For Reykjavík-based artist Ari Árelíus, the act of making music is not unlike composing a painting: an intuitive yet delicate merging of distinct elements to create moments of lasting transcendence. In recent years, the songwriter/guitarist/producer has explored such disparate genres as Saharan desert blues and psychedelic surf rock. Embracing an ethos of colorful eclecticism he sees as unique to music created in Iceland. “So many of the genres we’re absorbing here come from cultures that we’re not a part of,” he says. “You can hear an Americana song on the radio, but when you try to play it you’ll inevitably interpret in your own way, so it becomes something else entirely. I’m not all that interested in being a purist; I’m much more excited by the experimentation that happens within that interpretation.
Ari first started making music after buying a bass guitar at age 13. Along with playing in a number of bands and honing his craft as a songwriter, he soon added guitar, piano, and drums to his repertoire and learned to self-produce. After earning his degree in philosophy from the University of Iceland—an endeavor he considers an essential influence on his lyrical approach—Ari later studied guitar at a jazz conservatory in Iceland. “Jazz seems to be a subconscious part of my musicality now, where I’m always drawn toward unexpected chord changes and focused on creating interesting tensions in whatever I’m working on,” he notes. In 2022 he released his debut album Hiatus Terræ, in which he cross-pollinates elements of Icelandic music with sounds sourced from musical traditions from around the world.
https://www.instagram.com/ariarelius/
https://ariarelius.bandcamp.com/track/hringr-s
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