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Einar Örn Benediktsson

Einar Örn Benediktsson

Einar Örn Benediktsson is a popular music singer and trumpet player from Iceland who has worked with Björk and The Sugarcubes. Einar wrote a newspaper column "Close Encounter" ("about daily life in Reykjavík"), plugged records for Bad Taste and worked as a bartender. Music went on the backburner: "I was discovering other things, like family life. I wanted to make music a hobby again." He recorded with Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson (HÖH) in 1992: "We were great friends who decided to make music for the hell of it, and it turned into a record" (Frostbite, on One Little Indian). He also worked in concert promotion (two Björk shows, The Prodigy, Fugees and Massive Attack) and co-founded Reykjavík's first cybercafe The Siberia Cafe: 'We were too early. Those who knew what it was all about preferred to do their Internet hacking at home." Worked for the Reykjavík Arts Festival before moving back to London in late 1997 to set up OLI's Web sites: "I saw this gap, which I could fill. It's always good to get a new perspective." He's recording again, with Hilmarsson and Sugarcubes drummer Siggi, as Grindverk. "It's dance music for people who cannot dance. It'll probably be instrumental too. It's not because people have criticised me, I just don't think I've written anything I want to sing." Grindverk released one record for FatCatRecords [http://www.fat-cat.co.uk] called Gesundheit Von K. As for a more permanent band, "I'm waiting to see if the occasion arises. The Sugarcubes wasn't scripted, remember. Of course, I'm older but I would treat the occasion with the same passion!" In December 2003 Einar Örn released his first solo record called Ghostigital, which in turn has now become his new musical project. The record has reveived positive critical acclaim. Benediktsson, Einar Örn Benediktsson, Einar Örn

Trumpet

The trumpet is the highest brass instrument in register, above the horn, trombone, euphonium, and tuba. A musician who plays the trumpet is called a trumpet player or trumpeter.

Construction

The trumpet is made of brass tubing bent into a rough spiral. Although the bore of the trumpet is said to be mostly cylindrical, it is formed from a complex series of tapers, the smallest being at the mouthpiece receiver, and the largest being at the throat of the bell, before the flare for the bell begins. Careful design of these tapers is critical to the intonation of the instrument. Sound is produced by blowing air through closed lips so as to produce a "buzzing" effect through vibration, which creates a standing wave of vibrating air and metal in the trumpet. The trumpet player can select the pitch from a range of overtones or harmonics by changing the air speed and lip tension. Valves change the length of the tubing, lowering the pitch of the instrument. Three valves make the trumpet fully chromatic, allowing the player to play in all keys. The sound is projected outward by the bell. The mouthpiece provides a comfortable receiver to allow the lips to play without touching the sharp and restricting edge of the trumpet's tube itself. The shape of the mouthpiece affects the timbre or quality of sound and the ease with which it can be played. Deeper cupped mouthpieces are best suited for expansive, lower-register orchestral performance, while shallow-cupped "pea-shooter" mouthpieces are used for the extreme high register passage (e.g. double high c). The rim diameter can be either big or small; a large rim allows for more assured striking of the notes, making it less likely for the player to split the note. A smaller rim improves endurance but decreases flexibility.

Relationship to other brass instruments

The trumpet is often confused with its similar-looking relative, the cornet, which like another relative, the flugelhorn, is more conical rather than cylindrical in the shape of the bore of the tubing. Cornets and flugelhorns have more mellow tones but are in the same pitch range as the trumpet. There are also piccolo trumpets, which are usually pitched in B♭ or A, one octave higher than a regular trumpet. There are also rotary-valve, or German, trumpets, as well as bass, alto and Baroque trumpets. The modern trumpet evolved from earlier non-valved instruments, such as the Baroque trumpet now used by original instruments ensembles, the cornett or cornetto (not to be confused with the modern cornet), and the Scandinavian lur.

Types of trumpets

lur The trumpet is by convention a transposing instrument, pitched in several keys relative to concert pitch. The most common is the B♭ trumpet, but C, D, E♭, E, F, G and A trumpets are also available. The C trumpet is most commonly used in orchestral playing, where its slightly smaller size gives it a brighter, more lively sound than the B♭ trumpet. In the orchestra, players of both B♭ trumpets and C trumpets need to know how to transpose because of the instrument's non-chromatic predecessor (before the advent of the valved trumpet, music was always written in C major and the trumpeter would adjust their instrument to the key of the music). The B♭ trumpet's typical range extends from the written F♯ (concert E) immediately below middle C, up to about three octaves higher. Standard repertoire rarely calls for notes beyond this range, and the fingering tables of most method books peak at the C (high C) two octaves above middle C. This is partly because notes in the higher register may be achieved with almost any fingering, as with so-called pedal tones in the octaves below the standard F♯. Several trumpeters have achieved fame for their proficiency in the extreme higher register of the instrument, among them Arturo Sandoval, Dizzy Gillespie, Bill Chase and Maynard Ferguson, who helped make well-known the term double high C to describe the next octave above high C. Trumpeters with great endurance and/or range are said to have impressive chops. chops The piccolo trumpet is built usually in B♭ and A with leadpipes for each key. G, F and even high C piccolo trumpets exist but are much less common. A smaller mouthpiece is used on a piccolo trumpet. The tone is metallic and clean. Because of the smaller mouthpiece size, the player's embouchure is affected much more severely than when playing a regular trumpet; endurance is often limited to very short periods of playing per day. Many piccolo trumpets have four valves instead of the usual three: the fourth valve takes the instrument down in pitch, usually but not always by a fourth, to allow the playing of lower notes which are otherwise hard to obtain on a three-valve instrument. Among its best-known proponents are Maurice Andre, Wynton Marsalis and Hakan Hardenberger. The bass trumpet is usually played by a trombone player, being at the same pitch and using a similar mouthpiece. The slide trumpet is a B♭ trumpet that has a slide instead of valves. It is very similar to a soprano trombone. The pocket trumpet is a compact B♭ trumpet. The bell is usually smaller than a standard B♭ trumpet, and the tubing is more tightly wound, to reduce the instrument size without reducing the total tube length. Because of their contorted shape, the intonation is severely hindered.

History

The first trumpets reputedly came from Egypt, and were primarily used for military purposes (Joshua's shofar, blown at the battle of Jericho, came from this tradition) like the bugle as we still know it, with different tunes corresponding to different instructions. In medieval times, trumpet playing was a guarded craft, its instruction occurring only within highly selective guilds. The trumpet players were often among the most heavily guarded members of a troop, as they were relied upon to relay instructions to other sections of the army. Eventually the trumpet's value for musical production was seen, particularly after the addition of valves, around the mid 1830s, and its use and instruction became much more widespread. Today, the trumpet is used in nearly all forms of music, including classical, jazz, rock, blues, pop, ska, polka and funk. Among the great modern trumpet players are Maurice André, Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Jon Faddis, Maynard Ferguson, Adolph "Bud" Herseth, Wynton Marsalis, Philip Smith, Joe Trusty, and Doc Severinsen. See 20th century brass instrumentalists for a more comprehensive list. 20th century brass instrumentalists

Instruction and method books

Perhaps the most well-known trumpet method is Jean-Baptiste Arban's Complete Conservatory Method for Trumpet (Cornet Or E-flat Alto, B-flat Tenor, Baritone, Euphonium and B-flat Bass in Treble Clef). Copies of the text can be purchased now (copyright 1982 by Carl Fisher, Inc.) but include much of the unmodified original text from the 1894 edition. Other well-known method books include those written by Herbert L. Clarke, Saint-Jacome, and Colin. A common method book for beginners is the "Walter Beeler Method", and there have been several fine instruction books written by virtuoso Allen Vizutti. The trumpet is not an instrument that is easily self taught. An instruction book can only give you general ideas. Trumpet students are encouraged to seek the advice of a skilled player/teacher, even if only for the first few lessons so they can avoid starting with poor technique habits.

