A composer from Mosfellsbær, Iceland.
Neoclassical. Electronic. Stratus.
One song per day, recorded at home. No studio, no separation between life and work. The sound of a composer in his element — imperfect, intimate, irreplaceable. Each piece was written, performed, and filmed within a single day in the living room of his home in Mosfellsbær.
with Janus Rasmussen
The electronic duo with Faroese musician Janus Rasmussen. Their long-awaited second album II arrived in July 2024 on Erased Tapes — a decade after their debut. Whisper-quiet ambience to explosive dance beats. A phoenix rising from the ashes.
Seven locations across Iceland over seven weeks. Seven different collaborators — from brass trios to chamber choirs to Nanna Bryndís of Of Monsters and Men. Each track released weekly as audio and film, a journey through the landscape that shaped the sound.
The Stratus Pianos
Two self-playing, semi-generative pianos triggered by a central piano. Custom software by Halldór Eldjárn generates unexpected harmonies and melodic sequences. The algorithms also created the album artwork — each dot corresponds to a note in the title track.
Recorded during the pandemic with appearances from Bonobo, Josin, and JFDR. Grammy-nominated for "Loom" and "The Bottom Line." An album about letting go. About finding peace not in certainty but in the acceptance of uncertainty.
with Alice Sara Ott
Reinterpretations of Frédéric Chopin with pianist Alice Sara Ott. Ólafur wraps Chopin's preludes and nocturnes in Icelandic air — strings, electronics, and the memory of a different landscape. The past reimagined through the present.
A travelling festival series, record label, and community hub for creators, thinkers, and art lovers. Born from pandemic-era online connections and launched at Silent Green in Berlin. A space for the in-between.
Typeset in Cormorant Garamond.
Composed at the bench.
© MMXXVI