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Valgeir Sigurðsson

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Valgeir Sigurðsson
Valgeir Sigurðsson performing at PopTech in Reykjavík, Iceland in 2012
Background information
Born (1971-06-18) 18 June 1971 (age 53)
OriginIceland
GenresElectronic, experimental, alternative, soundtrack
Occupation(s)Producer, composer, musician, audio engineer
LabelsBedroom Community
WebsiteOfficial Website

Valgeir Sigurðsson (born 18 June 1971) is an Icelandic record producer, mixer, composer, audio engineer and musician.[1]

Biography

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Coming from a musical background, Valgeir's fascination with recording technology led to a job in a small recording studio at the age of 16. He plays keyboards, bass, percussion, electronics/programming and studied classical guitar, graduating with a Tonmeister degree from London's SAE Institute. In 1998 Valgeir was hired by fellow countrywoman Björk as engineer and programmer on the soundtrack for Lars von Trier's Dancer in the Dark. A song from the film, I've Seen It All (a duet with Radiohead's Thom Yorke) was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song but lost to Bob Dylan's Things Have Changed. Valgeir created the distinctive train-rhythm that runs through the song. His working relationship with Björk continued beyond the film project and was consistent from early 1998 until 2006, during which time Valgeir was one of her main studio collaborators.

Valgeir is the founder of Greenhouse Studios, Iceland's top recording facility established in 1997, where in addition to Björk, he has collaborated with artists such as Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Feist, Damon Albarn, Camille, CocoRosie, Ben Frost, Sam Amidon, múm, Hilary Hahn & Hauschka, Brian Eno, Sigur Rós, Emel Mathlouthi,[2] and many others. In 2005 he founded the Bedroom Community record label launching the recording career of Nico Muhly and producing and releasing albums by Ben Frost and Sam Amidon. He has composed music for TV, film and theatre and his debut solo album Ekvílibríum was released by Bedroom Community in 2007, followed by a release of his soundtrack for Dreamland (Draumalandið) in 2009. The score of Dreamland was performed live in 2011 by the Iceland Symphony Orchestra by the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra in 2012, and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Ilan Volkov, in 2013. His first conventional classical commission, Nebraska Quartet was premiered by the Chiara String Quartet at the Lincoln Center during NYC's Ecstatic Music Festival in 2011. Valgeir's third LP Architecture of Loss was released in September 2012 to critical acclaim. Ghosts, for chamber ensemble, was the result of a commission the Crash Ensemble, and launched in Dublin in November 2013. The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and Alexander Mickelthwate premiered Eighteen Hundred and Seventy-Five, for orchestra and electronics, as part of its annual New Music Festival in January 2014.

Selected works

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Stage works

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  • Green Aria (co-composed with Nico Muhly), for chamber orchestra and electronics, 2009
  • Architecture of Loss, ballet for chamber ensemble of 3 players and electronics, 2012
  • Wide Slumber for lepidopterists music-theatre piece for 3 singers, 4 musicians and electronics, 2014
  • Woman Undone, music-theatre work for five singers/instrumentalists, 2018

Orchestral

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  • Dreamland for large orchestra and electronics, 2011
  • Dreamland for chamber orchestra and optional electronics, 2013
  • Eighteen Hundred and Seventy-Five for orchestra and electronics, 2013
  • No Nights Dark Enough for chamber orchestra and electronics, 2014

Ensemble

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  • Past Tundra for chamber ensemble of 9 players with electronics, 2011
  • Nebraska for string quartet, 2011
  • Architecture of Loss, ballet for chamber ensemble of 3 players and electronics, 2012
  • Ghosts, for chamber ensemble of 10 players with electronics, 2013
  • The Crumbling (from Architecture of Loss), for chamber ensemble of 6 players, 2014
  • Raindamage, for string trio and electronics, 2014
  • Dissonance, for viola da gamba and electronics, 2014
  • Veej, for chamber ensemble of 18 players, 2015
  • For Love of Her (do but kill me), for voice, chamber ensemble of 10 players and electronics, 2015
  • Remnant, for viola and electronics, 2018
  • Dust, for violin and electronics, 2018

Electronics Only

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  • Antigravity, electronic track, 2016

Discography

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Solo

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Year Album Credits
2007 Ekvílibríum Composer, Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Programming, Various Instruments
2010 Draumalandið Composer, Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Programming, Various Instruments
2012 Architecture of Loss Composer, Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Programming, Various Instruments
2017 Dissonance Composer, Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Programming, Various Instruments

