Sundlaugin

64°10.007′N 21°40.714′W / 64.166783°N 21.678567°W / 64.166783; -21.678567

Sundlaugin Studio
Company typeRecording studio
IndustryMusic
Founded2008
Area served
Mosfellsbær, Iceland
Websitewww.sundlaugin.com

Sundlaugin (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈsʏntˌlœyjɪn], the swimming pool) is a recording studio located near Álafoss in the town of Mosfellsbær in Iceland known for being the recording and rehearsal location of post-rock band Sigur Rós. The location was originally a swimming pool built in the 1930s which had been abandoned when Sigur Rós purchased it in 1999 and converted it and adjacent buildings into a studio.[1][2]

The band originally intended to record their third album, titled ( ), in an abandoned NATO tracking base in the northernmost mountain in Iceland, but after inspection decided it was too impractical. Shortly after they found the abandoned pool lot in a rural neighborhood in Mosfellsbær. They bought the lot and transformed it into a studio. In order to fit the massive mixing console into the building, part of the roof was opened up and the console was lowered with a crane.[3]

Much of the band's photography and artwork is taken from the surrounding landscape, such as the art found on the first album recorded in the studio, ( ).[4]

The recording studio has also been used for recording, mixing and mastering (usually assisted by the studio's sound engineer Birgir Jón "Biggi" Birgisson) by a wide group of mainly Icelandic artists and bands, including:[5][6]

As of 2020, Sundlaugin is owned by Sigur Rós keyboardist Kjartan Sveinsson.[1]

  1. ^ a b "Kjartan kaupir Sundlaugina". RÚV. 2020-05-16. Retrieved 2020-07-15.
  2. ^ "About the studio". sundlaugin.com. Archived from the original on 2008-01-26. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
  3. ^ "sigur rós - trivia". sigur-ros.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-04-12.
  4. ^ "sigur rós - discography » ( )". sigur-ros.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-02-07.
  5. ^ "clients". sundlaugin.com. Retrieved 2009-10-10.
  6. ^ "Sundlaugin Studio Clients". Sundlaugin - "The Backbone of Icelandic Music Production". Retrieved 2017-06-10.
  7. ^ a b c "Biggi - Engineer at Sundlaugin Studio talks about recording and mixing Sigur Rós and more". sundlaugin.com. Archived from the original on 2008-12-28. Retrieved 2017-06-10.
  8. ^ "Amusement Parks On Fire - 'magical and intense' - Galway Advertiser - January 29, 2009". advertiser.ie. Retrieved 2009-02-07.
  9. ^ Tingen, Paul (April 2015). "Inside Track: Björk's Vulnicura". Sound on Sound. Archived from the original on 28 June 2016. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  10. ^ "Fifteen Questions Interview with Birgir Jón Birgisson (Sigur Rós)- October 29, 2020".
  11. ^ "Emmanuel De La Paix discusses the makings of 'Terre Brûlèe'- November, 2021".
  12. ^ "Julianna Barwick: Nepenthe Album Review | Pitchfork". Pitchfork.
  13. ^ a b c d "sundlaugin studio" (PDF). sundlaugin.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-04-13. Retrieved 2007-06-10.
  14. ^ Summer Make Good (liner notes). Múm. Fat Cat. 2004.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. ^ Við Og Við (liner notes). Ólöf Arnalds. 12 Tónar. 2007.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. ^ Nói Albínói (liner notes). Slowblow. 12 Tónar. 2004.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)