12 Tónar (, 'twelve tones') is a record shop in

Reykjavík Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

, and also a

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

for Icelandic artists. It is located on Skólavörðustígur 15, in downtown

. Founded in

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

in Reykjavík, 12 Tónar has been well received by music lovers from the start. The store quickly became a meeting point for musicians such as

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct three-octave vocal range and eccentric persona, she has de ...

Sigur Rós Sigur Rós () is an Icelandic post-rock band from Reykjavík, active since 1994. The band comprises singer and guitarist Jón Þór "Jónsi" Birgisson, bassist Georg Hólm, and keyboardist Kjartan Sveinsson. Known for their ethereal sound, fron ...

múm Múm (stylized in lowercase) () is an Icelandic indietronica band whose music is characterized by soft vocals, electronic glitch beats and effects, and a variety of traditional and unconventional instruments. History The band was formed in 1 ...

, and the core of classical composers and performers. 12 Tónar is also an independent record label with nearly 80 releases in its catalogue. Many of the best musicians in Iceland have released their albums on the label, for example artists and bands such as

Mugison Örn Elías Guðmundsson, known professionally as Mugison (born 4 September 1976), is an Icelandic musician. Early life In 1977, Guðmundsson and his family moved from Reykjavík to Ísafjörður. In 1982, his family moved from Iceland to C ...

Trabant Trabant () is a series of small cars produced from 1957 until 1991 by former East German car manufacturer VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke Zwickau. In total, four different models were made, the Trabant 500, Trabant 600, Trabant 601, and the Tra ...

and Singapore Sling, Apparat Organ Quartet, Pétur Ben,

Eivør Pálsdóttir Eivor, Eivør or Øyvor is a female given name in the Nordic countries. In Sweden, 4,922 people bear the name. The average age is 78. The name perhaps originated from either the Proto-Norse word ''auja'', which is thought to mean "good luck", o ...

Ragnheiður Gröndal Ragnheiður Gröndal or Ragga Gröndal (born 1984) is an Icelandic singer. She was described as Iceland's best-selling artist in 2006, and was named Icelandic Singer of the Year that same year. In 2007, she was a finalist in Söngvakeppni Sjónv ...

Jóhann Jóhannsson Jóhann Gunnar Jóhannsson (; 19 September 1969 – 9 February 2018) was an Icelandic composer who wrote music for a wide array of media including theatre, dance, television, and film. His work is stylised by its blending of traditional orchest ...

Hildur Guðnadóttir Hildur Ingveldardóttir Guðnadóttir (born 4 September 1982) is an Icelandic musician and composer. A classically trained cellist, she has played and recorded with the bands Pan Sonic, Throbbing Gristle, Múm, and Stórsveit Nix Noltes, and h ...

Skúli Sverrisson Skúli Sverrisson (born 23 October 1966) is an Icelandic composer and bass guitarist. He has worked with musicians Wadada Leo Smith, Derek Bailey, Lou Reed, Jon Hassell, David Sylvian, Arto Lindsay, and composers Ryuichi Sakamoto, Jóhan ...

Ólöf Arnalds Ólöf Arnalds (born 4 January 1980) is an Icelandic singer/songwriter and indie musician who has been active within the Icelandic music scene since the early 2000s. She was a touring member of múm for five years from 2003 before launching he ...

, Pink Street Boys, Samaris and

Jakobínarína Jakobínarína were an Icelandic six-piece indie-punk band from Hafnarfjörður near Reykjavik. Jakobinarina were formed by Ágúst Fannar Ásgeirsson, Björgvin Ingi Pétursson, Gunnar Bergmann, Hallberg Dadi Hallbergsson, Heimir Gestur Vald ...

