Kiasmos Thrown

Icelandic techno, enough said? "Thrown" is the first track off of Kiasmos, the brainchild of modern classical composer Ólafur Arnalds and Janus Rasmussen (of Bloodgroup). It's a dreamy electronic piece so engrossing that it leaves you dazed and confused by the end. Hypnotic synth underscores a repetitive beat for a full 8-minutes.

A fantastic subdued techno project, Kiasmos exposes a different side to the Ólafur many of us know and love. Instead of a mellow piano in the middle of a living room, imagine a sweaty European dance club. With this release, it's like the two of them have opened a new door for listeners to come through, allowing them to make music people can dance to in what Clash calls "full electronic mode." I think Bleep did sum it up pretty well when they quipped that it's "primed for the more discerning floors" though. Definitely not for those of you looking for your run-of-the-mill EDM track bouncing around the blogosphere - this one's a little more understated then that, it's got a little more soul rendering than just your typical techno pops and clicks.

In addition to Kiasmos' two original tracks, their soon-to-be-released EP will be featuring remixes from amazing artists like FaltyDL and 65daysofstatic. You can stream snippets of the three tracks via Soundcloud and, better yet, pre-order the EP here.

Lots of respect to Erased Tapes, the label putting out the EP, for their deliberate focus on looking for musicians outside the fleeting trends that permeate indie music today. The label has become the home for truly innovative music, and Kiasmos is a testament to that.