Ampop is an Icelandic melodic-pop/rock band from

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 ...

. Founded in 1998 by Kjartan F. Olafsson and Biggi Hilmarsson, the name of the band is actually the name of the first

song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetit ...

they ever wrote, and is made from the words ambient and pop, which they thought was the definition of the

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...

they were making at that time.

Members

The band was originally a duo, but before making their third album they added a drummer to the band. The band consists of three members: *Biggi Hilmarsson:

Guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

*Kjartan F. Olafsson: keyboards *Jón Geir Jóhansson: drums

History

Ampop released two electronic based albums in their homeland, ''Nature Is Not A Virgin'' and ''Made for Market''. The band recorded in their own studio and over time developed a more organic and song based direction moving away from the more

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

influences of their earlier material. The first examples of the band’s new direction were

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...

versions of two songs, “My Delusions” and “Don’t let me down” in 2005. These tracks were picked up on by

Radio 1 Radio 1 or Radio One most commonly refers to: *BBC Radio 1, a music radio station from the BBC ** BBC Radio 1Xtra, a digital radio station broadcasting black music *CBC Radio One, a talk radio station operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporatio ...

’s;

Zane Lowe Alexander Zane Reid Lowe (born 7 August 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter. After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence thro ...

who invited the band to play live on his show from

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

, during this year’s SXSW music festival. AMPOP played alongside

The Bravery The Bravery is an American rock band formed in New York City in 2003. The band consists of lead vocalist Sam Endicott, guitarist Michael Zakarin, keyboardist John Conway, bassist Mike Hindert and drummer Anthony Burulcich. They are best know ...

Hot Hot Heat Hot Hot Heat is a Canadian indie rock band from Victoria, British Columbia, formed in 1999. The band was signed by Seattle label Sub Pop in 2001 and released its first EP, ''Knock Knock Knock'', and first full-length album, '' Make Up the Break ...

The Blood Arm The Blood Arm are an American five-piece rock band from Los Angeles, California, currently residing in Berlin, Germany. At present, they have released five albums. Their music has been likened to "James Brown fronting Talking Heads and singing ...

and

Queens of the Stone Age Queens of the Stone Age (commonly abbreviated QOTSA) is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 1996 in Palm Desert, California. The band was founded by vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme, who has been the only constant member throughout mul ...

as the only unsigned band. After their appearance at SXSW, the band went back to their studio to finish the album, stopping to play in NY and the

NXNE North by Northeast (or NXNE) is an annual music and arts festival held each June in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The festival's main focus is live music, but it also includes an eSports gaming tournament, comedy, a conversations series, a flea marke ...

festival in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

. The first single off the new album, “My delusions”, had a UK release via

Relentless Records Relentless Records is a British boutique and independent record label currently headed by co-founder Shabs Jobanputra. Originally known for UK garage singles such as Artful Dodger's " Re-Rewind" and B-15 Project's " Girls Like Us", Relentle ...

imprint Stimulus Records, who spotted the band live in Austin. In 2007, AMPOP went on hiatus.

Post Ampop

In 2008, frontman Biggi Hilmarsson created and launched his new concept "Blindfold" in the UK, composed of four young Alternative Indie Rockers with their 'Cinematic Indie-Rock'. In 2009, they released the album "Blindfold". 'Faking Dreams' was made with management by JC Caddy. In 2011, Kjartan Olafsson released his eponymous solo debut as Kjarr. He has also worked on other projects, taking on the keyboard duties with Icelandic rockers, "Leaves" in 2009. He also does vocals on the album "Love in times of repetition" by Icelandic electronica duo Asonat (2012). Jón Geir Jóhansson plays drums with a number of acts, the most notable being Icelandic Viking Metal band, Skálmöld.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Sail to the moon'' (2006) * ''My Delusions'' (2005) * ''Made For Market'' (2002) * ''Nature Is Not A Virgin'' (2000)

Singles

* ''Gets me Down'' (2006) * ''My Delusions / Youth'' (2005) * ''Made For Market'' (2002)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ampop Icelandic rock music groups Musical groups from Reykjavík