Ólafur Arnalds live from Hafursey, in Iceland for Cercle

I don't know. It is perfect. Hello everyone. This was such a magical moment. And actually this could last forever because the sun will set at some point, but night will never happen. - I don't know if it sets, then if it just disappears slightly behind the top of the mountain and then goes back up, actually. It's crazy. - So, let's go. Let's do it again! Yes, let's do it again. I mean... if you give me 10 minutes to warm up my fingers, then I can go have some tea. Well, man, that was crazy. I mean, what mood were you in when you played today?

Because you're not in your studio. You're not in front of a crowd at a concert. It was really like a state of flow for the last hour, I have to admit. And that doesn't even always happen during concerts, you know? And it wasn't even the surroundings because in fact I have to say that at one point I looked towards the mountain. I was like, Oh my god, this is amazing! And that was the only time I really messed up on the piano. So I decided not to look at this mountain again. And I'm just going to focus on being here with my friends, who worked so hard with me for this and who are so cool right now and who are really giving everything they have to this music.

That's like a state of mind, right? That's the ultimate state of creativity where you just... nothing else matters but the music you're playing right now. To be honest, this environment doesn't matter at that time. You know, it's just the music. - We could feel it. We could feel that they were all really connected and really enjoying it. - Yes, we were really enjoying it! People commented: do the artists enjoy it more or do we enjoy it more? And I must say that we have been arguing together for more than five years. - Yes. Yes. - To do this show.

I checked my emails just to check the first email, it was early 2018. - Then you flew, right? you checked some locations. - Yes. It was the first exploration. I flew in 2018 and then again about three times. And now we are here. - Incredible. Thank you so much. - No, thank you very much. - Beautiful opportunity. - I mean, you really deserve this show. So I have many questions. First of all, the question about this country, which I think is my favorite country in the world. Like it was totally crazy. People who have visited can understand me or people who are from Iceland.

We were talking a lot about where we would do this set. Yes. And you told me, for example, this place, I don't really feel a connection, but this one does. What connection did you feel? How do you relate to this place? This place connects me deeply because it reminds me of the highlands of Iceland. We are not quite in the highlands. They're right over there, but we're actually still in the lowlands. But this is one of the few places in the so-called lowlands that make you feel like you are in the highlands. And the highlands of Iceland are like my favorite place in the world for me.

I basically grew up there, you know, because my parents work a lot on environmental issues. Every summer we would go with the tents in the car and I would just be with my four brothers in the back of a car without seat belts, like butting heads on the rocky roads. And this, this is like, it's a big part of me, that experience. And I still do it today. Now I go alone, drive there and stay. And it's this feeling of complete loneliness, you know, there's no one, anywhere near you. And this feeling is very rare in today's world.

And even sometimes when we're alone, in some ways we're not alone because we're constantly bombarded with information from our phones or whatever lenses we put on our heads today or whatever. And this, this tranquility is something that feels increasingly rare and something that I really appreciate. That's why I feel such a connection to this, this place. It's lovely. Yes. And it's really quiet. And also the way of speaking here is calmer than in other countries. It's crazy. Even when people talk, there is more silence. When, something that I really like, how to say it, I felt that there are not many people living here, but yes, there is a lot of talent.

There are many artists. And I was wondering why you think there is a high density of artists in Iceland. What is your point of view? This is an old question, right? That's the question I've tried to answer in every interview since I was 18. I have tried to answer this question. And nowadays I start inventing things, you know? Yes, the government puts something in the water... No, but actually, I think it's a combination of many different factors that somehow come together in this perfect harmony here. Because it's true. The music scene is amazing here for such a small town.

I think one factor is, for example, that traditionally the music scene here was not so industry-oriented or business-oriented. So you'd start a band with some friends and you know, even if you're really popular, you'll sell like 50 records. So it doesn't really matter what you do, right? So I think from that nonconformist attitude you get a lot of unique music. I think another factor is just the environment here. Not necessarily that we're writing music and looking at the mountains all the time, but maybe more the logistical effects of living in such an environment. December, January, February, you don't leave your house much.

It's like you stay inside. It's so dark. It's so cold that it storms all the time. So you stay inside and need to find some hobbies that you can do inside; music is perfect for this. I think there are a lot of other factors, you know? Maybe it's also culture, history and also government support. There is a lot of education in music. There is a lot of support from our government. There are many factors. - And the landscape too. You talked about the highlands when you were young and liked to travel everywhere. I'm sure it inspired you. - Yes, it gives you peace of mind.

