Bedroom Community

For the concept of a town whose residents work elsewhere, often called a bedroom community, see commuter town.
Bedroom Community.

Bedroom Community is an Icelandic record label/collective which was founded in 2006 by producer Valgeir Sigurðsson,[1] alongside fellow artists Nico Muhly[2] and Ben Frost,[3] later adding more artists to the label. Based on the outskirts of Reykjavík, Iceland, Bedroom Community is also the home of Greenhouse Studios.[4]

Bedroom Community was described by Drowned in Sound as "one of the best guarantors of quality, even importance, out there" known for its "emotionally powerful music".[5] The Line Of Best Fit has described the label as "more of an ecosystem cultivating music than a traditional record label", claiming that "within ten years they've gone from being a side concern for a bunch of preternaturally talented composers and producers to become one of the most respected record labels in... the world?"[6]

In 2011, Pierre-Alain Giraud[7] made a documentary film called Everything Everywhere All The Time,[8] which follows Sam Amidon, Ben Frost, Nico Muhly and Valgeir Sigurðsson on their collective tour, showcasing the music they've collaborated on and released individually under the Bedroom Community umbrella. The documentary was premiered at the Reykjavík International Film Festival, followed by screenings at places such as CPH:DOX and Iceland Airwaves.[9]

In 2016, to celebrate the label's 10th anniversary, a number of artists embarked on another Whale Watching Tour - this time travelling to the USA.[10][11] Bedroom Community founder Valgeir Sigurðsson commented that: "The Whale Watching Tour is an opportunity to manifest what we, as a record label and a collective of disparate musical personalities, do...to create something uniquely belonging to the live experience, from source material that is very familiar to us.These shows are fuelled by joyful energy and appreciation for each other, but also tension, blood and sweat that makes it all the more rewarding at the end of the day."[11]

At Iceland Airwaves 2016, Bedroom Community showcased their back catalogue with Crash Ensemble, the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and conductor André De Ridder at Harpa.[12] Ja Ja Ja Music said that the performance was 'Diverse and powerful", claiming that "there was something to surprise [sic] and arrest at every stage of the evening's programme, serving as a great testament to everything the label has achieved over the last 10 years, and an enticing statement of intent for what is surely to come."[13]

  1. ^ "A bedroom community in Reykjavik – interview with Ben Frost and Valgeir Sigurdsson". Archived from the original on 2013-05-02. Retrieved 2014-03-06.
  2. ^ "Nico Muhly's Team Spirit". The New Yorker. 20 October 2013.
  3. ^ "Ben Frost interview: full text".
  4. ^ "Greenhouse Studios | A fully-equipped purpose-built recording facility nestled in the suburbs of Reykjavik". greenhouse.is.
  5. ^ Alexander Tudor (24 September 2014). "Puzzle Muteson". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 2014-09-26. Retrieved 2014-09-30.
  6. ^ "A History of Iceland's Bedroom Community label with Valgeir Sigurðsson and Nico Muhly". The Line of Best Fit.
  7. ^ "Pierre-Alain Giraud". Archived from the original on 2014-10-12. Retrieved 2014-12-17.
  8. ^ "Everything Everywhere All The Time / The Whale Watching Tour, by Bedroom Community". Bedroom Community.
  9. ^ "Everything, Everywhere, All the Time".
  10. ^ "Bedroom community on the road".
  11. ^ a b "Iceland's Premiere Collective, Bedroom Community, Embarks on Whale Watching Tour in March". 12 January 2016.
  12. ^ "Best Fit joins with Bedroom Community for Iceland Airwaves showcase".
  13. ^ "Review: Iceland Airwaves 2016". 24 November 2016.