Technique

Complete Conservatory Method for Trumpet (Cornet Or E-flat Alto, B-flat Tenor, Baritone, Euphonium and B-flat Bass in Treble Clef) As with all musical instruments, there are physical challenges to playing the trumpet. The knowledge of operating the instrument is called technique. Almost all aspects of technique are controversial, since different people have different problems to overcome, and different successes to celebrate. Several important aspects of technique: # Breathing properly (ABDOMINAL SUPPORT OF AIR). "This is one of the areas of brass playing that causes a great deal of confusion. Much discussion about the importance of the diaphragm has sent many a player down the road to confusion, inability, and bleeding lips. The upper part of the torso contains a large FAMILY of muscles that all have been designed to function in a teamwork fashion specially when we do something requiring FORCED EXHALATION, i.e., blowing out candles, spitting something out of our mouth, OR BLOWING ON A WIND INSTRUMENT. There are 3 layers of abdominal muscles from the groin to the sternum (breastplate); there are 2 layers of muscles (inner and outer) in between the ribs; there are back muscles from the lumbar region upward to the shoulders; there is the diaphragm just below the lung sacs; and there are muscles coming-down diagonally from behind the ear which connect to the top of the rib cage . When a person does a "forced exhalation", the entire family is activated as a "one- family" movement. They ALL simultaneously increase their tension levels in order to raise the internal compression level (PSI) in the lung chambers. This moves the air FASTER which is one of the first necessary things that must occur when a player moves "upward" in the register. The area that the player needs to become aware of is NOT in the diaphragm but in the center of the abdominal muscles, approximately near the navel. The body has a natural way of centering itself if you only just try to blow suddenly as if spitting a piece of rice or blowing out a candle. By learning to control the variance of tension, either isometric for holding a compression level or by tightening and relaxing the degrees of tension based upon what you are playing, one discovers that it is really the abdominal support that controls the air. This ab support certainly influences the diaphragm but it is NOT the diaphragm alone that moves the air. It is the FAMILY of muscles, all guided by the abdominal centering." (Bobby Shew) # Strengthening the embouchure (muscles of the face). Some commonly accepted ways to do this are: ##Lip slurs: playing exercises that change notes without changing the fingering. This forces all of the work to come from the facial and tongue muscles as well as changes in breathing. ##Tonguing exercises: playing exercises that have many notes started with a sharp definition produced by the tongue. ##Practicing on the mouthpiece: playing exercises on the mouthpiece only, without the trumpet. Without the resonating chamber of the rest of the instrument, the pitch may vary much more freely. To be able to play something requires development of control. Also, this may reduce the amount of pressure one can apply. ##Playing high: playing in the upper register, at the top of the player's comfortable range. This is an excellent way to increase one's range, as eventually the higher notes will become easier and the player can move on to progressively higher top notes. ##Reducing pressure. To play higher notes on the trumpet requires compression of the embouchure (the muscles of the face and lips), as well as air pressure to provide the energy for the vibration of the lips. One way to compress the lips is to press the mouthpiece firmly onto them, however this is counterproductive in the long run and is not an effective way of playing in the upper register. Blood cannot flow into the lips, so they become stiff and swollen, unable to vibrate. Also, the other muscles necessary to play without pressure are not sufficiently developed. # Avoiding bad habits. There are many bad habits that can develop while learning trumpet that can ultimately lead to slower improvement, a poorly developed sound, lessened endurance, or even pain. Common bad habits include pressing the mouthpiece to the lips (as explained above), uneven pressure (see Double buzz), inflating cheeks when blowing (although this is debatably a bad habit considering some of the greatest jazz trumpeters Dizzy Gillespie, Harry James, and Charlie Shavers were known for it), playing with poor posture, and closing the throat (tensing of the throat muscles, resulting in partially choking the air flow.). # Having too tense a posture is another bad habit . Producing notes becomes easier when the body, especially the embouchure and shoulders, are relaxed. Try not to extend the arms more than 90 degrees from the elbows. # Keeping neutral corners. Keep the corners of the mouth in a neutral position to avoid stretching or compressing the aperture too much. Pulling the corners back too much (into a smile) pushes the lips together thereby restricting vibration. Pushing them front too much pulls the lips apart too much, also restricting vibration. # Not resting the pressure of the mouthpiece evenly on both lips. One wants to find the ideal mouthpiece placement that allows maximum vibration. Experiment with different angles and positions until the best possible one for vibration is found. This position may vary in extreme registers.

Fingering

Table of valves to press down to play various notes, from low to high. "0" means all valves up, "1" means first valve, "1-3" means first and third valve simultaneously. If the valve says 0, no valves are pressed, and different pitches and notes are attained by changing the embouchure, or lip position and tightness The standard fingering of notes after double high C maintains the same pattern established in the octave leading up to it. Virtually any fingering combination may be successfully used as an alternate in the register above high C, hence alternate fingerings are left undefined after "E above the staff." Note that the fingering schema arises from the lengths of each valve's tubing. Valve "1" increases the tubing length enough to lower the pitch by one whole step, valve "2" by one half step, and valve "3" by one and a half steps. Extending the third valve slide when the third valve is in use further lowers the pitch slightly. Air passing through longer lengths of tubing produces a lower pitch.

Books

- Arban, Jean-Baptiste (1894, 1936, 1982). Arban's Complete Conservatory Method for TRUMPET. Carl Fischer, Inc. ISBN 0-8258-0385-3.
- Campos, Frank Gabriel (2005). Trumpet Technique. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195166930.
- Tarr, Edward (1988). The Trumpet. Amadeus Press. ISBN 0931340136.
- Yanow, Scott (2001). Trumpet Kings: The Players Who Shaped the Sound of Jazz Trumpet. San Francisco: Backbeat Books. ISBN 0879305408.
- Callet, Jerome, and Civiletti, Bahb (2002). Trumpet Secrets: The Secrets of the Toungue-Controlled Embouchure. New York: Royal Press Printing Company.

External links

- [http://www.trumpetguild.org/ International Trumpet Guild] - a trumpet players' group with many online resources including a frequently-updated diary, links hub, jobs etc.
- http://www.trumpetherald.com Trumpet discussion forum
- http://www.trumpetmaster.com Trumpet discussion forum
- http://www.brass-forum.co.uk UK brass discussion forum
- http://www.tpin.org - Trumpet Players' International Network. "The TPIN is primarily an electronic mailing list community of trumpet players."
- http://www.trumpetgeek.com A resource for trumpet players
- http://www.latromba.it/gall.htm A media gallery where you can hear different trumpet sounds.
- http://www.trumpetstuff.com
- http://trumpetchat.myfreeforum.org
- http://www.beginband.com/trumpet.shtml A resource for those interested in learning to play the trumpet. Category:Brass instruments ja:トランペット

Björk

Björk Guðmundsdóttir , (born November 21, 1965 in Reykjavík, Iceland) is an Icelandic singer/songwriter and composer with a great expressive range and an interest in many kinds of music including popular, trip-hop, alternative rock, jazz, electronica, folk, and classical music.

Early Career

Björk's musical career began at the age of eleven, when she began studying classical piano in elementary school. One of her instructors submitted a recording of Björk singing Tina Charles' song "I Love to Love" to Radio One, an Iceland radio station. The recording was aired nationally; upon hearing it, a representative of the record label Fálkinn contacted Björk with a record contract offer. With the help of her stepfather, who played guitar, she recorded her eponymous debut in 1977. This album featured several Icelandic children's songs, and covers of popular songs such as the Beatles' "Fool on the Hill", sung in Icelandic. It became a smash hit in Iceland, though it was virtually unknown elsewhere. Punk music began to have an influence on Björk; at the age of fourteen, she formed the all-girl punk band Spit and Snot, shortly followed by a jazz fusion group called Exodus in 1979. In 1980, she graduated from music school at the age of fifteen, and in 1981, she and Exodus bassist Jakob Magnússon formed another band, Tappi Tíkarrass (which means "Cork the Bitch's Ass" in Icelandic), and released an extended single, Bítið Fast í Vítið in the same year. Their album Miranda was released in 1983. Björk next collaborated with Einar Örn Benediktsson and Einar Melax from Purrkur Pillnikk, and Guðlaugur Óttarsson, Sigtryggur Baldursson and Birgir Mogensen from Þeyr. After writing songs and rehearsing for two weeks, they (under the name KUKL which means "sorcery" in Icelandic) found they worked well together, and decided to continue, developing a sound that some have described as resembling Goth music. Björk began to show indications of what would become her trademark singing style, punctuated with howls and shrieks. KUKL toured Iceland with UK anarchist band Crass, and later visited the UK in a series of performances with Flux of Pink Indians. The band produced two albums as a result of these collaborations: The Eye in 1984, and Holidays in Europe in 1986, both on Crass Records. In the summer of 1986, several members of KUKL went on to form a band called Pukl but soon changed the name to Sugarcubes.