It gives you the clarity of mind to be creative. I think you need that. I can't be creative if I'm in New York. I know some people can do it because they somehow trained their mind to ignore the noise. But when I hear all this noise constantly, it drives me crazy. And when are you most creative? For example, do you feel that these sometimes extreme weather conditions, but also the fact that sometimes there is total darkness for many months or total light, how do they affect your creative process? I think I'm actually the most creative at extreme opposites.

So like in the middle of summer, when it's light all the time and I feel so manic, you know, it's like you're never tired, like you never want to go to sleep because the sun just came up. But I'm feeling really creative right now. And I also feel very creative at the opposite end in the dark winter. January and February is usually when I like to finish an album. - So that's maybe the main reason. We found the perfect answer. I am also reviewing questions from the online audience. Yes, let's now also talk about the electronic music part.

You decided to play a Kiasmos song. Why did you decide to touch on this topic? I think it's because it's Cercle. And I've been a fan of Cercle for a long time. And obviously I'm involved in electronic music with Kiasmos. And I felt like because we were doing the show with you, I felt like it was a little dedication to you. It's a place where it's appropriate to play songs that are a little more upbeat. But we actually had a lot of fun doing it. We've been rehearsing this a lot because it's a song we've never played

live

before.

And we had to figure it all out and make new arrangements. It's been a lot of fun with the band playing dance music, but with a string quartet. You know, yeah, it was fantastic. It was a beautiful moment. Can you remember that time as... What is the main reason why you decided to explore the world of electronic music through Kiasmos? At first they were just two friends hanging out. Of course, there are many things that say that electronic music was quite popular at that time. This was like 2008 or 2009. And me and Janus, my partner in Kiasmos, we were always looking forward to seeing some, you know, Stephan Bodzin's DJ sets in Iceland, or, you know, we're starting to get really interested. in that.

And we would always get together, go to a techno DJ set and then go home and get really inspired to do something, you know. Yeah, I guess we were super inspired by electronic music at the time. - And we are very glad that you were inspired, I must say. How do you perceive the role of technology in the world of neoclassical and electronic music? - For me, the role of technology in all music is just a tool to make us think outside the box of our usual thinking. As always I take the same example, like when I play the piano. - Yes, I was about to ask. - I inspired your next question!

I'm like a very mediocre pianist. I'm not trying to be humble, but I never studied piano. I can't play Chopin, you know, I can play a very basic piano. But what's interesting to me is how that results in the music that I write, you know, because I have limitations in what my hands can do. And therefore, the music I write has the same limitation. You know, the ideas I think come not only from the mind, but from your habits, from how your muscles move, from how your fingers move. But then if you break that by saying, for example, the piano will play itself and I'll use a generative algorithm to help create the content, then you're breaking this connection and you're just using your mind, you know? , you're removing the limitations of your hands and creating music that you otherwise would never have imagined without this, you know, so it's about broadening your horizons and exploring something new. - And enhancing your creativity. - Yes.

And it doesn't matter what technology, whether it's a self-playing piano or just a laptop with Ableton Live, it's the same thing, right? - Yes. But the funny thing is that you basically used artificial intelligence to create this, which is something that everyone is talking about right now. But... It's not really artificial intelligence, but it's still an algorithm. Yes, it is an algorithm. It's like a really dumb AI, like a really stupid AI. - When did you create it? So you created this Stratus system, right? - Yes, stratum. - With a friend of yours? - Yes, Halldór Eldjárn.

I think we created this in 2017 and 2018. When I was making the re:member album. And to me, the whole concept of that album was kind of like: neoclassical music suddenly became really big. And then I thought, well, then I have to do something different, right? Because if there are now like 1000 people making this sweet piano music with strings, I don't want to do that too. So the whole concept of the album became like, how do I get out of this, this loop, this repetition and always come back to the same sound? You know, that was the idea of ​​creating this. - And have you tried to create this with other instruments?

Yeah, I would run it like synths and stuff like that, not just playing pianos. And yes, great. It's really fantastic. Of course, it is designed for a specific instrument. So you have to tinker with it to make it work for other things. But it works, yes. - It is fascinating. Because I really know that, like you said, really dumb AI, but I imagine it could be improved. And it really depends on where you draw the line. - Yes Yes. But the problem with me is that once I've done something, I don't want to keep doing it.

So I don't think I'll develop this further. I would rather, you know, because, again, it's the same thing. You don't want to do it, even this is an idea. You don't want to get stuck on this idea either. Yes, you have to think about something else. - Actually, you don't like to be bored. - Yes, that's the trick. Just keep it exciting. -And speaking of AI, at what point, if ever, do you think AI stops being an asset for musicians and starts to become a problem? I ask this question, because now AI is getting more and more intelligent, you see, like even AI that can recreate an artist's voice. - Yes, I think it's already becoming a problem, to be honest.

