Stilluppsteypa – “Reduce By Reducing” – [Fire Inc/Some]

Having no previous knowledge of Stilluppsteypa, I dug myself in for some serious research. What I discovered about this Icelandic endeavor into electroglitch, was a lesson in Sonology. Founding member Heimer Bjorgulfsson studied this sound theory in 1997 at the Royal Conservatory in the Hague, and the technology is used in medical diagnosis, the Sonogram. The use of his studies brought out this 1998 release on Fire Inc., Reduce by Reducing ,with Sigtryggur Berg Sigmarsson and Helgi Thorsson, this five track CD, will take you to various levels of audio awareness. Not as playful as other works, which include collaborative efforts
from Halfer Trio, and Melt Banana, Heirmir delivers a wide range of brain twists and turns. Track one starts off around a sludge pond in a dark swamp, a single frog croaks, the substance that he feasts on are illuminated fragments of gray matter. Track 2, low tone drones, short and sweet. Track 3, a distorted message from the abyss, warns of a menacing bacterial crawly thing, that with a pounding air gun, proceeds to disconnect brain cells with each forceful hit. Track 4 takes you up and beyond space and time, a Gort-like figure beckons you to follow, then sudden panic, and all is lost in the void, and Track 5 finds you in a diving bell fathoms below the surface waiting for the air to be sucked out and your head to collapse. Heirmir left Stilluppsteypa in 2002, and is now internationally know as an abstract painter and artist, with exhibits around the world. This is by far the best usage of Sonology, and by the way…#4 is a remix by Ryoji Ikeda. This eats brain matter and you’ll love it.