Popularity

Sugarcubes]]

The Sugarcubes

The Sugarcubes' first single, "Ammæli" (or "Birthday" in English), became a huge hit in England. They gained a significant cult following in the US and UK, and calls from record companies began coming in. Eventually the band signed with One Little Indian in the UK and with Elektra Records in the United States, and recorded their first album, Life's Too Good, in 1988. The album propelled them into international stardom — the first Icelandic rock band to achieve such popularity. While with the Sugarcubes, Björk participated in a number of side projects. She recorded Gling-Gló, a collection of popular jazz and original work, with the bebop group Trio Guðmundar Ingólfssonar, released in Iceland. Björk also contributed vocals to 808 State's album Ex:El, a collaboration which cultivated her interest in house music.

Solo career/Debut

Tensions steadily mounted between Björk and Einar Örn, however, and by 1992 the Sugarcubes dissolved. Björk moved to London and began thinking about a solo career; to this end, she began working with producer Nellee Hooper, who had produced for Massive Attack, among others. Their partnership produced Björk's first international solo hit, "Human Behaviour". Her solo debut album, simply entitled Debut, was released in June of 1993 to positive reviews; it was named album of the year by New Musical Express, and eventually went platinum in the United States. Debut was a mix of songs Björk had written since she was a teenager as well as newer lyrical collaborations with Hooper. The success of Debut enabled her to collaborate with other artists on one-off tracks; she worked with David Arnold on "Play Dead", the theme to the 1993 film The Young Americans (which appeared as an extra track on a re-release of Debut) and also appeared on a track on the 1997 album Not For Threes by Plaid, which was released on the cult Warp Records label.

Post

Björk returned to the studio during 1994 to work on her next solo album with Nellee Hooper, Tricky, Graham Massey of 808 State, and electronic music producer Howie B. The album, Post, contained songs based on Björk's relationships and songs about love (one of her favorite subjects), as well as some angry and confrontational material. Like "Debut," it was a collection partly made up of songs she had written in past years. She wrote the song "Bedtime Story" for Madonna's 1994 album Bedtime Stories, which became Madonna's first single released in 1995 and performed on MTV Unplugged during this time. By 1995, the new album Post was ready; it was released in June, reaching number two on the UK's pop charts, and also went platinum in the United States. January of 1997 saw the release of Telegram, an album of uncharacteristic remixes of songs from Post.

Homogenic

Later that year, the minimalist electronic album Homogenic was released and marked a dramatic shift from her earlier "pixie" image cultivated on the "Debut" and "Post" albums. Björk worked with producers Mark Bell of LFO and Howie B on the album, as well as Eumir Deodato; numerous remixes followed. Homogenic was her first conceptually self-contained album and is regarded as one of Björk's most experimental and extroverted works to date, with enormous beats that reflect the landscape of Iceland, most notably in the song "Jóga", which fuses lush strings with rocky electronic crunches. The emotionally-charged album contains a string of memorable music videos, several of which received airplay on American MTV, especially the epic "Bachelorette" and "All Is Full of Love", which became an alt-rock hit in 1999. The album eventually reached gold status in the States in 2001.

Vespertine

In 2001 the album Vespertine was released. This album saw Björk creating an introverted, internal, personal world of microbeats and tiny rhythms. The album featured chamber orchestras, Inuit choirs, very hushed vocals and personal, vulnerable themes. She collaborated with experimental sound manipulators Matmos, a DJ from Denmark Thomas Knak, and the experimental harpist Zeena Parkins for the album. Lyrical sources included the American poet E. E. Cummings and the American independent filmmaker Harmony Korine. Vespertine spawned three singles: "Hidden Place", "Pagan Poetry", and "Cocoon". America's then-more independent and artistic music video channel, MTV2, played the album's first video, "Hidden Place", pretty heavily, despite its somewhat controversial lyrics and imagery. However, the next video, for "Pagan Poetry", brought Björk to an even higher level of controversy with the channel. The song's video features graphic piercings, blurred sex scenes, and Björk's exposed nipples. As a result, the clip was initially rarely shown by MTV, and certain parts (for example, Björk's breasts) were censored out during the rare occasions when it was played. In 2002, the clip finally enjoyed unedited American airing as part of a late night special on MTV2 entitled Most Controversial Music Videos. Previously banned or censored videos were shown in their entirety during the TV-MA-rated special which aired on MTV2 regularly on weekends between 1 and 5 AM, until the infamous Janet Jackson incident at the 2004 Super Bowl. The video for "Cocoon" also featured a naked Björk, this time with her nipples secreting a red thread that eventually enveloped the singer herself in a cocoon. The video was also not aired by MTV.

Family Tree/Greatest Hits

2002 saw the appearance of the CD box set Family Tree containing a "these-are-my-roots" retrospective of Björk's career, comprising many previously unreleased versions of her compositions, including some very quiet work with a string quartet, the Brodsky Quartet. Also released that year was the album Greatest Hits, a retrospective of the previous 10 years of her solo career as deemed by the public: The songs on the album were chosen by Björk's fans through a poll on [http://www.bjork.com/ Björk's website]. A DVD edition of the CD was also released; it contained all of Björk's solo music videos up to that point. The new single from the set, "It's In Our Hands" made Björk a bona-fide sensation in America when it shot to #2 in the singles chart. In 2003 Björk released a series of low-priced DVDs and CD box set called Live Box containing live recordings of her previous albums.

Medúlla

2004 saw the release of Björk's Medúlla, in late August. Medúlla was a more impromptu piece of work after two concept albums, and in the midst of production, Björk decided the album would work best as an entirely vocal-based album. She used the vocal skills of Hip hop Beatboxer Rahzel, avant-rocker Mike Patton, Soft Machine drummer/singer Robert Wyatt, and several choirs; she again appropriated text from poet E. E. Cummings for the song "Sonnets/Unrealities XI." In August 2004 Björk performed the song "Oceania" (from her Medúlla album) at the Opening Ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. In typical Björk style, her performance was one of the more unique of the event. As she sang, her dress slowly unravelled to reveal a 10,000 square foot (900 m²) map of the world, which she let flow over all of the Olympic atheletes. The song "Oceania" was written especially for the occasion. "Oceania" immediately shot to the top of the American chart based on airplay alone (as it was not available as a conventional single), though it would be the only single from Medúlla to do so. Shortly after, an alternate version of the song began circulating on the internet with additional vocals by Kelis. Though some were confused as to the authenticity of this collaboration, Björk's camp confirmed its legitimacy. The follow-up of "Oceania" was "Who is it" which charted at No. 26 in the UK followed by "Triumph of a Heart" in 2005 charting at No. 31. A video for the potential next single, "Where is the Line?", was filmed in collaboration with the Icelandic artist Gabríela Fridriksdóttir in late 2004. "Where Is The Line?" ascended to No. 30 in the Modern Rock Tracks chart before it was announced a single would not be released for the song.

Army of Me-Xes

After the disastrous tsunami which struck southeastern Asia in late 2004, Björk began working on a new project, Army of Me-Xes. This new project recruited fans and musicians from around the world as Björk posted on her website the need for the covering and remixing of the 1995 hit, "Army of Me". Björk was overwhelmed with the 600 responses which came flooding in. Out of these Björk as well as co-writer Graham Massey, picked the best 20 to appear on the album. The album was released in April in the UK and in late May 2005 the US. It peaked at No.14 on the dance albums chart in the UK.

Drawing Restraint 9

On July 25 2005 in the UK and on August 23 in the US, Björk released the album Drawing Restraint 9. It is a soundtrack to her boyfriend Matthew Barney's movie of the same title, and found Björk exploring traditional Japanese music styles to complement the experimental film, where the two lovers find themselves on a whaling ship and cut off each other's feet. Signifying her status as one of pop music's true originals and one of the most daring, innovative, and idiosyncratic artists of the last two decades, Björk was awarded the prestigious Inspiration Award at the Annual Q Magazine Awards in October 2005, accepting the prize from Robert Wyatt, with whom she collaborated on 2004's Medúlla album.

