Kraumur Music Fund announced on 15 April its first allocations and support to the Icelandic music scene, musicians and bands for the year 2010.
Twenty artists and band receive direct support from Kraumur and cooperation with others in their projects this year; Bang Gang, Bloodgroup, Bryndís Jakobsdóttir, Daníel Bjarnason, Einar Scheving, Feldberg, FM Belfast, Hafdís Bjarnadóttir, the chamber choir Carmina, K-trio, Leaves, Mammút, Ourlives, Ólöf Arnalds, Retro Stefson, Samúel Jón Samúelsson Big Band, Seabear, Sólstafir, the Trúbatrix group and Víkingur Heiðar Ólafsson. Kraumur will also continue with its own projects; to support Icelandic recording, award exceptional albums on the Kraumur List as well as sponsor audio workshops this summer for young and promising bands and artists.
A total of ISK 11.7 million is now being allocated to various projects that have to do with Icelandic music. The applications received this time were 208 in all. The published policy of the fund is to support few projects or artists, but do it in a determinant way.
This time an emphasis is on International promotion of Icelandic music and projects of Icelandic artists as well as supporting the work of artists and bands in Iceland, from composing and recording of own work, to seminars and concerts in the countryside.
PROMOTION OF ICELANDIC MUSIC INTERNATIONALLY
This time the largest support for cooperation goes to FM Belfast for touring and promotion of their work and to the composer Daníel Bjarnason for follow through and international promotion of his album Processions. Kraumur supports both projects with ISK 1.000,000 each. Kraumur also starts cooperation and support with Feldberg, Mammút, Ourlives, Ólöf Arnalds, Seabear, Samúel Jón Samúelsson Big Band and Sólstafir to promote them and their work internationally.
Daníel Bjarnason is a composer of classical music who has worked enthusiastically at breaking down traditions usually connected with a title such as his. It may be said that Daníel is some ways paving the way for composers of classical music in our times and getting classical music out to a larger audience. Procession is already receiving very good reviews and has been very well received internationally and with further promotion and concerts it will hopefully reach the attention of even more people.
The band FM Belfast is at the other end of the musical spectrum and plays dance- and pop music. They have developed immensely as a concert band since they appeared on Iceland Airwaves in 2006. The band made and released their own album, How to Make Friends with the support of Kraumur in 2008 and since then the band’s reputation has reached far outside Iceland. In 2010 the band will focus on the international market and the band will perform at music festivals and musical happenings all around Europe, such as Roskilde and SPOT.
RELEASING OF ALBUMS AND DOMESTIC PROJECTS
Kraumur continues to support projects of bands and artists in Iceland and the composing, recordings and releasing of their work. Kraumur will be working with and supporting Bang Gang, Bryndís Jakobsdóttir, Einar Scheving, Hafdís Bjarnadóttir, Leaves, Retro Stefson and Víkingur Heiðar Ólafsson in their projects in composing, releasing and/or promoting their own work. All these artists have plans to release new albums this year.
Kraumur continues the “Conquest” this year – the support to touring in Iceland. The objective is to increase the artists’ possibilities of having concerts, give them a chance to promote their music outside the capital area and boost people’s access to musical events in the countryside. Numerous artists and bands have gone touring in various places around the country in the last two years in the name of the “Conquest”.
Kraumur’s “Conquest” will support concerts and touring of the Chamber choir Carmina, the K-trio, the Trúbatrix group (Myrra Rós Þrastardóttir, Miss Mount, Elín Ey, Elíza, Pascal Pinon, Mysterious Marta and numerous other women musicians). Bloodgroup will also have a concert in the Faroe Islands, supported by Kraumur. It’s time to thank Faroe islanders for their help, by bringing them exceptional music from Iceland.
THE KRAUMUR LIST AND THE OPERATION IN 2010
This year Kraumur has had a seminar and an open conference for musicians and people interested in music in cooperation with the music festival: “I never went south”, has participated in the search for young composers in cooperation with Djúpið and Rás 1 and as one of the partners of Music Experiments in March chosen three bands to take part in Kraumur’s audio workshops where young and promising bands receive information, guiding and facilities to record their own material with the assistance of professionals.
Kraumur has also bought (100 copies of each title) and promoted the six albums that were nominated for the Kraumur Élite list 2009 (former Kraumur awards) – and sent them to concert organisers, record companies and international contacts. The albums are: Anna Guðný Guðmundsdóttir – Vingt regards sur lénfant – Jésus, Bloodgroup – Dry Land, Helgi Hrafn Jónsson – For the Rest of my Childhood, Hildur Guðnadóttir – Without Sinking, Hjaltalin – Terminal and Morðingjarnir – Flóttinn mikli. The Kraumur List 2010 will be announced in December and Kraumur will provide the same kind of support to the albums that are awarded.
For further information kindly contact Eldar Ástþórsson general manager of Kraumur Music Fund or
