Einar Örn Benediktsson

Einar Örn Benediktsson (born October 29, 1962) is a popular music singer and trumpet player from Iceland who has worked with Björk and The Sugarcubes.

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As a vocalist for The Sugarcubes, Einar was the subject of some controversy. Some critics scorned him for his bizarre spoken-word rants and discordant singing, which often overshadowed Björk's more popular vocalizations. Others, however, defended his contributions as an essential component of the group's free-spirited, chaotic ethos.

After the breakup of The Sugarcubes in 1992, Einar wrote a newspaper column "Close Encounter" ("about daily life in Reykjavík"), plugged records for Bad Taste and worked as a bartender. Music went on the backburner: "I was discovering other things, like family life. I wanted to make music a hobby again."

He recorded with Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson (HÖH) in 1992: "We were great friends who decided to make music for the hell of it, and it turned into a record" (Frostbite, on One Little Indian). He also worked in concert promotion (two Björk shows, The Prodigy, Fugees and Massive Attack) and co-founded Reykjavík's first cybercafe The Siberia Cafe: 'We were too early. Those who knew what it was all about preferred to do their Internet hacking at home."

Worked for the Reykjavík Arts Festival before moving back to London in late 1997 to set up OLI's Web sites: "I saw this gap, which I could fill. It's always good to get a new perspective."

He's recording again, with Hilmar Örn and Sugarcubes drummer Siggi, as Grindverk. "It's dance music for people who cannot dance. It'll probably be instrumental too. It's not because people have criticised me, I just don't think I've written anything I want to sing." Grindverk released one record for FatCatRecords [http://www.fat-cat.co.uk] called Gesundheit Von K.

As for a more permanent band, "I'm waiting to see if the occasion arises. The Sugarcubes wasn't scripted, remember. Of course, I'm older but I would treat the occasion with the same passion!"

Ghostigital

In December 2003 Einar Örn embarked on his first solo project. He debuted with an album called Ghostigital, recorded with producer Curver. It was released by Honest Jons Records in December 2003. The name of this first album would later turn into the name of a band, comprising Einar and Curver and a host of collaborators. The music is described as "electronic beat music", drawing in elements of dub, hip-hop, rock and noise, combined with Einar Örn's idiosyncratic worldview.

In 2005, Ghostigital signed with Ipecac Recordings, the label run by former Faith No More singer Mike Patton. Their first Ipecac release, "In Cod We Trust", was released in March 2006. On this record his son Kaktus plays trumpet.

exuality

His sexuality has been the subject of some confusion. In 1989, media reports announced that Einar and his (male) Sugarcubes bandmate Bragi Ólafsson had entered into a civil union agreement in Denmark, which was widely reported as the first gay marriage in pop music history. This was a hoax perpetuated by the alleged newly-weds themselves, who sent a fax to One Little Indian (their management in England) announcing their marriage. The office staff, never knowing what could be expected from this unruly, barbaric bunch, took their announcement at face value and released the story to the press. However, neither man has given any further indication that they identify as anything but heterosexual and it is understood that with marriage came a pair of state-funded contact lenses, which were very costly at the time, hence the incentive to unite.

External links

* [http://www.ghostigital.com Official website of Ghostigital]
* [http://www.chaoscontrol.com/content_article.php?article=ghostigital Ghostigital interviewed in Chaos Control Digizine]
* [http://musicbrainz.org/artist/e4b7fbf8-2af3-4364-8d9a-feff3c396d0a.html Ghostigital] at MusicBrainz
* [http://www.icelandculture.ru/content/music/personalities/einar_orn_benediktsson.html Russian page about Einar Örn Benediktsson]