, to name a few. In May 2006 12 Tónar opened a record store in Copenhagen, Denmark selling music from their own catalogue of artists as well as other Icelandic music. The store was situated on Fiolstraede 26. The store followed the good example from Iceland, with its friendly atmosphere and freshly brewed espresso for the customers while the music was spinning. It became a tradition with live in-store concerts taking place on Friday afternoons. On 26 January 2008 the Copenhagen store celebrated its closing with a live performance by the Danish band Tremolo Beer Gut. Immediately succeeding the closing of the 12 Tónar record store in Copenhagen a brand new web-shop was introduced, allowing continued access to their family of artists. On 21 June 2013 Gramophone magazine wrote about 12 Tónar, with the title "The best record store in the world?"

List of releases

* Eivör Pálsdóttir – Krákan (CD, 12T001, 2003) * Trabant – Á Bessastöðum (CDEP, 12T002, 2004; Limited edition of 300 copies) * Brúðarbandið – Meira (CD, 12T003, 2004) * Jóhann Jóhannsson – Dís (CD, 12T004, 2004) * Mugison – Niceland (CD, 12T005, 2004) * Steindór Andersen – Úlfhamsrímur (2CD, 12T006, 2004) * Brynhildur Guðjónsdóttir – Edith Piaf: Music from the National Theatre Production (CD, 12T007, 2004) * Þórir – I in this (CD, 12T008, 2004) * Diddú – Ave María (CD, 12T009, 2004) * Eivör Pálsdóttir – Eivör (CD, 12T010, 2004) * Mugison – Mugimama, is this monkey music? (CD, 12T011, 2004) * Hamlette Hok – Vikartindur (CD, 12T012, 2011) * Eivör Pálsdóttir – Tröllabundin (CD, 12T013, 2005) *Hudson Wayne – Battle of the Banditos (CD, 12T014, 2005) *Trabant – Emotional (CD, 12T015, 2005) *Schpilkas – So Long Sonja (CD, 12T016, 2005) *Stórsveit Nix Noltes – Orkideur Hawaí (CD, 12T017, 2005) *My summer as a salvation soldier – Anarchists are hopeless romantics (CD, 12T018, 2005) *Ingibjörg Þorbergs – Í sólgulu húsi (CD, 12T019, 2005) *Ragnheiður Gröndal – After the Rain (CD, 12T020, 2005) *Apparat Organ Quartet – Apparat Organ Quartet (CD, 12T021, 2005) *Brynhildur Guðjónsdóttir & BBQ – Grrrr... (CD, 12T022, 2005) *Úlpa – Attempted Flight by Winged Men (CD, 12T023, 2005) *KK & Ellen – Jólin eru að koma (CD, 12T024, 2005) *Mugison – Little Trip (CD, 12T025, 2005) *Singapore Sling – Taste the Blood of Singapore Sling (CD, 12T026, 2005) *Flís – Vottur (CD, TT001, 2005) *Various Artists – Kitchen Motors Family Album (CD, 12T027, 2006) *Reykjavík! – Glacial Landscapes, Religion, Oppression & Alcohol (CD, 12T028, 2006) *Pétur Ben – Wine For My Weakness (CD, 12T029, 2006) *Lost In Hildurness (Hildur Guðnadóttir) – Mount A (CD, 12T030) *KK – Blús (CD, 12T031, 2006) *Biggi – id (CD, 12T032, 2006) *Evil Madness – Demon Jukebox (CD, 12T033, 2006) *Skúli Sverrisson – Sería (CD, 12T034, 2006) *Jóhann Jóhannsson – ibm 1401, a users manual (CD, 12T035, 2006) *Gavin Portland – iii Views of distant towns (CD, 12T036, 2006) *Ragnheiður Gröndal – Þjóðlög (CD, 12T037, 2006) *Sigrún Hjálmtýsdóttir, Páll Óskar Hjálmtýsson, Örn Árnason – Það vantar spýtur: Bestu lög Ólafs Hauks (CD, 12T038, 2006) *Rannveig Káradóttir – Mig langar að læra (CD, 12T039, 2006) *Elísabet Eyþórsdóttir – Þriðja leiðin (CD, 12T040, 2006) *Ólöf Arnalds – Við og Við (CD, 12T041, 2007) *Jakóbínarína – The First Crusade (CD, 12T042, 2007) *Rökkurró – Það kólnar í kvöld (CD, 12T043, 2007) *My summer as a salvation soldier – Activism (CD, 12T044, 2007) *Egill Ólafsson – Hymnalög (CD, 12T045, 2007) *Leg: Music from the National Theatre Production (CD, TT002, 2007) *Villi Valli – Í tímans rás (CD, 12T046, 2008) *Evil Madness – Demoni Paradiso (CD, 12T047, 2008) *The Brian Jonestown Massacre – Just Like Kicking Jesus (EP/CD, 12T048EP/12T048, 2008) *Söngvaseiður (The Sound of Music): Music from the Reykjavík City Theatre Production (CD, 12T049, 2009) *Jóhann Jóhannsson – and in the endless pause came the sound of bees (CD, 12T050, 2009) *Steindór Andersen og Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson – Stafnbúi (CD+Book, 12T051, 2012) *Jóhann Jóhannsson – Englabörn (LP Test Pressing, 12T052, 2008; not released) *Hudson Wayne – How Quick is your Fish? (CD, 12T052, 2010) *Apparat Organ Quartet – Pólýfónía (CD, 12T053, 2010) *Gauragangur: Music from the Reykjavík City Theatre Production (CD, 12T054, 2010) *Rökkurró – Í annan heim (CD, 12T055, 2010) *Samaris – Samaris (CD/2LP, 12T056/12T056LP, 2013; Pink and sea-green vinyl, limited edition of 500 copies) *Jóhann Jóhannsson – The Miners’ Hymns (CD, 12T057, 2011) *Galdrakarlinn í OZ (Wizard of Oz): Music from the Reykjavík City Theatre Production (CD, 12T058, 2011) *Karlakór Reykjavíkur – Á aðventu með Karlakór Reykjavíkur (CD, 12T059, 2011) *Grísalappalísa – ALI (CD, 12T060, 2013) *Jóhann Jóhannsson – Copenhagen Dreams (CD, 12T061, 2012) *Various Artists – Inspired by Harpa: The Traditional Songs of Iceland (CD, 12T062, 2013) *Samaris – Silkidrangar (CD/LP, 12T063/12T063LP, 2014) *Rökkurró – Innra (CD, 12T064, 2014) *Grísalappalísa – Rökrétt framhald (CD, 12T065, 2014) *Low Roar – 0 (CD/2LP, 12T066/12T066LP, 2014; White 180 gr. vinyl, limited edition of 500 copies) *Oyama – Coolboy (CD, 12T067, 2014) *Mr. Silla – Mr. Silla (CD, 12T068, 2015) *Pink Street Boys – #1 Hits (LP, 12T069LP, 2015) *Samaris – Black Lights (CD, 12T070, 2016) *Pink Street Boys – Smells Like Boys (LP, 12T071LP, 2017 *Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson – Börn náttúrunnar (Children of Nature): Original Soundtrack (CD/LP, 12T072/12T072LP, 2018)

Classical

* Guðrún Jóhanna Ólafsdóttir (Mezzo-Soprano) & Víkingur Heiðar Ólafsson (Piano) – Grieg & Schumann (CD, 12TK001, 2006) * Ísafold Chamber Orchestra (Director: Daníel Bjarnason) – Ísafold (SACD, 12TK002, 2006) * Ísafold Chamber Orchestra (Director: Daníel Bjarnason) – All sounds are silence (SACD, 12TK003, 2008) * Guðrún Jóhanna Ólafsdóttir (Mezzo-Soprano) & Francisco Javier Jáuregui (Guitar) – Mitt er þitt / Mine is yours: Songs from Iceland and Spain (CD, 12TK004, 2008) * Kristinn Árnason (Guitar) – Giuliani, Sor, Aguado, Carcassi (CD, 12TK005, 2009) * Kristinn Árnason (Guitar) – Transfiguratio (Mudarra, Weiss, Mertz, Albeniz, Pujol, Másson) (CD, 12TK006, 2013)

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:12 Tonar Icelandic independent record labels Indie rock record labels Alternative rock record labels Record labels established in 1998

List of releases

Classical

See also

References

External links