Mugison

Iceland's Mugison, whose birth name is Örn Elías Guðmundsson, crafts tracks that stretch from delicate laptop pop to brash, theatrical rock. The moniker originated during a trip to see his father, Muggi, in Malaysia, after which he started capturing songs via laptop in 2001. Relocating to London, he teamed with a DJ to shape the playful glitch-pop material that formed the 2003 release Lonely Mountain on Matthew Herbert's Accidental imprint. That same year he and his father launched the Aldrei Fór Ég Sudur (AFS) festival, and Mugison laid down the score for Fridrik Thor Fridriksson's 2004 film Niceland inside a church in his hometown of Isafjordur. He later made Sudavik his home ahead of the 2005 album Mugimama, Is This Monkey Music?, which earned five Icelandic Music Awards, among them Album of the Year and Song of the Year for "Murr, Murr." Its wide-ranging, at times carnival-like textures drew the attention of Super Furry Animals, Fantômas, and Ghostigital, each of whom booked him as an opening act. For the follow-up he shifted toward a denser, earthier approach, swapping electronics for additional players and amplified guitars; Mugiboogie appeared first in 2007 and reached the U.S. through Ipecac in 2008.