VAX IS AN INDEPENDENT COLLECTIVE MANAGED BY ARTISTS
THE GHOST CHOIR
The Ghost Choir is a band composed of active Icelandic music veterans with diverse backgrounds and professional experience that covers a wide range of musical styles from underground hip-hop, modern jazz, and funk, to rock and pop music. Members include Hálfdán Árnason (Himbrimi, Legend, Horrible Youth) on bass, Magnús Trygvason Eliassen (ADHD, Amiina, Moses Hightower) on drums, and Hannes Helgason (Samúel Jón Samúelsson Big Band) and Jóhannes Birgir Pálmason (Epic Rain, Hvörf) on keyboards and electronics.
The driving idea of The Ghost Choir began when Jóhannes Birgir Pálmason started to gather the other members back in 2018. His idea was to select musicians from diverse and different backgrounds for an experimental instrumental musical journey. From the outset, the idea was to establish a “band feeling”; an environment of mutual respect in terms of both artistry and human relationship - a particular feeling of comradeship that Jóhannes was seeking to build. The hope was that, with the right group of people and choice of the creative process, something special would be deemed to happen. The band released its self-titled debut album in 2020 that was nominated for the Icelandic Music Awards the same year. The band has finished recording its second album that will be released February 2023.
DALALÆÐA
Dalalæða is a musical project that has been experimenting with free-jazz, poetry, field recordings, and electronics. The project have been inspired by research of Icelandic society and involved collaborations with individuals in academia, such as Steinunn Kristjánsdóttir, Professor of Archaeology at the University of Iceland. Members of Dalalæða include Jóel Pálsson, Magnús Trygvason Eliassen, Jóhannes Birgir Pálmason, Valdimar Kolbeinn Sigurjónsson, and Hannes Helgason.
Dalalæða released its first album Dysjar in December 2020 and is recording its second album in January 2023.
HVÖRF
Hvörf is an experimental duo composed of Jóhannes Birgir Pálmason and Þórir Georg Einarson. They share a mutual interest in library music, old soundtracks, and early electronica. The duo’s music incorporates vintage synthesizer tones, tape delays, and acoustic instruments. Hvörf has released two long-playing albums, the first one in 2019 and their sophomore in 2021.
JÓHANNES BIRGIR PÁLMASON
Jóhannes Birgir Pálmason is a musician, poet, producer, recording and mixing engineer and one of the founders of Vax kollektif.
Jóhannes career began in the early 2000s as a member of a Hip-Hop and graffiti crew called Twisted Minds which were highly influencial in the Icelandic Hip -Hop scene. After numerous releases under different monikers Jóhannes moved on and started a musical project called Epic Rain.
To this date the band has released 4 Lp’s, toured all over Europe and received great reviews for both their albums and live shows. During that time Jóhannes worked closely with photographer and cinematographer Björgvin Sigurðarson on all visual aspects related to the project.
In 2019 Jóhannes co-founded three new musical outlets which all belong to the Vax kollektif roster. Dalalæða, The Ghost Choir, and Hvörf. Jóhannes is currently working on his first solo project which will see the light of day in 2023.
HANNES HELGASON
Hannes is a musician, a scientist, an engineer, and a founding member of Vax kollektif. His musical background is in classical music, jazz, funk, and afrobeat. He has been in the Icelandic music scene since before the year 2000 and is a co-founder of The Ghost Choir and Dalalæða musical projects at Vax kollektif.
Hannes’ current interests evolve around working at the boundaries of visual and audio art and experiments around collaborative creative processes.
HÁLFDÁN ÁRNASON
Hálfdán Árnason is a versatile bassist that has the skills to play myriad styles of music. Over the years he has contributed to numerous songs and albums in many different genres, both as a performer and producer.
Hálfdán has the ability to play both acoustic and electric bass and also has a great sense of how to use effects to change the sound of the bass to otherwordly soundscapes.
He is constantly experimenting with sound crafting, from muted bass sounds and bow strokes to analog synthesis.
Hálfdán is currently working on his first solo album that will be released on Vax kollektif.
BJÖRGVIN SIGURÐARSON
Björgvin is a photographer / cinematographer.
Working with Vax to create visual art and creative output.
MAGNÚS TRYGVASON ELIASSEN
Magnús is a drummer and a producer. He studied jazz music in Iceland and at NTNU in Throndheim, Norway. In the past years he has played on numerous albums released in Iceland and has toured internationally with various projects. He is an active member of bands such as ADHD, Amiina, and Moses Hightower.
Magnús is a co-founder of The Ghost Choir and Dalalæða musical projects at Vax kollektif.
VALDIMAR KOLBEINN SIGURJÓNSSON
Valdimar studied both electric and double-bass in Iceland and the Netherlands. He received a BA-degree at Conservatorium von Amsterdam in 2005 in double-bass playing and later extended his studies there in the Live Electronics Master’s program. During his study period he spent two years exploring South Indian music.
He has traveled the world with many musical acts and contributed to over 60 albums, multiple movies, theatre plays, and TV productions. He has explored a wide range of genres and been at the forefront of the Icelandic jazz scene for over 20 years.
JÓEL PÁLSSON
Jóel Pálsson studied clarinet from age 8, but turned to the tenor saxophone and jazz studies at 15. After finishing music school in Iceland he enrolled Berklee College of Music in Boston from which he graduated Summa Cum Laude in 1994. He has performed in concerts and festivals in Europe, USA, Canada and China and appeared on over 150 albums with various artists and groups.
Jóel has recorded seven albums with original compositions. His music often mirrors his diversity as a performer, combining improvisation and written parts influenced by different musical styles such as church music, rock, free improvisation, funk and folk music.
Jóel has been awarded six times at the Icelandic music awards for his albums, thereof five awards for Jazz album of the year. Joel was nominated for the Nordic Council Music prize in 2011 and 2016.
Jóel is a regular member of the Reykjavik Big Band and jazz group Annes.
Further information on the artist’s personal website: https://www.joelpalsson.is/
Þorsteinn Davíðsson
A freelance Illustrator and a graphic designer with passion for drawing, traditional graphics as for digital art.
Background and early influences consist of drawing, graffiti, nature, comics and cartoons as well as pop culture. Growing up in the center of Reykjavik in the 80’s it was the local surroundings and close community that had strong impact.
Studied Graphic Design in The Icelandic Academy Of Arts with a short visit to Die Angewandte ,Vienna. Continues to work, draw and create.