Reykjavík Grapevine - 15.07.2016, Blaðsíða 40

Kormákur Jarl Gunnarson is the
electronic mastermind behind
Brilliantinus. In only a year he’s be-
come a prominent name in Reyk-
javík’s music scene, performing at
festivals including Secret Solstice,
Iceland Airwaves and Sónar. He is
currently producing Kött Grá Pjé’s
album, to be released later this
year, and will be putting out his
own solo album ‘Brilliant In Us’
later this summer.
Kormákur has been involved
with music from a young age, start-
ing with a rock band in elemen-
tary school. However, after years
of listening to a lot of hip-hop, he
started experimenting with music
production. “I became so inspired
that I couldn’t help but try it out for
myself,” Kormákur says. “I started
putting sounds together and it’s
just been building up ever since.”
Kormákur says his surround-
ings, the environment he lives in
and the people he spends time
with inspire him. His songs can be
sweet and tender but also gloomy
and dark—it all depends on the
mood he’s in. He continues: “I am
inspired by all kinds of music of
course, but what inspires me most
are people and my experiences. All
my emotions are mixed into my
songs.”
Everything Kormákur creates
starts in his computer. He has a
small studio set up in his room,
with synths and a few instruments.
His desk is surrounded with al-
bums, including records by Future-
grapher and EinarIndra. To create
his music he uses environmental
sounds, different instruments and,
of course, his computer. “I think of
my music in sounds rather than
melodies,” Kormákur says. “I puz-
zle different sounds together to
create something beautiful.”
Kormákur takes his computer
with him wherever he goes. That
way, he can sit down and work
no matter where he is. “I’ve often
blamed school because I feel I nev-
er really have time to create, be-
cause of it,” he says “However, I use
all of my free time, including lunch
break at school, to work and if I’m
in the zone I’ll keep on going and
even skip class to do so.” This fall
he will be able to fulfill his desire to
create by studying electronic mu-
sic performance and production in
Berlin.
Kormákur has gained much at-
tention, performing at various
festivals and collaborating with
artists such as EinarIndra and
Kött Grá Pjé, despite never having
released an album and only pub-
lishing his work to SoundCloud. “I
like keeping my music a bit under-
ground,” Kormákur says. “I think
it means I’m doing something
right if I don’t have to advertise
my work.” He explains that one of
his favourite things about being a
musician is performing in front of
a crowd and getting compliments
from people who’ve never heard of
him before.
Kormákur says he’d rather start
slowly and keep growing with time,
which is why he hasn’t been in a
rush to release an album: “I’ve been
evolving as a musician a lot lately
and releasing this album is my
next big step.”
’Brilliant In Us’ will be released later
this summer. In the meantime, make
sure to catch him at the Grapevine
Grassroots concert at Húrra, July 24.
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Brilliantinus And His Upcoming
Album, ‘Brilliant In Us’
Words & Photos HREFNA BJÖRG GYLFADÓTTIR
40The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 10 — 2016
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