"Music" and "space" form an undeniable symbiosis. We use each word to describe the other all the time, yet in truth, the one cannot exist in the other. The only sound of the spheres is in our minds. But what great imaginations we have. Over the years, many sonic explorers have reached far into the cosmos for inspiration, figuratively and sometimes quite literally as did our friend, Úlfur Eldjárn, who some KEXP listeners will recognize from the experimental Icelandic electronic group Apparat Organ Quartet. On his upcoming solo outing, The Aristókrasía Project, Úlfur Eldjárn has gazed from the vantage of Soviet astronaut Yuri Gagarin, the first person in space, and reimagined not only what he saw but what a utopic future, that people thought about at the time, might have been. "Poyekhali!", the first song from the album, which we are proud to offer as an exclusive preview here, is the perfect launching point for this new project. Meaning "Let's go" in Russian, Gagarin's battlecry of "Poyekhali!" became a local catchphrase, a call for optimistic forward thinking, which is exactly what you'll hear in Úlfur Eldjárn's own compositions.
Take a journey with "Poyekhali!" now, and look out for The Aristókrasía Project when it's released in the near future.
If you happen to be in Reykjavík in the next couple of weeks, Úlfur Eldjárn will perform the whole record live for the first time at an exclusive live show at Harpa on the 7th of October. Find out more about that show here and more about Úlfur Eldjárn here.
This Saturday, October 10th, KEXP presents the Sixth Annual Reykjavik Calling at Neumos, a free showcase pairing artists from Iceland’s burgeoning music scene with your favorite Seattle musicians.
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