LIFEM: Sounds From The Arctic Cool

The London International Festival of Exploratory Music is back at King’s Place with an exciting programme ready to challenge the audience and make it explore new musical territories. This year’s theme Sounds from the Arctic Cool, brings us an interesting line-up of Scandinavian groups, from the dark and electronic to post-rock, shamanistic and indie. Prepare to be surprised!

Book your tickets for LIFEM online here

Check out World Music Network's The Rough Guide To The Music Of Scandinavia. 

There is a quality to the music of Scandinavia that seems born in the long winter months; it is dark and humorous, steeped in tradition yet sharply inventive. This Rough Guide showcases some of the most adventurous sounds from the region, including the techno-joiking of Wimme, Icelandic minimalism by Amiina, and explosive experimentation by Kimmo Pohjonen with the Kronos Quartet.

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Frida Hyvönen (Sweden): Wednesday 31 October 2012

7:30pm / Kings Place, Hall One

LIFEM starts by giving us a great opportunity to see a live performance of this versatile award-winning singer, songwriter, piano player and comedian. She comes to the LIFEM preceded by amazing reviews that define her as a brilliant, enchanting as well as stormy artist. Frida Hyvönen's voice flows smoothly between genres, exploring subjects as contrasting as death, on-line holiday pictures and picking apples in her 2012 album To The Soul. This is guaranteed to get you hooked up from the first time you listen to it.

EF (Sweden) & Tomorrow We Sail (UK): Thursday 1 November 2012

7:30pm / Kings Place, Hall One

Gothenburg-based band EF has been very busy since their debut album Give Me Beauty… Or Give Me Death! and arrive at King’s Place with two more albums and a remix, that they have been extensively touring in Europe. Their multi-instrumental and energetic soundscapes are accompanied by fantastic vocals, which have given them prominence in the post-rock scene and earned a great reputation as an explosive live band.

On this occasion, they will be supported by Leeds/Sheffield group Tomorrow We Sail. Their well-mixed combination of folk, slowcore and post-rock, full of reverb guitars and multi-layered vocals, depicting remarkable epic landscapes that have been compared to Elbow and Sigur Ros. 

Deaf Center (Norway): Friday 2 November 2012

7:30pm / Kings Place, Hall One

It is not surprising to learn that these two friends started the band while on holiday in a log cabin basing their music on field recordings. Listening to each of their tracks is a journey in itself. Their shadowy, dark, haunting ambient sound is an amazing soundtrack for the imagination. Beautiful cinematic soundscapes and electric drone backgrounds with a sinister tone punctually enlightened by cello and piano notes that do not leave anybody cold. This music combined with your favourite horror stories never sounded so good.

Biosphere (Norway): Saturday 3 November 2012

7:30pm / Kings Place, Hall One

Geir Jenssen is considered a veritable institution in electronica since he started in the early 90’s as Bleep.  Originally from Tromsø, a city 500 miles away from the Arctic Circle, Geir Jenssen is acknowledged as one of the precursors of ambient techno. In his prolific career over the past two decades he has been in charge of sound installations, commissions and soundtracks, the most famous probably being the soundtrack of the film Insomnia and the theme of one of Michel Gondry’s adverts for Levi’s.  As one of Norway’s most prominent artists, Geir Jenssen will be at LIFEM with his current music persona Biosphere, enlightening the audience with his usual fusion of environmental experimentation and urban techno.

Wimme Saari & Tapani Rinne (Finland): Friday 2 November 2012

8:00pm / Kings Place, Hall Two

Wimme Saari is a traditional Sámi joik singer. In this chant style, he combines the usual grittiness of joiking with improvisation using intense melodic arches and lyrics praising the earth and its elements. In addition to his band and solo work, he has collaborated with many other international artists and comes to the LIFEM with the Finnish musician Tapani Rinne. Rinne is reknown for his experimental and innovative style of clarinet and saxophone playing, and is considered a pioneer in techno-jazz for his meditative electronica themes. Shamanistic chant meets modern technology in this unique performance.

RinneRadio (Finland): Saturday 3 November 2012

8:00pm / Kings Place, Hall Two

RinneRadio is the main project of saxophonist/reedist Tapani Rinne, a trio with percussion and electronics formed in 1988. Their music stands on the boundaries of jazz and electro, mixed with dub and drum ‘n’ bass rhythms and influenced by world music and ambient.  In their mesmerizing performances they manage to induce trance tranquillity on some as well as dance-floor energy in others. 

The London International Festival of Exploratory Music's Sounds From The Arctic Cool promises to be an exciting and exotic festival to be part of. Explore different soundscapes of Sweden, Norway, Finland and UK and discover new sounds created by these world class artists. Learn about new styles of singing and learn about how these artists integrate folk elements into their modern compositions. Come and join the celebration of Sounds From The Arctic Cool  at Kings Place, London.

Book you tickets for LIFEM online here.