Iceland review - 2016, Side 40

MANY
BRANCHES
MAKE
THE TREE
38 ICELAND REVIEW
Many electronic musicians work
hard all their lives to make
whatever circuits they’re
working with—or programs, or com-
puters—become an extension of their
own neural network or nervous system,”
says emerging electronic musician Úlfur
Hansson, who just finished recording his
third studio album Arborescence, due for
release early next year.
COLLABORATION IS KEY
Arborescence emerged from an orchestral
commission from Philharmonique Radio
France, Úlfur explains. “The point of
this album is to bring together many ele-
ments—the orchestral world, electronic
and instrumental improvisation, black
and death metal—and let these things
coexist and branch out.” The title of the
album in fact means ‘branching out.’
The recording was made in Brooklyn
Rachel Mercer speaks with Icelandic electronic
composer, musician and sound artist Úlfur Hansson
about multilayered music and the process behind his
forthcoming album, Arborescence.
PHOTOS BY PÁLL STEFÁNSSON.
and Reykjavík, under the auspices of
Seattle-based producer Randall Dunn,
and involved participation by a host of
musicians, including Gyða Valtýsdóttir
of múm, composer and musician Shahzad
Ismaily, who has previously worked with
an array of artists, among them Laurie
Anderson and Lou Reed, Alex Somers of
Jónsi & Alex, Greg Fox of Liturgy and
Guardian Alien, harpist Zeena Parkins,
and bassist Skúli Sverrisson, who has
previously worked with Blonde Redhead.
“It’s not a solo endeavor,” says Úlfur,
referring to the recording process. “So
many amazingly brilliant and talented
people brought their skills and knowl-
edge to the table.”
Úlfur recently completed a Master’s
degree in electronic composition at Mills
College in California and now lives in
Brooklyn, New York, with his family. He
first began experimenting with music
programming software in his teens and