Samaris

Samaris is an unconventional combination. Its a band that consists of a clarinet player (Áslaug Rún Magnúsdóttir), a singer (Jófríður Ákadóttir) and an electronic musician (Þórður Kári Steinþórsson). Together they play eccentric downtempo electronica/triphop. Their sound is filled with space, atmosphere and maybe even a little melancholia. All songs feature lyrics which come from classic Icelandic poems, and gain pristine new life with Jófríður’s alluring voice. The band was formed in January 2011 and only few months later they won Músíktilraunir (the Icelandic ‘Battle of the Bands’, past winners include the likes of Of Monsters and Men). The win was followed by a self released EP called ‘Hljóma Þú’ which immediately raised great attention in their native country, and earned them the Kraumur Award in 2011. Again, the band self released an EP in 2012, titled ‘Stofnar falla’. The album was recorded in the Sundlaugin studio – which is most notable for being the studio where Sigur Rós record most of their music – and was co-recorded by Gunnar Tynes of múm.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of artist