Einar Örn Benediktsson

Einar Örn Benediktsson (Reykjavik, Iceland, October 29, 1962) is a graduate in communication sciences, singer and trumpeter.

Biography

Einar's artistic career began on March 8, 1981, with the official birth of Purrkur Pillnikk, an avant-garde punk group led by him along with Ásgeir Ragnar Bragason, Bragi Ólafsson and Friðrik Erlingsson. During his tenure, Purrkur achieved great prestige through performances in Iceland and the rest of Europe.

The first release was Tilf, in April 1981. This EP also gave the official baptism of the Gramm Records label, managed by Einar himself together with his friend Ásmundur Jónsson. Tilf was followed by Ekki Enn in August of the same year, and in 1982 they released two more albums: Googooplex in February, No Time to Think in September, and Maskínan in 1983. The latter is made up of songs corresponding to the presentations between the start date and the official termination of the group, on August 28, 1982. All records were released through Gramm Records.

In 1983 Einar Örn met Björk when a DJ was leaving his radio job and to say goodbye he brought together avant-garde artists from Iceland including Einar Arnaldur Melax and Þeyr Guðlaugur members Kristinn Óttarsson, Sigtryggur Baldursson, and Birgir Mogensen from the group Með Noktum, and finally Björk who was at Tappi Tíkarrass at the time. After composing and rehearsing for two weeks, they introduced themselves as KUKL ("Sorcerer" in Icelandic).

Although KUKL's style was a type of dark gothic rock in the vein of Killing Joke and avant-garde references to The Fall's after-punk, it was later defined by Björk as "existential jazz-punk-hardcore".

While touring in Iceland they performed with Crass, and later visited the UK for a series of performances with Flux of Pinks Indians. KUKL produced The Eye in 1984.

The Eye was followed by Holidays in Europe (The Naughty Nought) in 1986 which, like the previous record, was released through Crass Records.

During the time of KUKL, Einar Örn lived in Stoke Newington, England to study at the Polytechnic of Central London. By this time Björk had been dating guitarist Þór Eldon Jónsson and she was pregnant, so KUKL and the endless traveling all over Europe became a very intense task. The band separates with the arrival of Einar in Reykjavík, who after obtaining a bachelor's degree in communication sciences decides that it was time to create a slightly more commercial group to take off financially. That was how in the boreal summer of 1986 several members of the band gave rise to the formation of Smekkleysa, a name that later changed to its English version Bad Taste (Bad Taste). It was a countercultural record label that encouraged the artistic work of young Icelanders.

On June 8, 1986, Björk gave birth to Sindri Eldon Þórsson, a date that is also cited as the official birth of Sykurmolarnir, which would eventually be translated into its English equivalent: The Sugarcubes. The Sugarcubes' style of music had a more commercial focus than previous bands, because according to Einar money was needed to cover expenses.

The only members of KUKL not to continue with the group, were Gulli Óttarsson and Birgir Mogensen, in this way, The Sugarcubes was formed as follows: Einar Örn, as vocalist and trumpeter, Björk as vocalist, Siggi Baldursson in drums, Einar Melax on keyboards, Friðrik Erlingsson on guitar, Þór Eldon also on guitar and Bragi Ólafsson on bass; Einar Melax would later be replaced by Margrét Örnólfsdóttir on keyboards, Þór Eldon's girlfriend after splitting with Björk.

The Sugarcubes' first single Amæli (Birthday, in its English version), became a huge hit in England. In this way they gained significant popularity in the United Kingdom and the United States and offers from record companies began to arrive. The band then signed to One Little Indian and recorded their first album, Life's Too Good, an album that brought them worldwide fame - the first Icelandic band to achieve such success.

At that time, the press was shocked by the news of Einar Örn's marriage to his partner Bragi Ólafsson, bassist of the Sugarcubes. The news arose from a conversation between Einar and Bragi in a restaurant in Copenhagen, Denmark, while they were on tour: “It was autumn and one gets a little melancholy. I suggested that a good friendship is when you have friends and don't argue or fight with them. Like a good marriage. I found out that Bragi and I had been friends for over a decade and we never argued. The perfect friendship and marriage by my definition was to be taken seriously. It also happened that Denmark had just passed the law by which people of the same sex could marry. We were in Denmark. So hey! why not get married? It would only take a little explanation for our girlfriends, for me and for Bragi when we got married. But, the idea was drowned in a saki bottle."

