Once upon a time, long before anything existed, there were ancient creatures telling stories. These stories came in the form of songs and those songs emitted vibrations—the soundwaves that created the universe.
Don’t believe it? Go into a silent room, take a breath and sing a melody. There’s something there that wasn’t there before, right?
Welcome to dj. flugvél og geimskip’s theory of the universe.
Just let go
The origin of this theory lies in the concept behind the song “Let Go!” from dj. flugvél og geimskip’s new album “Our Atlantis.” While her previous album was made for the purpose of getting other musicians to take her seriously, “Our Atlantis” was created without any such aims.
“It’s just something I like,” says Steinunn Eldflaug Harðardóttir, the person behind the project. “It’s nothing too serious.”
Everything is nonsense
However, as it turns out, the idea behind the album is actually as serious as it gets. ‘Our Atlantis’ addresses a weighty matter—the age-old existential question of why anything exists at all.
“I am always looking for what I should be doing in life,” says Steinunn. “What kind of music should I make? Should I be travelling on airplanes? Or should I maybe just die? It didn’t matter who I asked, nobody could tell me anything. So, I thought I might as well just make up my own reasons for things. While I am on this planet, I just want to have fun and enjoy it.”
The title of the album refers to this exact philosophy. Some say the story of Atlantis—a utopian civilization created by god-like humans—is nothing but a legend or a hoax. Others say it actually existed, complete with spaceships and portals to other dimensions.
In the end, Steinunn posits, the questions become irrelevant, and the only thing that matters is what you choose to believe. “Everything is nonsense,” she says. “Nothing really exists. It’s all in your mind.”
A whole new world
The first single from the album, “The Sphinx,” was accompanied by the release of a videogame. In the game world, you can walk around a psychedelic and chaotic environment created by Steinunn, gathering loops that make up the song. You’ll also encounter the animals that appear on the album. It’s an effective combination of Steinunn’s visual work, music and creative imagination.
But it doesn’t stop there. For her next single, Steinunn created a whole 3D world to use as the video, and flew a camera around inside it. Both the game and this 3D world are now available to experience on dj. flugvél og geimskip’s website.
Lightning strike
In January, back in the real world, dj. flugvél og geimskip went on tour with veteran noise-rock band Lightning Bolt. She has little in common with them, other than the fact that both have released a video game. The collaboration came into existence through a mutual friend, and the two acts met the first time on tour.
“I was a little worried because they play such heavy music, and I was supposed to open for them,” recounts Steinunn. “But in the end, it all worked out really well. We feel like one big family now and we all wanted to continue touring and playing together.”
If nothing else, this is further proof of the immense charm of dj. flugvél og geimskip’s otherworldly music.
“Our Atlantis” is out now. Order a copy at geertruida.net.
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