Currently

At the recent Q Magazine Awards, Björk said in an interview that she is living in Reykjavik again and is starting work on a new album. Nothing has been said of the content or theme of the album, although Björk has said that she plans to record some of it using the latest computer technology on a round-the-world boat trip with partner Matthew Barney and their daughter Isadora in 2006. She is currently training for the trip. Björk also performed with Zeena Parkins recently at the Zenkel Hall in Carnegie Hall for Meredith Monk's "Making Music" concert. They performed Meredith's "Gotham Lullaby", a song Björk had also performed while she was touring. Reviews of the concert can be seen at the [http://4um.bjork.com Björk 4um]

Björk in Film

Meredith Monk Björk's intermittent acting career began in 1990, when she appeared in Juniper Tree, a tale of witchcraft based on the Brothers Grimm story of the same name. Björk played the role of Margit, a girl whose mother has been killed for practising witchcraft. Björk also had an uncredited role in 1994's Prêt-à-Porter. In 1999, Björk was asked to write and produce the musical score for the film Dancer in the Dark, a pseudo-musical about an immigrant named Selma who is struggling to pay for an operation to prevent her son from going blind. Director Lars von Trier eventually asked her to consider playing the role of Selma, a proposal she initially turned down. He then threatened to stop the project, which would have made all the musical work she had already done useless. Eventually, she accepted. Filming began in early 1999, and the film debuted in 2000 at the 53rd Cannes Film Festival. Björk received the best actress award for her role, and yet she described the shoot as so physically and emotionally trying that she has sworn off acting ever again. This was a rumour, however that was put to rest in numerous interviews. Björk later stated that she always wanted to do one musical in her life, and this was the one. She also said that she could not do movies and music at the same time. The soundtrack Björk created for the film was released with the title Selmasongs. The album features a duet with Thom Yorke of Radiohead titled "I've Seen it All". She was invited to record Gollum's Song for the film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, but declined the invitation, as she was then pregnant; the track was instead recorded by her fellow Icelander Emiliana Torrini. Emiliana Torrini In 2005, Björk collaborated with her New York-based long-time boyfriend Matthew Barney on the experimental art film Drawing Restraint 9, a no-dialogue exploration of Japanese culture. Björk and Matthew both appear in the film, even though Björk commented that she wouldn't act again, she says that what she does in the film isn't acting, it's being a human sculpture. She was also responsible for the film's soundtrack, her second after 2000's Selmasongs.

Her Name

Björk usually goes by her first name only. This is not a stage name or affectation; it is normal for an Icelander to be referred to by his or her first name, as the last name simply indicates the name of the father. See Icelandic naming conventions. Björk means "a birch tree" in Icelandic (the meaning of Icelandic names is often transparent), cognate with Old English beorc and the modern English word. Though many English-speakers pronounce her name "Byork", a more accurate approximation would be "Byerk", which she has pointed out rhymes with "jerk". [http://ebweb.at/ortner/tia/97/babe9706/babe9706.html] Guðmundsdóttir is pronounced roughly "GWUTH-muns-doe-tir", and means "Guðmundur's daughter". Incidentally, her father Guðmundur is a well known labour leader in Iceland and was nationally recognized before his daughter became famous.

Personal Life

Björk and her contemporary media artist boyfriend Matthew Barney have a daughter, Isadora, born October 3, 2002. Björk also has a son, Sindri, born June 8, 1986, by Þór Eldon who was her bandmate in the 1980s post-punk group "The Sugarcubes". Her son Sindri Þórsson now has his own band called "Desida", where he plays bass. They garnered some positive reviews after their performance at Iceland_Airwaves in 2005. On the negative side, Björk has complained of being hounded by paparazzi in England and in 1996 two separate incidents gave the media much to chew on. First there was "The Bangkok Incident" - a rather notorious brawl that was captured on tape. After a long flight to Thailand an obviously exhausted Björk emerged from an aircraft at Don Muang airport with her then ten year old son. A television reporter attempted to get her attention as she hurried past the TV crews, but failed. The reporter then made a move towards Björk's son and seemed to try to grab a hold of him as she put the microphone in his face. Björk suddenly snapped and attacked the reporter, landing several blows in a confusing mêlée that was quickly broken up. This incident may be connected to her overall frustration with the media invading her privacy at that time, or it may simply have been caused by exhaustion, jet lag and the confusion of the situation. Later that year a more disturbing story emerged - this time casting Björk as the victim but causing her still more distress. An apparently deranged fan from Florida named Ricardo Lopez (not to be confused with the boxer) filmed himself in the process of making a bomb intended to at the very least disfigure his idol if not kill her outright. While the device, which was intercepted in the mail sorting room near its final destination in England, has frequently been described as a disfiguring "acid bomb" - Lopez says on one of the many tapes he made of himself: "I am the angel of death for her". This, and his eventual on-tape actions seem to indicate that he did not expect her to survive. The more than 20 hours of videotape detailing his deranged obsession with Björk, the construction of the device and general rantings then end quite dramatically as Lopez takes out a gun. Believing his device had either killed Björk or would soon do so, Lopez shot himself on camera in an apparent attempt to meet her in the afterlife. He was successful in taking his own life, if not that of his idol, and the tape (which eventually made its way onto the internet) continued to run for approximately five minutes after his death. It is not known if the camera stopped at that point or if the version making the rounds had an even longer silence edited out at the end. There is apparently also a version that ends right after the fatal gunshot. Already a private person, Björk was loath to comment on either of these incidents and later told the Guardian: "It just got a bit much."

Partial Discography

:See Björk discography or Official Website for an extensive listing of albums and singles.

With The Sugarcubes

- 1988 - Life's Too Good
- 1989 - Here Today, Tomorrow, Next Week!
- 1992 - Stick Around for Joy
- 1992 - It's It
- 1998 - The Great Crossover Potential
Solo studio albums

- 1977 - Björk
- 1990 - Gling-Gló (with Tríó Guðmundar Ingólfssonar)
- 1993 - Debut
- 1995 - Post
- 1997 - Homogenic
- 2000 - Selmasongs: Music From the Motion Picture Soundtrack Dancer in the Dark
- 2001 - Vespertine
- 2004 - Medúlla
- 2005 - Drawing Restraint 9 [Original Soundtrack]
Other releases

- 1997 - Telegram [Remix album]
- 2002 - Björk's Greatest Hits
- 2002 - Family Tree [Box Set]
- 2002 - Vespertine Live - Royal Opera House [DVD]
- 2002 - Later - 1995-2001 seven TV appearences [DVD]
- 2003 - The Live: 1993-2002 [Box Set]
- 2005 - Army of Me: Remixes and Covers
Television

- 1987 - Glerbrot character: María. (Ríkisútvarpíð) - National Icelandic Television.
Films / Shortcuts

- 1987 - The Juniper Tree, character: Margit. (Rhino Home Video)
- 1994 - Prêt-à-Porter, featuring Björk as a model.
- 2000 - Dancer in the Dark, character: Selma Jezková. (Zentropa Entertainment)
- 2005 - Anna and the Moods, Björk performs the voice of Anna Young. (CAOZ Ltd.)
- 2005 - Drawing Restraint 9, character is known as the "Guest." (Matthew Barney)
Bibliography

- 1984 - Um Úrnat frá Björk (free distribution)
- 2001 - Björk (Little-i)
- 2003 - Björk Live Book
Related Bibliography

- Post, by Sjón Sigurðsson/Björk Ltd. Bloomsbury (1995).
- Björk - The Illustrated Story, by Paul Lester. Hamlyn (1996).
- Björk - An Illustrated Biography, by Mick St. Michael. Omnibus Press (1996).
- Björk Björkgraphy, by Martin Aston. Simon & Schuster (1996).
- Björk, Colección Imágenes de Rock, N°82, by Jordi Bianciotto. Editorial La Máscara (1997).
- Dancer in the Dark, by Lars von Trier. Film Four (2000).
- Lobster or Fame, by Ólafur Jóhann Engilbertsson. Bad Taste (2000).
- Army of She, by Evelyn McDonnell. Random House (2001).
- Human Behaviour, by Ian Gittins. Carlton (2002).
- Bjork: There's More to Life Than This : The Stories Behind Every Song, by Ian Gittins. Imprint (2002).
- Wow and Flutter, by Mark Pytlik. ECW (2003).
See also

- Björk Guðmundsdóttir & Tríó Guðmundar Ingólfssonar
- List of best-selling music artists
- List of Number 1 Dance Hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
External links