The next morning, on his way to Stockholm, Scott Rodger sent a fax to the One Little Indian press office and the news spread to all media outlets. Even today, many music publications mention this fact as true, citing that Einar and Bragi are the first homosexual couple in the pop world, when in fact, they had girlfriends, both of the same name, Sigrun.

In 1989 they released their second album called Here Today, Tomorrow, Next Week!, an album that received the worst reviews attributed, in large part, to the constant meddling of Einar Örn. On Here Today, Tomorrow, Next Week!, the Sugarcubes do not explore new paths and simply let themselves be carried away by the success achieved in their first album, which is why the press points to the stagnation of the band.

The success of the Sugarcubes was waning and meanwhile, Björk was involved in other additional projects.

In 1992 the Sugarcubes released Stick Around for Joy, an album with a more accentuated inclination towards pop and less experimental, making it the most important album in terms of sales, but despite the success achieved, tensions rose between Einar Örn and Björk and by the end of that year, a remix album titled It's-It was released, the last release before the band broke up.. Each member followed a different path, with Björk's career as a solo artist being the most successful.

After the Sugarcubes, Einar Örn became a concert promoter in Iceland for the company Icelandic Nuclear Industries, managing to bring important groups like Blur, among others.

Later, he wrote a newspaper column titled “Close Encounters (About Daily Life in Reykjavík),” continued promoting records for Bad Taste, and later worked as a bartender. “I was discovering other things, like family life. He wanted music to be a hobby again." He also dedicated himself to poetry and composing songs for other artists.

In 1992 he made a recording with Felix Award winner Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson (HÖH) and they released an album called Frostbite on the One Little Indian label. She also worked for concert promotion: two performances by Björk, The Prodigy, Fugues, and Massive Attack and co-founded Reykjavik's first internet cafe, The Siberia Café: “We were the first. Those who knew what it was about preferred to hack the Internet from their homes.”

She later worked for the Reykjavik Art Festival and in 1997 moved to London to create websites for One Little Indian: “I saw this space, which I was able to fill. It's always good to have a new perspective."

He later recorded again with Hilmarsson and Sugarcubes drummer Siggi Baldursson in a band known as Grindverk. According to him, he said in an interview: “It's danceable music for people who don't know how to dance. It's probably instrumental too. It's not because people have criticized me, it's just that I don't think I've written anything that I want to sing.” Grindverk released an album titled Gesundheit Von K through FatCat Records. “I am waiting to see if the opportunity arises. Remember that the Sugarcubes were not scripted. Of course, I am older now, but I would treat the occasion with the same passion!”

On December 8, 2003, Einar Örn released his first solo album titled Ghostigital. An electronic/hip-hop style work that includes remixes by Curver, Gusgus, Exos, NLO and Eob/Bibbi. With the album, Einar has managed to resume the good reviews and made several presentations promoting his work in Iceland and Europe with the group PONI in 2004.

Circa February 2005 Einar appears on Björk's single Trumph Of The Heart where he appears on the second album in the “Audition Mix” version.

Discography

Purrkur Pillnikk discography (1981-1982)

Singles:

• 1981 - Tilf (Gramm)
• 1982 - No Time to Think (Gramm)

Albums:

• 1981 - Ekki Enn (Gramm)
• 1982 - Googooplex (Gramm)
• 1983 - Maskinan (Gramm)

Other releases:

• 2002 - I Augun Utí (Smekleysa), compiled (2 CDs).

Appearances:

• 1981 - Northern Lights Playhouse (Steinar Music), Icelandic compiled.
• 1982 - Rokk í Reykjavík (Smekleysa), compiled concert - (reedit: 1996, Bad Taste).
• 1987 - Geyser - Anthology of the Icelandic Independent Music Scene of the Eighties (Smekleysa), Icelandic compiled.

