Days earlier than the discharge of the Fossora single “Ovule” (the music video for which finds her reunited with Nick Knight), GQ talked to Oddný Eir and Ásmundur Jónsson—through video name from Reykjavik—about Sonic Symbolism, rising up in Iceland and the magic of previous friendship.
GQ: The sequence begins with Björk telling this story about being eight years previous, strolling to high school in harsh climate and studying to sing towards the weather. It is such an awesome story, and I believe says a lot about her as a singer and an artist. I am curious, rising up in Reykjavík, did you may have an analogous expertise?
Ásmundur: I did at all times stroll to high school, sure. I believe most youngsters did. However I used to be not singing. [Laughs] However sure, I bear in mind the climate and the circumstances that she was describing within the interview.
Oddný: Yeah, me too. We permit our kids to go alone very early. They go fairly an extended distance alone or in teams of simply kids. The adjustments of the climate are so sudden right here in Reykjavík. So you may have like 10 completely different weathers on daily basis. However yeah, I used to be not singing. I believe what she’s describing, her going alone, is singing as a survival mechanism.
You met Björk in fairly other ways, proper? Oddný, I do know you met whereas engaged on nature conservation tasks, whereas, Ásmundur, you met her at a report retailer. Are you able to inform me concerning the first time you met her?
Ásmundur: We met throughout the time once I, with a number of different individuals, had created this report label referred to as Gramm Information within the early ’80s. Björk was in a number of bands then, and we had been beginning to launch [music that] was taking place in Reykjavik at the moment. Some youngsters that had been really in bands simply got here to hang around on the retailer and she or he began to work on the retailer. She was doing every kind of various issues that had been wanted to run the shop—like washing flooring—and I believe she actually loved taking part on this. So I’ve labored along with her for 35 years or one thing like that.
Oddný: Truly, what Ásmundur can’t say himself is that he is really the pioneer. He made the Icelandic music scene—not singlehandedly, however as a result of it is a younger, small group, it’s a must to do a variety of it your self. He actually had the one store that might promote one thing progressive. In some way, Björk and others, they one way or the other grouped round him. As I noticed it, they had been collectively one way or the other, a gaggle of individuals making—not solely engaged on—the scene. The scene had not existed.
Ásmundur: We ultimately began to work nearer collectively. I used to be working this radio present for 10 years with a buddy of mine from ’73 to ’83. For the final present, we requested a few of the musicians that we had been working with to type a gaggle and carry out on this program. At that time, they determined to name it Kukl. From there, we had been working very carefully collectively for the following three years till the band cut up up they usually fashioned the Sugarcubes.
