Ensími - Airwaves
Ensími was formed in 1996. After their first demo recording got into the hands of the label A&R, they got offered a recording contract without even playing a single gig. Ensími’s first album, ‘Kafbátamúsík’ made a big splash in the music scene in 1998 earning them 2 Icelandic Music Awards for best new act and song of the year. Ensími’s first real live performance was for the music documentary film and festival “Pop in Reykjavik”. They were also one of the few acts performing at the first Iceland Airwaves Festival. ‘Kafbátamúsík’ is considered one of the best albums ever released in Iceland to this day. Ensími got an offer to work with the legend, Steve Albini for their next album. The band locked themselves in a rehearsal space and banged out an album’s worth of songs just in time for Steve’s arrival. The second album, ‘BMX’ was released in 1999. It was a schizophrenic blend of rock songs that Albini recorded and the style of electro rock Ensími introduced on the first album. Ensími decided to leave their label and for the third and self-titled album the band set up their own studio and recorded the album themselves. The album Ensími was released in 2002. In 2010 Ensími emerged with a new album entitled ‘Gæludýr’, which got much critical acclaim. Apart from Ensími, all of the band members were actively working with many of Iceland’s premier talents until spring 2015 when they released their latest album ‘Herðubreið’.