KUKL discography (1983-1986)

Single:

• 1983 - Söngull (Gramm)

Albums:

• 1984 - The Eye (Crass Records)
• 1984 - KUKL to Paris 18.9.84 (V.I.S.A.)
• 1986 - Holidays in Europe (The Naughty Nought) (Crass Records)

Appearances and collaborations:

• 1987 - Geyser - Anthology of the Icelandic Independent Music Scene of the Eighties (Enigma Records), compiled.
• 2002 - Family Tree (One Little Indian), Björk CD box.

The Sugarcubes discography (1986-1992)

Albums:

• 1988 - Life's Too Good (Elektra Records)
• 1989 - Here Today, Tomorrow, Next Week! (Elektra Records)
• 1992 - Stick Around for Joy (Elektra Records)
• 1992 - It's-It (Elektra Records)

Singles:

• 1986 - Einn Mol'á Mann (Smekkleysa), under the name Sykurmolarnir.

From Life's Too Good:

• 1987 - Birthday (Elektra Records)
• 1988 - Coldsweat (Elektra Records)
• 1988 - Deus (Elektra Records)
• 1988 - Motorcrash (Elektra Records)

From Here Today, Tomorrow, Next Week!:

• 1989 - Regina (Elektra Records)
• 1989 - 12.11 (Elektra Records)
• 1989 - 7.8 (Elektra Records)
• 1989 - CD.6 (Elektra Records)
• 1989 - Tidal Wave (Elektra Records)
• 1990 - Planet (Elektra Records)

From Stick Around for Joy:

• 1991 - Hit (Elektra Records)
• 1992 - Walkabout (Elektra Records)
• 1992 - Vitamin (Elektra Records)
• 1992 - Leash Called Love (Elektra Records)

Collaborations:

• 1987 - Snarl 2 (Erðanumúsik), compiled Icelandic. Participation under the name Sykurmolarnir.
• 1987 - Luftgítar (Smekleysa), Johny Triumph's album.
• 1987 - Skytturnar (Gramm), soundtrack: see Skytturnar (film).
• 1988 - One Little Indian - Greatest Hits Volume One (One Little Indian), big hits (volumen 1) from the One Little Indian label.
• 1990 - Hættuleg Hljómsveit " Glæpakvendið Stella (Megas), Megas album.
• 1990 - World Domination or Death Volume 1 (Elektra Records), compiled.
• 1990 - One Little Indian - Greatest Hits Volume Two (One Little Indian), big hits (volumen 2) from the One Little Indian label.
• 1990 - Rubáiyát - Elektra's 40th Anniversary (Elektra Records), compiled anniversary of Elektra Records.
• 1993 - Welcome to the Future (One Little Indian), compiled.

Other releases:

• 1988 - Sugarcubes Interview Disc (Baktabak)
• 1998 - The Great Crossover Potential (One Little Indian)
• 1998 - Avengers (Soundtrack) (WEA/ATLANTIC)
• 1998 - Music Inspired by the Motion Picture: The Avengers (BIG EAR)

DVD/VHS

• 1990 - The Video (Polygram)
• 1992 - To Guðs Vegum (Smekleysa)
• 1992 - Murder and Killing in Hell (Windsong International Video)
• 2004 - The Sugarcubes - the DVD (One Little Indian)
• 2004 - The Sugarcubes - Live Zavor (One Little Indian)

Frostbite Discography

• 1993 - The Second Coming (One Llittle Indian)

Grindverk discography

• 1999 - Gesundheit von K (FatCat Records)

Einar Örn as soloist (2003-present)

• 2003 - Ghostigital (Honest Jons Records)

Einar Örn's collaborations:

• 198? No Pain (Gramm), album by Ornamental.
• 1995 - Post (One Little Indian), album by Björk.
• 2005 - Who Is It (One Little Indian), simple album Medulla Björk.

DVD/VHS

• 1990 - The Video (Polygram)
• 1992 - To Guðs Vegum (Smekleysa)
• 1992 - Murder and Killing in Hell (Windsong International Video)
• 2004 - The Sugarcubes - the DVD (One Little Indian)
• 2004 - The Sugarcubes - Live Zavor (One Little Indian)

Related bibliography

• Alternative Rock: Third Ear - The Essential Listening CompanionDave Thimpson. Backbeat Books (2000).
• Lobster or FameDave Thimpson. Bad Taste (2000).