But yeah, maybe it's more of a problem for the industry. It's not really a problem for me as an artist. I don't see that. Because art is not just music, you know? Art needs to have a meaning, a purpose. And of course, AI could probably copy my music in five years. But the AI ​​is not trying to say anything, it has no message for you. He just copied. He just copied something. There is no originality. There is no substance. It doesn't really have any meaning. And that's what we look for in music. It's a human connection, that we feel through the methods, through the expression of, you know, for example, this me playing the piano here, that there is, it's a communication between you and me.

The AI ​​is just imitating that and we feel the difference, we know the difference. So I don't think AI is going to replace what we're doing here. But I think that might mean I no longer have any income from my music. You could stop making money from it, because the AI ​​would replace all the background playlist music on Spotify, and all that or similar background music for movies or TV shows, and that's a big part of what musicians really win. your money and make a living. So I think it's a threat to our

live

lihood, but it's not a threat to our art. - Isinteresting.

Like the industry and maybe some legal aspect of it. It will be more of a problem for my lawyer than for me. - Yes, exactly. A little question about the track you created for this show and for this location, Yfir, I have to say Yfir. Is this some kind of Undir follow-up? Yes. In Icelandic, Undir means below, below and Yfir means above. We use that name because it is a kind of tribute to Undir. Undir was a track we've been touring for the last five years with, of course, the hiatus and the pandemic. Undir was always a highlight of our show.

And we loved playing it so much that we were always changing it, always changing it, because it was like a place to experiment. And somehow last year we realized that it's not the same song anymore. We changed the elements one by one until it was a completely new song. So we've played it a few times live before, but finally, for this occasion, I actually took it into the studio and looked at it and thought of it as a new song, not just a variation on Undir. It's a completely new piece of music at this point. Yfir, it's a small tribute to that.

And of course, I have to say that it is this mountain that is right here. - And when you talk, you say we... I feel like you are all really connected together. Have you known each other for a long time? - Yes Yes. Most of these guys have played with me for many years, like Karl on viola and Unnur on cello. They've both been since 2009, I think, or even 2008. We've played together for like 15 years. So even though they don't necessarily like writing the songs with me, it always feels like it's us, you know, because half of music is acting, right?

And they do the performance. I can not do this. - Well, I have nothing more to say other than thank you very much for what happened today. - This was amazing. What a special way to experience my own country, also with you and through your eyes and do something crazy like this. It's always fun. I really enjoy it. - I really want you to see the video. - I'm going to run to the truck and watch the video! - We have a small tradition at Cercle. It is the Mystery Box, a small gift that we want to offer you.

Actually two little gifts, one from here in Iceland. So it was very difficult because we were French people offering something from Iceland. But we did our best. Well. And another gift from our partner Bang & Olufsen, who are here. Thanks guys. - Bang & Olufsen headphones. Thanks guys. They will come in handy, especially the noise cancellation. You know, I like the quality. - You like it when there is no noise. Then it's perfect. And then obsidian. - This is beautiful. This is really beautiful. This is obsidian. In Icelandic it is called hrafntinna. And it's so black. It's like, I don't know, I'm not a geologist, but at least when I was a kid, I remember hearing that this was really volcanic.

The myth, at least when you're a kid, is that if you hit two of these together, they'll start a fire. Oh, I don't know if that works. I tried several times when I was a kid and never succeeded. But that was the myth that you could start a fire with this. - And this comes from the highlands. So this maybe comes from Hrafntinnusker. Know? There is an obsidian mountain, which is one of the most beautiful places in this country. It's right behind this mountain here and it's full of these rocks. So maybe it comes from there.

Well, thank you very much, Ó

lafur

, for... - Thanks guys, I really appreciate it. - Thanks also to all the musicians. - Thanks to everyone who is watching! - Yes, thanks for everyone watching. Also, the amazing team we have from the Covert and Empire team who did an incredible job. It seems easy, but it is not at all. We are in quite extreme weather conditions, but we were very lucky. - Very lucky. It's been raining here for two weeks until yesterday. Yes, it's not hot. I'm freezing right now, but at least we got to play. - Yes, totally.

So thanks also to Mother Nature for the weather. And thanks also to our partner Bang & Olufsen. Thank you to the amazing and lovely team at Cercle. And until next time. I must say something. I'm really happy with this show because I felt like it was a real collaboration. It wasn't us inviting you or booking you. It was a real collaboration that we did. Thank you very much, Ó

lafur

. - It's the only way to do it, really. Thank you. - Thank you.