Production

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Year Artist Album Credits
2017 Emel Mathlouthi Ensen Producer
2015 GABI Sympathy Mastering
2014 Sam Amidon Lily-O Producer
2014 Rhob Cunningham The Window and Day Producer, Mixing, Roland SH101, Percussion, Wurlitzer
2013 Tim Hecker Virgins Mixing, Keyboards
2013 Sigur Rós Kveikur Engineer
2013 Daníel Bjarnason Over Light Earth Producer, Mixing, Mastering, Electronics
2013 CocoRosie Tales of a GrassWidow Producer, Engineer, Beat Programming
2013 Michael Wookey Submarine Dreams Mastering
2013 Ben Frost / Valgeir Sigurðsson / Nico Muhly / Sam Amidon Everything Everywhere All The Time / Whale Watching Tour Producer, Mixing, Mastering
2013 Nadia Sirota Baroque Producer, Mixing, Mastering, Programming, Synthesizer
2013 James McVinnie Cycles Producer, Mixing, Mastering
2012 Damon Albarn Dr Dee Mixing
2012 Sigur Rós Valtari Engineer
2012 Hilary Hahn & Hauschka Silfra Producer, Engineer, Mixing
2012 Nico Muhly Drones Producer, Mixing, Mastering
2012 Paul Corley Disquiet Mixing, Mastering
2012 Mr. Fogg Eleven Producer, Engineer, Mixing
2012 Alarm Will Sound Canzonas Americanas Mastering
2012 Eighth Blackbird Lonely Motel: Music from Slide Mastering
2012 yMusic Beautiful Mechanical Mastering
2011 Ben Frost & Daníel Bjarnason SÓLARIS Producer, Engineer, Mixing
2011 Kronos Quartet / Kimmo Pohjonen / Samuli Kosminen Uniko Producer, Engineer, Mixing
2011 Puzzle Muteson En Garde Producer, Mixing, Mastering, Electronics, Percussion
2011 Feist Metals Co-Producer, Additional Horn Arrangements
2011 Erica Mou È Producer
2010 The Magic Numbers The Runaway Producer, Programming
2010 Moddi Floriography Producer
2010 Wildbirds & Peacedrums Retina Mixing
2010 Wildbirds & Peacedrums Iris Mixing
2010 Sam Amidon I See The Sign Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Mastering, Bass, Percussion
2010 Daníel Bjarnason Processions Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Mastering, Programming
2010 Mr Fogg Moving Parts Producer, Mixing
2009 Ben Frost By The Throat Producer, Mastering, Guitar
2009 Aaron Thomas Made of Wood Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Percussion
2009 Hildur Ingveldardóttir Guðnadóttir Without Sinking Mixing
2009 Dan Michaelson & The Coastgrds Saltwater Producer
2008 Nico Muhly Mothertongue Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Programming, Bass Guitar, Mastering
2008 Sam Amidon All Is Well Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Programming, Bass Guitar, Percussion, Mastering
2008 Camille Music Hole Engineer, Mixing
2008 Ane Brun Changing of the Seasons Producer, Engineer, Mixing
2008 Call me Kat I'm In A Polariod, Where Are You? Mixing, Mastering
2008 Helgi Hrafn Jónsson For The Rest Of My Childhood Engineer, Mixing
2008 Motion Boys Hang On Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Mastering
2008 Sprengjuhöllin Bestu kveðjur Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Mastering
2008 Oren Lavie The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (soundtrack) Producer, Engineer, Mixing,
2007 CocoRosie The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Programming
2007 Maps We Can Create Producer, Engineer, Programming
2007 Ben Frost Theory Of Machines Engineer, Mixing, Mastering
2007 Kate Nash Caroline's A Victim Producer, Engineer, Mixing
2007 Sprengjuhöllin Tímarnir okkar Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Mastering
2007 Stars Like Fleas The Ken Burns Effect Mastering Engineer
2007 Hildur Ingveldardóttir Guðnadóttir Lost In Hildurness Mixing
2007 Njúton Roto con moto Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Mastering
2006 Bonnie 'Prince' Billy The Letting Go Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Mastering
2006 Nico Muhly Speaks Volumes Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Programming, Mastering
2006 Kate Havnevik Melankton Composer, Co-Producer, Engineer, Mixing
2006 Reykjavík! Glacial Landscapes, Religion, Oppression and Alcohol... Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Mastering
2005 Björk Drawing Restraint 9 Co-Producer, Engineer, Programming, Keyboards
2004 Björk Medúlla Engineer, Programmer
2003 Björk Live Box Engineer, Mixing
2003 Machine Translations Love On The Vine Composer, Producer, Engineer, Mixing
2002 Howie B and Húbert Nói Music for Astronauts and Cosmonauts Engineer
2002 Björk Family Tree Engineer, Mixing
2002 Slowblow Nói Albínói, Original Soundtrack Engineer, Mixing
2001 Björk Vespertine Engineer, Programmer
2001 Múm Finally We Are No One Producer, Engineer, Mixing
2001 Egill S Tonk Of The Lawn Producer, Engineer, Mixing
2001 Quarashi Kristnihald undir Jökli Engineer, Mixing
2001 Megas Far… Þinn Veg Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Programmer
2000 Björk Selmasongs Engineer, Programmer
1988 Magga Stína An Album Producer, Engineer, Programmer
1988 Unun Ótta Producer, Engineer, Keyboards, Programmer

Film and TV

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Year Tile Director Credits
2009 Dreamland
(Icelandic: Draumalandið)
Þorfinnur Guðnason
Andri Snær Magnason
Composer, Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Programming, Keyboards, Percussion
2008 Mannaveiðar Björn B Björnsson Composer, Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Programming, Keyboards
2005 Drawing Restraint 9 Matthew Barney Composer, Co-Producer, Engineer, Programming, Keyboards
2001 Dramarama
(Icelandic: Villiljós)
Dagur Kári Pétursson, Ragnar Bragason, Inga Lísa Middleton, Composer, Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Programming, Various Instruments
2000 Being John Malkovich Spike Jonze Co-Producer, Engineer, Programming

Other

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  • Green Aria Music composed by Valgeir Sigurðsson and Nico Muhly for Scent Opera. Guggenheim Museum, NYC, 2009.

References

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  1. ^ O'Dair, Marcus (2015-08-17). Different Every Time: The Authorized Biography of Robert Wyatt. Counterpoint LLC. pp. 296–. ISBN 9781619026766. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  2. ^ Tsioulcas, Anastasia (8 November 2018). "Emel Mathlouthi Is The 21st Century's Catalyst For Change". npr.org. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
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