The belief that music, at its most vital, knows no borders: Icelandic record label/collective Bedroom Community is 20

Nico Muhly, Valgeir Sigurðsson, & Ben Frost in Reykjavík in 2007 (Photo: Bedroom Community)

Icelandic record label/collective Bedroom Community is 20 this year. Founded in Reykjavík in 2006 by Icelandic composer and producer Valgeir Sigurðsson, together with American composer Nico Muhly and Australian-Icelandic producer Ben Frost, it reminagined how could be created, recorded, and shared with the world.

Valgeir Sigurðsson spent eight years as the studio right-hand to Iceland’s art-pop icon Björk. Ben Frost describes how he “spent unholy amounts of time alone in a bedroom in Australia making highly questionable music when I met Valgeir in the year 2000.” Starting with just a laptop and headphones, exploratory spirit and experimental process led to a desire to dissolve the borders between classical and electronic, tradition and technology, the concert hall and the bedroom.

“The record that opened the room” was Nico Muhly’s Speaks Volumes, seven pieces produced and mixed by Valgeir Sigurðsson. Close-miked strings, piano, electronics and charged silence.

Since then the label has nurtured works by Daníel Bjarnason, Sam Amidon, Lyra Pramuk, Nadia Sirota, Manchester Collective, aYia, Emily Hall, Liam Byrne, 404.zero, James McVinnie, Sam Slater, Gabriella Smith, Isabelle Lewis and Daniel Pioro among others [see website for more].

Read more on Bedroom Community’s website. Listen to Nico Muhly’s Speaks Volumes on BandCamp.