of "Fordlandia" can be read here:

Vocal IV at Sequences festival in Reykjavik

2008-10-19T14:18:57Z

Jóhann performed his collaboration with the visual artist Rúrí in the Reykjavik Art Museum Hafnarhús on the 12th of October as a part of the Sequences 2008 festival. Rúrí's films of Icelandic waterfalls were accompanied by a new piece by Jóhann for 4 electric guitars, metallic percussion and electronics. Click here for photos from the event.

Varmints: Best original score

2008-08-14T20:10:51Z

Jóhann has won first prize for best original score at the Rhode Island Film Festival for his music for Marc Craste´s Varmints. The film also won the Grand prize for best animated film.

New album announced

2008-08-10T23:24:15Z

Johann's new album, "Fordlândia", will be released on November 4th in the US and November 3rd in the rest of the world. A full press relase with more information can be viewed here.

Varmints trailer - premiere 9th of September

2008-07-20T22:30:29Z

Marc Craste's new film Varmints, which features an original score by Jóhann Jóhannsson, will premiere September 9th. Varmints is Marc's follow-up to the BAFTA winning Jo Jo in the Stars. You can see a preview of the new film here.

New album finished

2008-07-20T22:24:44Z

Johann's new album, "Fordlandia" is finished and will be released by 4AD in November worldwide. The album was recorded in the period 2006 - 2008 and features some of the musicians who have been touring with Johann for the last few years as well as the City of Prague Philharmonic and Choir. More information to come soon.

Positive reviews for "Döden i Teben"

2008-01-21T23:22:36Z

Döden i Teben got a great review in Oslo's Aftenposten today. The critic calls Johann's music "exquisite" and says that it gives the production "a primal power that emphasizes the mystical and fatalistic dimension of Sophocles' work."

4ad's re-issue of Englabörn has been getting some excellent notices as well, including raves on Pitchfork.

Döden i Teben premieres 17th of January

2007-12-30T17:52:03Z

After a short christmas break, Johann is back in the studio writing music for Janos Szasz's production of the Oedipus cycle by Sophocles for Det Norske Teatret in Oslo, which premieres on the 17th of January. The plays have been adapted by the celebrated Norwegian author and dramatist Jon Fosse. Johann previously contributed music to Janos Szasz's wonderful film "Opium: Diary of a Madwoman".

concerts, soundtracks, re-issues

2007-10-12T18:30:15Z

This autumn will be busy for Johann. The main focus is on finishing the new album, which is slated for release in spring 2008. He is also hard at work writing a soundtrack for a new film by the award-winning animator Marc Craste. The score will be orchestral and the film, entitled "Varmints", will be out next year.

Englabörn re-issued on November 7th

4AD will re-release Johannｴs classic debut album, which was prevously out on Touch, but has been unavailable for a while.

Special concert in Marmor Kirke in Copenhagen November 23rd

Johann will perform with string quartet and percussionist in the Marble Church in Copenhagen on November 23rd. The band will play material from Johann's recently re-released debut album "Englaborn" as well as new material.

Concerts

Johann will play with Larsen, David Tibet, Baby Dee and Julia Kent as a part of the ABECEDA project in Huesca, Spain on October 27th. In November Johann will play in Copenhagen as a special guest of Baby Dee in Helig Kors church on November 3rd.

IBM 1401, a Userｴs Manual, live with string orchestra.

IBM 1401 will be performed by the Bordeaux Youth Orchestra on November 15th. Johann will also play a set with his 6 piece band in Bordeaux on November 17th. Special guests will be Laetitia Sadierｴs band, Monade, with whom Johann will collaborate on a few songs. The concerts are a part of the festival Les Grandes Traversees which is dedicated to the choreographer Erna Omarsdottir. Johannｴs other collaboration with Erna, Mysteries of Love, will also be shown at the festival.

Images from Tokyo concerts, July 2007

2007-08-06T21:06:20Z

Thanks to all at Arion-Edo foundation and Miraikan Musem of Emerging Science for a wonderful few days in Tokyo. Also special thanks to Fujiko Nakaya for the fog. Photos by Miraikan.

Abeceda out on August 7th

2007-07-26T23:16:00Z

ABECEDA is a project initiated by the group Larsen, featuring, in addition to the group, Baby Dee, Julia Kent, David Tibet and Johann Johannsson.

"For one night only Larsen assembled their closest musical friends to play to a sold out crowd at the Teatro Colosseo in Torino Italy. The purpose of the performance was to pay tribute to the work of Czech avant garde designer, typographer, founder of Devestil and cultural radicalist Karel Teige and his Abeceda, a 1926 collaboration with poet Vitoslav Nezva which minimalised text down to its basic components establishing a poetic dialogue between text and images."

Johann live in Tokyo and Copenhagen

2007-06-29T12:06:17Z

Johann will play 3 concerts in July. He will play two concerts with his trio, featuring Hildur Ingveldardottir-Gudnadottir on cello and Matthias Hemstock on percussion and programming in Miraikan Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Tokyo on July 10th and 11th. On July 13th, Johann will play a concert with his 6 piece band in Copenhagen's Pressen venue, as a part of Copenhagen Jazz Festival. Playing with Johann are: Matthias Hemstock percussion & electronics, Una Sveinbjarnardottir violin, Greta Gudnadottir violin, Gudmundur Kristmundsson viola, Hrafnkell Orri Egilsson cello, Johann Johannsson organ & electronics.

Johann is currently recording his new album in Iceland, which is planned for release in early 2008.

New video posted in the audiovisual section

2007-03-22T00:24:38Z

Magnus Helgason has made a new promo for IBM 1401 Part I- IBM 1401 Processing Unit. Watch it here.

Collaboration with Monade

2007-03-04T18:13:15Z

Monade (Laetitia Sadier from Stereolab's solo project) will collaborate with Johann for a special concert in Iceland on March 29th. More information here.

New IBM 1401 and Mysteries of Love dates

2007-03-04T17:49:19Z

New dates have been added for Johann's collaborations with the dancer and choreographer Erna Omarsdottir.

Mysteries of Love.

April 12th-14th - Tanzquartier, Vienna May 3rd - Reykjavik National Theater May 5th - Bristol May 10th, 11th & 12th - Glasgow June 2nd - Nottingham June 8th and 9th - London

IBM 1401, a Userｴs Manual

June 3rd - Wales June 5th - Cardiff