- [http://www.bjork.com Official Website]
- [http://bandnews.org/band/Bj%F6rk Björk News]
- [http://www.bjork.com/facts/lyrics/ Björk Lyrics]
- [http://unit.bjork.com/77island/ 77ísland - Complete Björk Discography]
- [http://www.bjorkish.net Björkish.net], news, specials videos, photographs and forums.
- [http://www.bjork.digimer.pl Björk Digimer], it features MP3 and MIDI samples of Björk's entire music career.
- [http://www.aifob.tk/ All is Full of Björk], Latinamerican fansite frequently updated including downloads and a forum.
- [http://www.bjorkonline.com/unplugged/unplugged.html MTV Unplugged (1994)], songs recorded during a presentation on MTV.
- [http://www.bjork.com.br/abjork BjörkJsnet], lots of information in English and Portuguese.
- [http://home4.inet.tele.dk/olrik/bjork/disco/ Björk's Purple Lodge Discography], discography including videos and other releases.
- [http://www.bjoerk.ch bjoerk.ch], fan site with image gallery.
- [http://www.b-j-o-r-k.com b-j-o-r-k.com], fan site including downloads, icons, images, and a forum.
- [http://bjorklossless.goudwater.nl bjorklossless], fan site for users of bjorkhub.no-ip.info: offers over 150 non-commercial live CDs and DVDs.
- [http://www.allbjork.com/ allbjork.com]
- [http://www.sofftchevaliers.net/ sofftchevaliers.net], great french website.
-
- [http://bjork.mainac.net/ bjorkmanic.net]
- [http://4um.bjork.com/ 4um] Official Björk discussion forum
- [http://boogiebjork.tk/ www.BoogieBjörk.tk] Mexican Björk fansite for the spanish-speakers bjorkers! Category:Trip hop artists Björk Björk Björk Björk Björk Björk ko:비에르크 ja:ビョーク

Reykjavík

Reykjavík, Iceland
100px City seal
City nickname: "Minnsta stórborg í heimi" (The smallest big city in the world)
City nickname: "New York norðursins" (New York of the north)
300px Location in Iceland
County	none
Constituency	Reykjavík North Reykjavík South
Area	274.5 km² (106 mi²)
Population - Total (2003) - Density	113,387 413 / km²
Postal codes	101–155
Geographic coordinates
[http://www.rvk.is/ Municipal website]

Geographic coordinates :See also: Reykjavík, Manitoba in Canada Reykjavík (pronounced (♫) in Icelandic) is the capital of Iceland, its largest city and the world's most northern capital city of any country. Its latitude being 64°08' N, not far from the Arctic Circle (at 66°33' N), it receives only four hours of sunlight per day in the depth of winter, and in the summer the nights are almost as bright as day.

Geography

Reykjavík is located in southwest Iceland by Faxaflói bay. The Reykjavík area coastline is characterized by peninsulas, coves, straits and islands. The city of Reykjavík is mostly located on the Seltjarnarnes peninsula but the suburbs spread to the south and east from it. Reykjavík is a spread out city; most of its urban area is in the form of low-density suburbs and houses are usually widely spaced. The outer residential neighborhoods are as well widely spaced from each other; in between them run the main traffic arteries and a lot of empty spaces with little aesthetical or recreational value. The young age of the city has contributed the most to this kind of urban planning. The largest rivers to run through Reykjavík are the Elliðaár Rivers, which are not navigable by ships. Mt. Esja, at 914 m, is the tallest mountain in the vicinity of Reykjavík.

People

The population of Reykjavík in 2004 was 113,730 (55,932 men and 57,798 women). The combined population of the Greater Reykjavík area in 2004 was 183,845. There are six other municipalities in the Greater Reykjavík area, those are:
- Álftanes: 2,024
- Garðabær: 9,036
- Hafnarfjörður: 21,942
- Kópavogur: 25,784
- Mosfellsbær: 6,782
- Seltjarnarnes: 4,547

History

Seltjarnarnes The first permanent settlement in Iceland by Nordic people is believed to have been established in Reykjavík by Ingólfur Arnarson around AD 870; this is described in Landnámabók, or the Book of Settlement. Steam from hot springs in the region is supposed to have inspired Reykjavík's name, as Reykjavík translates to "Bay of Smokes". Reykjavík is not mentioned in any medieval sources except as a regular farm land but the 18th century was the beginning of urban concentration there. The Danish rulers of Iceland backed ideas of a domestic industry in Iceland that would help generate some much needed progress on the island. In 1752, the King of Denmark donated the estate of Reykjavík to the Innréttingar Corporation; the name comes from Danish "indretninger," meaning enterprise. In the 1750s several houses were constructed to house the wool industry that was to be Reykjavík's most important employer for a few decades and the original reason for its existence. Other crafts were also practiced by the Innréttingar such as fisheries, sulphur mining, agriculture, and ship building. ship] The Danish Crown abolished monopoly trading in 1786 and granted six communities around the country an exclusive trading charter, Reykjavík was one of them and the only one to hold on to the charter permanently. 1786 is regarded as the date of the city's founding, celebrating its 200th anniversary in 1986. Trading rights were still limited to the subjects of the Danish Crown however, and Danish traders continued to dominate trade in Iceland Over the next decades, their business in Iceland expanded. After 1880, free trade was expanded to all nationalities and the influence of Icelandic merchants started to grow. Nationalist sentiment gained influence in the 19th century and ideas about Icelandic independence became widespread. Reykjavík, as Iceland's only city, was the melting pot of such ideas in the country. Advocates of an independent Iceland realized that a strong Reykjavík was fundamental for that objective. All the important years in the history of the independence struggle are important for Reykjavík as well. In the year 1845, Alþingi, or the general assembly that Icelanders formed in 930 was re-established in Reykjavík, however it had been suspended a few decades earlier when it was located at Þingvellir. At the time it only functioned as an advisory assembly that was supposed to advice the King about the matters of Iceland. The placement of Alþingi in Reykjavík effectively established the city as the capital of Iceland. In 1874 Iceland was given a constitution and with it, Alþingi gained some limited legislative powers and in essence became the institution that it is still today. The next step was to move most of the executive power to Iceland and that was done by the Home Rule in 1904 when the office of minister for Iceland was established in Reykjavík. The biggest step towards an independent Iceland was taken December 1,1918 when Iceland became a sovereign country under the Crown of Denmark, the Kingdom of Iceland. Kingdom of Iceland In the 1920s and 1930s most of the growing Icelandic fishing trawler fleet sailed from Reykjavík and salt-cod production was the main industry but the Great Depression hit Reykjavík hard with unemployment and labour union struggles that sometimes became violent. In the morning of May 10, 1940 four warships approached Reykjavík and anchored in the harbour. Many citizens were relieved to find out that those were British rather than German. In a few hours, the allied occupation of Reykjavík, illegal under international law, was complete. There was no armed resistance. The Icelandic government had received many requests from the British government about allowing the occupation but they always declined on the basis of the Neutrality Policy. For the remaining years of World War II, British and later American soldiers built bases in Reykjavík; the number of foreign soldiers in Reykjavík became about the same as the local population of the city. The economic effects of the occupation were quite positive for Reykjavík: the unemployment of the depression years vanished and a lot of construction work was done. The British built Reykjavík Airport, which is still in service today, mostly serving domestic flights; the Americans built Keflavík Airport that has later become Iceland's primary international airport, situated 50 km from Reykjavík. In 1944 the Republic of Iceland was founded and a president elected in popular elections replaced the King, the office of the president was placed in Reykjavík. In the post-war years, the growth of Reykjavík began for real. A mass exodus from the rural countryside started mainly because of the better technology in agriculture that reduced the need for workforce in that sector and because of the population boom following better living conditions in Iceland. Young people in the prime of their lives were the most populous group that moved to the capital to live the "Reykjavík Dream", and the city became a city of children. The previously primitive village was rapidly transforming into a modern city. Private cars became common and modern apartment complexes rose in the expanding suburbs and much of Reykjavík lost its village feel. In 1972, Reykjavík hosted the world chess championship between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky. Reykjavík has in the last two decades become a significant player in the global community, the 1986 Reykjavik Summit between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev underlined Reykjavík's new-found international status. Deregulation in the financial sector and the computer revolution of the 1990s have transformed Reykjavík yet again. The financial sector and information technology are now significant employers in the city. The energetic city of children has fostered some world famous talents in recent years such as Björk and Sigur Rós.

