New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Jónsi joins frequent Sigur Rós collaborators/producers, Alex Somers and Paul Corley, in a 12-hour Liminal DJ takeover of NTS Los Angeles from noon to midnight (PST) on May 8th. Timed to coincide with the latest in a series of live soundbaths under the banner 'Liminal' at the Marciano Art Foundation in LA the next day (May 9), the marathon broadcasting stint is expected to focus on Jónsi, Alex, and Paul's long and enduring interest in ambient music, although, as Paul says, "there will be some ambient music that has beats...and some beaty music that isn't ambient."
"Sigur Rós played live a lot during the last two years," says frontman Jónsi. "And inevitably you end up playing the rockier, more focussed songs, which means that loads of other stuff gets ignored. 'Liminal' tries to do something different. It's just me, Paul and Alex in a dark room manipulating and mucking around with recordings, FX and vocals. We play and sing sparsely and focus on the atmosphere coming together. There's a sound-reactive light sculpture and everyone can sit or lie down. It's all very cosy and people seem to like it."
Liminal sees Sigur Rós as an eco-system. It identifies the connections and blurs the boundaries between work done and work to come; between brand new music and ideas barely yet nascent; between songs written 20 years ago and collaborations to be made tomorrow. In bringing together these collaborations and commissions - for choreographers, bleeding-edge tech ventures and visual artists - with solo work and remixes, film score, AI and generative music, as well as the work of close friends and associates in the wider Sigur Rós 'family', Liminal aims to take the listener to a hinterland, to the threshold of a place neither nor there; a "liminal" space.
This ethos will form the template for the extended NTS broadcast, although listeners can also expect insights into Jónsi & Alex's home listening - almost exclusively dead people - their mutual fascination with (inner and outer) space and distortion, Paul Corley's 'dream sequence collages', field recordings and the occasional curveball.
Sigur Rós 'Liminal' Takeover with Jónsi, Alex Somers & Paul Corley will be live on NTS's LA button from 12 noon to 12 midnight on Tues May 8, and available globally via www.nts.live. The entire 12 hours will be archived on the NTS site thereafter.
Forthcoming Liminal soundbaths:
May 9 Marciano Foundsation (sold out)
May 12 FORM Arcosanti, Arizona
June 20-22 Robert Smith's Meltdown, Front Room, QEH, London
More Liminal soundbath events are being arranged for
Europe and
America for the Summer.
Sigur Rós have always incorporated ambient elements into their releases from the band's earliest recordings more than 20 years ago. Jónsi & Alex released the quiet storm of their celebrated 'Riceboy Sleeps' album in 2009. Alex Somers is a producer, musician and soundtrack composer, most recently working on
Black Mirror, Hang the DJ, and the score to
Captain Fantastic. Paul Corley is a musician and producer, who became musical director on Sigur Rós's recent touring, has collaborated with Johann Johansson and Tim Hecker, and is a member of the Bedroom Community label.
FOR MORE INFO www.nts.live https://sigur-ros.co.uk/
