II

Description

Kiasmos – the Icelandic composer Ólafur Arnalds and the Faroese musician Janus Rasmussen – return, renewed and restored, with II. The triumphant sequel to their self-titled debut album, universally acclaimed in 2014, which reinvented minimal techno with orchestral flourishes and weightless production. They had completed most of this album in just two weeks; this time, it has been 10 years. The making of II was a test of their friendship, but also a testament to how great musical chemistry can still stand the test of time and remain the same as it has always been.
They worked during the lost year 2020-2021, including a trip to Ólafur's studio in Bali. “We spent a month there and wrote a few songs that ended up on the record,” says Janus. The duo sampled traditional Balinese percussion like the gamelan and incorporated Janus's recordings of their natural environment – the sounds of birds, crickets, and, on the remarkable track “Dazed,” the echo of the sunrise over the lush landscape.
Kiasmos have an enviable talent for conveying complex emotions and evocative visuals with instrumental music. But this time, they have more experience as producers to draw upon. The scope of the album can be linked to the intervening years Ólafur spent as a Grammy-nominated composer and composer for film and television. And they have subtly shifted from the frenetic and broken rhythms of British dance music, experimenting more with BPM, echoing the time Janus spent playing in major venues around the world.