Historical Population

- 1801 – 600
- 1860 – 1,450
- 1901 - 6,321
- 1910 – 11,449
- 1920 – 17,450
- 1930 – 28,052
- 1940 – 38,308
- 1950 – 55,980
- 1960 – 72,407
- 1970 – 81,693
- 1980 – 83,766
- 1985 – 89,868
- 1990 – 97,569
- 1995 – 104,258
- 2000 – 110,852
- 2004 – 113,022

Administration

Sigur Rós Reykjavík is governed by the city council, directly elected by anyone over 18 and registered with domicile in the city. The council has 15 members that are elected for 4 year terms. The city council governs the city of Reykjavík according to law number 45/1998 [http://www.althingi.is/lagas/128b/1998045.html]. The city council selects people on the boards and each board controls a different field under the city councils authority. The most important board is the city board that wields the executive rights along with the city mayor. The city mayor is the uppermost public official in the city and also the director of city operations. Other public official then control different institution under his authority. Therefore the administration consists of two different parts. The political power that the city council wields and other boards in its authority and the official system where public official under the authority of the city mayor take care of administering the policy and the management. The mayor is appointed by the city council, usually one of the council members is chosen but they may also hire a mayor that is not member of the council. In the town-laws from 1907 the term city mayor public office was introduced but in the year 1908 applications for that position were requested. Two applications were received, one from Páll Einarsson sheriff and town mayor of Hafnarfjörður and another one from Knud Zimsem town councillor in Reykjavík. Páll was employed on the 7th of May and was the city mayor for six years. The city mayor received at that time a salary of 4500IKR annually and 1500IKR because of office costs.

Reverse timeline of mayors

- Steinunn Valdís Óskarsdóttir — 30. November 2004 –
- Þórólfur Árnason — 1. February 2003 – 30. November 2004
- Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir — 13. June 1994 – 1. February 2003
- Árni Sigfússon — 17. Mars 1994 – 13. June 1994
- Markús Örn Antonsson — 16. July 1991 – 17. Mars 1994
- Davíð Oddsson — 27. May 1982 – 16. July 1991
- Egill Skúli Ingibergsson — 15. August 1978 – 27. May 1982
- Birgir Ísleifur Gunnarsson — 1. December 1972 – 15. August 1978
- Geir Hallgrímsson — 6. October 1960 – 1. December 1972
- Auður Auðuns and Geir Hallgrímsson — 19. November 1959 – 6. October 1960
- Gunnar Thoroddsen — 4. February 1947 – 6. October 1960
- Bjarni Benediktsson — 8. October 1940 – 4. February 1947
- Pétur Halldórsson — 1935 – 1940
- Jón Þorláksson — 1932 – 1935
- Knud Zimsem — 1914 – 1932
- Páll Einarsson — 1908 – 1914

Economy

Major companies

- Actavis
- Baugur Group
- F-Prot
- Grandi
- Icelandair
- Íslandsbanki
- Íslensk Erfðagreining (deCODE Genetics)
- KB Banki
- Landsbankinn
- OgVodafone
- SÍF
- Síminn
- SPRON
- FRISK Software International

Infrastructure

Roads

Car ownership in Iceland is among the highest in the world but Reykjavík is not severely affected by congestion though since the city is rather spread out. Wide multi-lane highways run all over the city connecting the different neighbourhoods and suburbs. Parking spaces are also plentiful in most areas. Public transportation only exists in the form of a bus system (called 'Strætó bs) and is not very popular in this car friendly city. Route 1 (the Ring Road) runs by the city outskirts and connect it to the rest of Iceland.

Airports & seaports

The second largest airport in the country (after Keflavík International Airport) is positioned inside the city, just south of the city centre. It is mainly used for domestic flights as well as flights to Greenland and the Faroe Islands. It was built there by the British occupation force during World War II on the outskirts of, then much smaller, Reykjavík. In later years there has been some controversy regarding the location of the airport since it takes up a lot of valuable space in central Reykjavík. Reykjavík has two seaports, the old harbour near the city centre which is mainly used by fishermen and Cruise ships and Sundahöfn in the east city which is the largest cargo port in the country.

Telecommunications

Heating

Most houses in Reykjavík use the geothermal heating system. It is the largest system of this kind in the world. See geothermal power in Iceland.

Sites of interest

geothermal power in Iceland geothermal power in Iceland
- Alþingishús — the Parliament House
- Bæjarins Beztu pylsur (The best hotdogs in town) — A small hotdog stand near the old port of Reykjavík.
- Hallgrímskirkja Skólavörðuholti
- Kringlan — The biggest mall in Reykjavík
- Laugavegurinn — main shopping street
- Nauthólsvík
- Perlan Öskjuhlíð
- Ráðhús Reykjavíkur (City hall)
- Tjörnin (the Pond)
- Þjóðarbókhlaðan (National and University Library of Iceland)
- Þjóðminjasafnið (National Museum of Iceland)

Gymnasia and universities

Gymnasia

- Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík (MR)
- Menntaskólinn við Hamrahlíð (MH)
- Verzlunarskóli Íslands (VÍ)
- Menntaskólinn við Sund (MS)
- Borgarholtsskóli
- Fjölbrautaskólinn við Ármúla (FÁ)
- Iðnskólinn í Reykjavík (IR)
- Menntaskólinn hraðbraut
- Kvennaskólinn í Reykjavík
- Fjölbrautaskólinn Breiðholti

Colleges and Universities

- Háskóli Íslands
- Háskólinn í Reykjavík
- Listaháskóli Íslands

Sports teams

- Fjölnir
- Fylkir
- Fram
- Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur (K.R.)
- Víkingur
- Þróttur
- Knattspyrnufélagið Valur (Valur)
- Íþróttafélag fatlaðra í Reykjavík — for disabled people
- Íþróttafélag Reykjavíkur (Í.R.)
- Skotveiðfélag Reykjavíkur
- Skautafélag Reykjavíkur
- Tennis- og badmintonfélag Reykjavíkur
- Skylmingafélag Reykjavíkur

External links

- [http://www.islandsmyndir.is/html_skjol/sudvesturland/reykjavik/forsida_reykjavik.htm Reykjavík Picture Gallery from www.islandsmyndir.is] (in Icelandic)
- [http://www.rvk.is Official Reykjavík website] (in Icelandic)
- [http://www.tourist.reykjavik.is/ Visit Reykjavík] (in English)
- [http://www.phallus.is/ Phallological Museum]
- [http://www.backman.is/mapofrvk/ Map]
- [http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Iceland&ll=64.115549,-21.884766&sll=37.062500,-95.677068&spn=0.094829,0.317024&sspn=46.092115,85.429688&t=k&num=3&start=0&hl=en Aerial Photography] Category:Capitals in Europe Category:Coastal cities Category:Reykjavík ko:레이캬비크 ja:レイキャヴィーク simple:Reykjavík

The Prodigy

::For other uses, see Prodigy (disambiguation). The Prodigy is a British electronica act, consisting of Liam Howlett (keyboards), Keith Flint (vocalist/dancer) and Maxim (vocals, live MC). Leeroy Thornhill (Dancer) was also a member of the band from 1990 to 2000. A female dancer/vocalist called Sharky was also briefly associated with the band during their early period. The Prodigy first emerged on the underground rave scene in the early 1990s, and since then have achieved immense popularity and worldwide renown. Some their most popular songs include "Charly," "Out of Space," "Smack My Bitch Up," "No Good (Start the Dance)," "Breathe" and "Firestarter." The Prodigy has developed various styles over time, initially pioneering the underground rave scene, and now creating techno tracks with punk vocal elements.

