Englabörn, the genre-blurring debut album from the late Jóhann Jóhannsson, is getting an expanded vinyl reissue this fall. Out Oct. 25, Englabörn & Variations is a vinyl version of the Icelandic composer’s first LP with a bonus disc of reworkings from a exceptional forged of contributors.
Upon its launch in 2002 by means of the legendary Contact label, Englabörn was hailed for its sensible merger of digital and classical music. It was one of many first albums to obtain a Finest New Music designation on Pitchfork, with an 8.9 score and a rave overview proclaiming, “This first solo album from Jóhann Jóhannsson is absolutely beautiful, and it has only become moreso over the past few months, sustaining me for long periods of time when other music just wouldn’t do the trick.”
Initially launched in 2018, Englabörn & Variations expanded on Jóhannson’s unique imaginative and prescient with transformative takes on the Englabörn materials from a few of his friends and admirers. Ryuichi Sakamoto, A Winged Victory For The Sullen, Paul Corley, Alex Somers, and fellow Icelanders Víkingur Ólafsson and Hildur Guðnadóttir have been among the many contributors to the undertaking.
Born in Reykjavík and later primarily based in Berlin, Jóhannson was among the many most acclaimed composers of his era. After getting his begin as a member of the cult-beloved shoegaze band Daisy Hill Pet Farm, he was a fixture of Iceland’s underground rock scene within the late twentieth century earlier than delving into classical music as a solo artist post-Y2K. His solo albums for labels equivalent to Contact, 4AD, and Deutsche Grammophon have been constantly beloved, as have been his scores for movies equivalent to The Principle of All the things, Sicario, and Arrival. He was nominated for Finest Unique Rating on the Academy Awards twice and received the Golden Globe for Finest Unique Rating for his work on The Principle of All the things.
Order Johann Jóhannson’s Englabörn & Variations now.