History

Beginnings

Formed in Essex, England, the Prodigy started life with an initial 10-track demo by Liam Howlett, put together on a Roland W-30 sequencer keyboard. XL Recordings picked up the demo and an initial 12" pressing of What Evil Lurks was released in early 1991. The band's name is thought to have come from the keyboard Moog Prodigy (created by Robert Moog) The band's first performance was at Four Aces in Hackney, London. Charly, released six months later, was a huge hit in the British rave scene of the time, catapulting the band into the wider public consciousness for the first time. Some critics were later to identify the release of Charly, with its memorable sample of a government television infomercial aimed at children (Charley Says), as the song that instigated the ultimate destruction of the underground rave scene, opening the door to a flood of rave tracks many of the genre's devotees considered of lesser quality, such as Urban Hype's Trip to Trumpton, and Smart E's Sesame's Treet. Charly was soon followed by the band's first full length album, The Prodigy Experience, widely regarded as one of the finest examples of the rave genre ever recorded. After this album, and the run of singles that accompanied it, the Prodigy moved to distance themselves from the "kiddie rave" reputation that now dogged them. The rave scene was beginning to implode, with promises of "anti-rave" legislation on the horizon. In 1993, Howlett released an anonymous white label, bearing only the title Earthbound I. Its hypnotic, hard-edged sound won wide underground approval. Many former critics of the band were astounded when they finally acknowledged responsibility for the record. It was officially released as One Love later that year, and went on to chart at #8 in the UK. In 1994, the Prodigy's second album, Music for the Jilted Generation, displayed a much wider spectrum of musical style. Heavyweight dancefloor tunes still abounded, but were complemented by more unusual tracks such as 3 Kilos, and rock-oriented inclinations (Their Law). The album was nominated for a Mercury Music Prize. In the liner notes, the band did not hesitate to succinctly express their feelings for the newly-passed Criminal Justice and Public Order Act: "HOW CAN THE GOVERNMENT STOP YOUNG PEOPLE HAVING A GOOD TIME. FIGHT THIS BOLLOCKS." The international success of Music for the Jilted Generation meant that touring beyond the UK was now a viable prospect. The band augmented their line-up with guitarist Jim Davies (from the group Pitchshifter) in 1995 for tracks such as Their Law, Break And Enter 95, and various live-only interludes and versions. The 1996 release of Firestarter, featuring vocals for the first time courtesy of a new-look Keith Flint, helped the band break into the US and other overseas markets, and reached number one in the UK. In this year the Prodigy also headlined the prestigious Lollapalooza festival. The Prodigy have toured all over the world, including Beirut and Moscow's Red Square. The third Prodigy album, The Fat of the Land, was released in 1997. Like its predecessors, the album represented a new milestone in the evolution of both the band and the wider mainstream dance scene. Featuring simplified melodies, sparser sampling, and more sneering, punk-like vocals, the album nevertheless retained the bone-jarring breaks and buzzsaw synth so idiomatic of the band. The album cemented the band's position as one of the most internationally successful acts in the hard dance genre, entering the British and American charts at number one. The best selling single, Breathe (1996), was taken from this album.

"Smack My Bitch Up" controversy

Prodigy was getting a lot of airplay on rock stations with their track, "Smack My Bitch Up," and were getting even more negative backlash for the song. Time-Warner, Prodigy's parent company, was feeling the heat from the National Organization for Women (NOW) over the track. Although the song's lyrics are few but repetitive ("Change my pitch up, smack my bitch up"), NOW has stated that the lyrics are a "...dangerous and offensive message advocating violence against women." Howlett responded to the attacks by claiming that the song's lyrics are being misinterpreted: (the song means) "...doing anything intensely, like being on stage - going for extreme manic energy." The band did not write the lyric, but rather sampled it from an Ultramagnetic MCs' track. Several radio stations defended the song, yet only played the track at night. The music video (directed by Jonas Akerlund) featured a first-person POV of someone going clubbing, doing a lot of drugs, getting into fist fights with men, abusing women and picking up a prostitute. At the end of the video the camera sees a reflection in the mirror of a woman. MTV only aired the video between 1 and 5 a.m. in order for mature viewers to see the "groundbreaking" images. Wal-mart and Kmart later announced they would pull The Fat of the Land off their shelves. Even though the LP had resided on their store shelves for over 20 weeks, the two stores found the marketing campaign for the new single release offensive. In mid-2002, the full-on unedited version of this video was aired on MTV2 as part of a special countdown showing the most controversial videos ever to air on MTV. This countdown was only shown late at night because of the graphic imagery of "Smack My Bitch Up" and several other videos on the countdown. This video in particular was deemed the "Most Controversial Video" by MTV and showed at the #1 spot on the countdown.

Later Works

1999 saw the release of Dirtchamber Sessions Volume 1. This album was not strictly speaking a Prodigy album (although it did carry the band's name and logo), being a DJ mix album by Howlett, produced as an official record of a successful guest appearance on the British Radio 1. In 2002, after a break from touring and recording, the single Baby's Got a Temper was released to critical disappointment. The song was written by Keith Flint's sideband, Flint, and also featured Jim Davies. Howlett produced it. In the same year, however, Q magazine named The Prodigy as one of the "50 Bands To See Before You Die". The Prodigy's fourth studio album, Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned was released on 23 August 2004 (14 September 2004 in the USA.) A precursory and experimental single, Memphis Bells, was released in very limited numbers, followed by the traditional release of the single Girls. 5,000 digital copies of Memphis Bells were sold over the Internet. Each copy was a combination of customer-chosen instrumental, rhythmic, and melodic options, of which 39,600 (of 660,000 total) choices were available. Five mixes were sold in three file formats, WAV, two audio mixes in MP3, and a 5.1 DTS Multichannel audio mix and all were free of Digital rights management. The experiment was a success, with the 5,000 copies being sold in just over 36 hours in spite of server problems from the demand. In 2005, they released a compilation, Their Law: The Singles 1990-2005.

Evolution

The Prodigy are a difficult band to classify, because they have evolved significantly with time. Each of their albums represents a distinct stage in the band's musical evolution. From their initial inception as a psychedelic hardcore techno band with scene staples such as Your Love and Out of Space, to the much more mainstream dance of No Good, to the rock-oriented Their Law to punk tracks such as the L7 cover Fuel my Fire in more recent years, the Prodigy continue to innovate and surprise.

Members

Discography

Studio albums

- 1992 The Prodigy Experience #12 UK
- 1994 Music for the Jilted Generation #1 UK, #198 US
- 1997 The Fat of the Land #1 UK, #1 US
- 2004 Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned #1 UK, #62 US

Compilation albums

- 1999 Dirtchamber Sessions Volume 1
- 2005 Their Law: The Singles 1990-2005 (Greatest hits compilation) #1 UK
- 2006 Back To Mine : Liam Howlett (A personal collection for after hours grooving) (Due in the end of January)

Hit singles

from Experience

- 1991 "Charly" #3 UK (#73 Re-release in 2004 along with Pandemonium / Your Love)
- 1992 "Everybody in the Place" #2 UK
- 1992 "Fire/Jericho" #11 UK
- 1992 "Out of Space/Ruff in the Jungle Bizness" #5 UK
- 1993 "Wind It Up (Rewound)" #11 UK

from Music for the Jilted Generation

- 1993 "One Love" #8 UK
- 1994 "No Good (Start the Dance)" #4 UK
- 1994 "Voodoo People" #13 UK
- 1995 "Poison" #15 UK

from The Fat of the Land

- 1996 "Firestarter" #1 UK, #30 US
- 1996 "Breathe" #1 UK
- 1997 "Smack My Bitch Up" #8 UK

non-album single

- 2002 "Baby Got a Temper" #5 UK

from Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned

- 2004 "Girls" / "Memphis Bells"
- 2004 "Girls" #19 UK
- 2004 "Hotride" #60 UK (Non-chart qualifying)
- 2005 "Spitfire" (entered BBC chart at #1)

from Their Law The Singles 1990-2005

- 2005 "Voodoo People (Pendulum Remix)" / "Out Of Space (Audio Bullys Remix)" #20 UK

External links

Official sites

- [http://www.theprodigy.com/ The Prodigy] - Official website.

Fan sites in English

- [http://www.nekozine.co.uk/ Nekozine] - Fan site with many exclusives.
- [http://kotta.abso.net/prodigy.htm Kotta's Prodigy Site] Fan site with a complete discography (not updated since before Baby's Got a Temper).
- [http://www.jugesprodigy.net Juge's Prodigy Site] - Fan site with original downloadable material.
- [http://www.brainkiller.it Brainkiller] - Resourceful fan site.
- [http://www.theprodigy.nl/ TheProdigy.nl] - Fan site (currently developing a new website).

Fan sites in other languages

- [http://www.theprodigy.co.yu/ The Prodigy] - Serbian fan site.
- [http://www.prodigyant.com/ ProdigyAnt] - Polish fan site.

Massive Attack

(Daddy G), and Andrew Vowles (Mushroom)]] Massive Attack is a popular band from Bristol, England. They have released four full studio albums. Their music is electronic, and combines elements of jazz, hip hop, and other genres; lately the darker, subtler forms of electronic music have been dominant influences.

History

Massive Attack began as an offshoot of the Bristol art community The Wild Bunch. In 1991, they released their first album, Blue Lines, featuring the hit singles "Unfinished Sympathy" and "Daydreaming". According to polls produced by MTV2, NME, and various other magazines and reviewers, "Unfinished Sympathy" has been described as one of the best songs of all time. [http://www.acclaimedmusic.net/S187.htm] A reviewer for the BBC has stated: :More than a decade after its release it remains one of the most moving pieces of dance music ever, able to soften hearts and excite minds just as keenly as a ballad by Bacharach or a melody by McCartney. Blue Lines subsequently became one of the most influential British records of the 1990s, inspiring other projects such as Portishead and Morcheeba. Blue Lines ushered in a new genre of music best referred to as "the Bristol sound", but the press began to use the label "trip hop", which the members of Massive Attack dislike. During the first Gulf War, several British media channels became anxious to avoid using words suggestive of war and violence, and Massive Attack (then struggling to become established) were forced to temporarily change their name to simply Massive. Lead band member Robert Del Naja makes no secret in interviews of his political objections to what he sees as US aggression against the Third World in the name of democracy, often expressing regret that he ever agreed to the name change. In 1994, Massive Attack released their second effort Protection. Featuring two string instrumentals arranged by Craig Armstrong, this album featured a more lush, deeper sound than the first. This marked the last collaboration of Wild Bunch member Tricky with Massive Attack, as he afterwards concentrated wholly on his solo career. Two songs ("Protection" and "Better Things") feature Everything But The Girl's vocalist Tracey Thorn. In 1997 they colloborated with American dance music icon Madonna on a cover of the classic Marvin Gaye song "I Want You," which appeared on her Something to Remember album and also a Marvin Gaye tribute album, "Inner City Blues." Massive Attack originally consisted of three members, Robert Del Naja ("3D"), Grant Marshall ("Daddy G") and Andrew Vowles ("Mushroom"). After the recording of Mezzanine, Vowles—dissatisfied with the change in sound—left the band. He was replaced by Neil Davidge, who worked in tandem with Del Naja for much of his material on Mezzanine. Marshall elected to sit out during the recording of 100th Window. Each Massive Attack album features guest vocalists, and so far the band has worked with Mos Def, Tricky, Shara Nelson, Tracey Thorn of Everything But The Girl, Nicolette, Sara Jay, Elizabeth Fraser of Cocteau Twins and Sinéad O'Connor. The Jamaican reggae legend Horace Andy is a fixture of Massive Attack albums. Massive Attack's third album Mezzanine was released in 1998. Mezzanine showed the band moving towards a dark, distorted guitar-based sound, and, according to many fans and critics, marked a significant evolution. Several songs from this album have been featured in major motion pictures; the opening track, "Angel", appears in Snatch, a film by Guy Ritchie, as well as in an episode of television series The West Wing and in the independent film Pi, as well as 'Flight of the Phoenix'. The fourth track, "Inertia Creeps" is used in Stigmata. The sixth track, "Dissolved Girl" was featured in the films The Matrix and The Jackal. The third track, "Teardrop", is the opening theme (in instrumental form) for the television series House. The Japanese release of Mezzanine featured an additional track, "Superpredators", which was also used in the film The Jackal as the opening theme. Although part of their song "Teardrop" is being used as the theme music House, M.D. in the US, versions of the program aired in other countries, such as the UK, use a generic snippet of music that resembles "Teardrop". Part of their song "Angel" is being used as the theme music for another American television series, 24. Massive Attack's fourth album, 100th Window, was released on February 10, 2003. It entered the Top 10 in the UK charts. Del Naja was charged with possession of drugs that month. While some critics found 100th Window album not up to par with previous offerings, many found it a worthwhile listening experience. In 2004, the band, now consisting of Del Naja, Neil Davidge, and Alex Swift, released an instrumental soundtrack for the feature film Danny the Dog, which was produced by Luc Besson. The film's title was changed to Unleashed prior to the American release, though the album was initially released under the original title as it came out months before the film. 2005 saw the band contribute to the soundtrack for the feature film Bullet Boy. They are also working on music for the film adaptation of V For Vendetta due for release in 2006. Massive Attack's work has paved the way for groundbreaking artists around the globe such as Carnage and the Fiasco, Hooverphonic, Fischerspooner, and Delerium.

Discography

Albums

- Blue Lines - (June 1, 1991) #13 UK
- Protection - (September 26, 1994) #4 UK
- No Protection (Remix) - (February 17, 1995) #10 UK
- Mezzanine - (April 20, 1998) #1 UK
- 100th Window - (February 10, 2003) #1 UK
- Danny the Dog Soundtrack - (October 11, 2004) #70 UK

Singles

- "Daydreaming" - (October 15, 1990)
- "Unfinished Sympathy" - (February 11, 1991) #13 UK
- "Safe From Harm" - (May 28, 1991) #25 UK
- "Massive Attack" (EP) - (February 10, 1992) #27 UK
- "Sly" - (October 17, 1994) #24 UK
- "Protection" - (January 9, 1995) #14 UK
- "Karmacoma" (EP) - (March 20, 1995) #28 UK
- "Risingson" - (July 7, 1997) #11 UK
- "Teardrop" - (April 27, 1998) #10 UK
- "Angel" - (July 13, 1998) #30 UK
- "Inertia Creeps" (EP) - (September 21, 1998) (Ineligible)
- "Special Cases" - (February 24, 2003) #15 UK
- "Butterfly Caught" (EP) - (June 16, 2003) (Ineligible)

External links

- [http://www.massiveattack.co.uk Massive Attack homepage (requires Flash)]
- [http://www.massiveattackarea.com Massive Attack] (fr/en) news, info, forum...
- [http://www.soundtrackinfo.com/search.asp?q=Massive+Attack&pos=2 Massive Attack @ the SoundtrackINFO project]
- [http://www.bandnews.org/Massive%20Attack Massive Attack News]
- [http://www.100thwindow.com Promotional website for Massive Attack's new album 100th Window (requires Flash)]
-
- [http://www.craigarmstrongonline.com/ Craig Armstrong - News & Discography] Category:Electronic music groups Category:Trip hop groups Category:Alternative musical groups Category:British musical groups Category:1990s music groups Category:2000s music groups ja:マッシヴ・アタック

Ghostigital

Ghostigital is the musical project of icelandic singer/poet Einar Örn. Einar is better known for his vocal and trumpet work with The Sugarcubes in the late 1980s/early 1990s, where his rapped exhortations served as a kind of running commentary on the lyrics sung by Björk, the group's focal point and future megastar. The debut Ghostigital album, recorded with producer Curver, was released by Honest Jons Records in December 2003. The music is described as "electronic beat music", drawing in elements of dub, hip-hop, rock and noise, combined with Örn's idiosyncratic worldview.

External links

- [http://www.ghostigital.com Official website]

Category:Icelandic musicians

Category:Icelandic music Musicians Category:Musicians by nationality ko:분류:아이슬란드의 음악가

Techno/Neu

Techno ist der Name einer Stilrichtung der Musik, wird vielerorts als Sammelbegriff für verschiedene, miteinander verwandte Stilrichtungen verwendet und bezeichnet auch eine Bewegung der Jugendkultur, die vor allem in den 90er-Jahren von Bedeutung war.

Techno als Stilrichtung

Beschreibung

Der Musikstil Techno wird vor allem durch den 4/4-Takt und die Bet

Einar Örn Benediktsson

Trumpet

Construction

Relationship to other brass instruments

Types of trumpets

History

Instruction and method books

Technique

Fingering

Books

External links

Björk

Early Career

Popularity

The Sugarcubes

Solo career/Debut

Post

Homogenic

Vespertine

Family Tree/Greatest Hits

Medúlla

Army of Me-Xes

Drawing Restraint 9

Currently

Björk in Film

Her Name

Personal Life

Partial Discography

With The Sugarcubes

Solo studio albums

Other releases

Television

Films / Shortcuts

Bibliography

Related Bibliography

See also

External links

Reykjavík

Geography

People

History

Historical Population

Administration

Reverse timeline of mayors

Economy

Major companies

Infrastructure

Roads

Airports & seaports

Telecommunications

Heating

Sites of interest

Gymnasia and universities

Gymnasia

Colleges and Universities

Sports teams

See also

External links

The Prodigy

History

Beginnings

"Smack My Bitch Up" controversy

Later Works

Evolution

Members

Current members

Ex-members

Live members

Former live members

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Hit singles

from Experience

from Music for the Jilted Generation

from The Fat of the Land

non-album single

from Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned

from Their Law The Singles 1990-2005

See also