Sundlaugin (, ''the swimming pool'') is a

recording studio A recording studio is a specialized facility for Sound recording and reproduction, recording and Audio mixing, mixing of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home proje ...

located near Álafoss in the town of

Mosfellsbær Mosfellsbær (, colloquially Mosó) is a town in south-west Iceland, east of the country's capital, Reykjavík. The coat of arms of the municipality is a tightly-knotted triquetra, a symbol often used in Celtic knotwork and strongly associated ...

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

known for being the recording and rehearsal location of

post-rock Post-rock is a subgenre of experimental rock that emphasizes Texture (music), texture, atmosphere, and non-traditional song structures over conventional rock techniques. Post-rock artists often combine rock instrumentation and rock stylings wit ...

band

Sigur Rós Sigur Rós () is an Icelandic post-rock band that formed in 1994 in Reykjavík. It comprises lead vocalist and guitarist Jónsi, Jón Þór "Jónsi" Birgisson, bassist Georg Hólm, and keyboardist Kjartan Sveinsson. Known for their ethereal soun ...

. The location was originally a swimming pool built in the 1930s which had been abandoned when Sigur Rós purchased it in 1999 and converted it and adjacent buildings into a studio. The band originally intended to record their third album, titled '' ( )'', in an abandoned

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

tracking base in the northernmost mountain in Iceland, but after inspection decided it was too impractical. Shortly after they found the abandoned pool lot in a rural neighborhood in Mosfellsbær. They bought the lot and transformed it into a studio. In order to fit the massive

mixing console A mixing console or mixing desk is an electronic device for Audio mixing (recorded music), mixing audio signals, used in sound recording and reproduction and sound reinforcement systems. Inputs to the console include microphones, signals fro ...

into the building, part of the roof was opened up and the console was lowered with a crane. Much of the band's photography and artwork is taken from the surrounding landscape, such as the art found on the first album recorded in the studio, ''( )''. The recording studio has also been used for recording, mixing and mastering (usually assisted by the studio's sound engineer Birgir Jón "Biggi" Birgisson) by a wide group of mainly Icelandic artists and bands, including: * Agent Fresco * The Album Leaf *

Alcest Alcest () is a French post-black metal band from Bagnols-sur-Cèze, founded and led by Neige (musician), Neige (Stéphane Paut). It began in 2000 as a black metal solo project by Neige, then became a trio, but members Aegnor and Argoth left the ...

amiina Amiina (formerly Amína, stylized in lowercase) is an Icelandic band composed of members Maria Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir, and Sólrún Sumarliðadóttir, Magnús Trygvason Eliassen and Guðmundur Vignir Karlsson. In the past they have frequent ...

* Amusement Parks on Fire *

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 voice, three-octave vocal range, and eccentric public per ...

Bubbi Morthens 260 px, Bubbi Morthens, Laugardalsvöllur, Iceland (2007) Bubbi Morthens (full name ''Ásbjörn Kristinsson Morthens''; born 6 June 1956) is an Icelandic singer and songwriter. Aside from a lengthy solo career, he has been a member of such Ice ...

* Emmanuel De La Paix * Flying Hórses * For a Minor Reflection *

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

* Julianna Barwick *

Langi Seli og Skuggarnir Langi Seli og Skuggarnir is an Icelandic rock band formed in 1988. It plays exclusively from its catalogue of original music, which can be characterised as rockabilly with a particularly modern approach. Langi Seli og Skuggarnir's musical style ...

* Mammút * Mugison *

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 ...

* Ólöf Arnalds * Retro Stefson *

Seabear Seabear is an Icelandic seven-piece indie-folk band from Reykjavík. Although hailing from Iceland, they sing primarily in English. They are signed to the Morr Music record label. History Formation Seabear started as a one-man project of Sin Fa ...

* Self Defense Family * Sin Fang * Ske * Slowblow * Steindór Andersen * Stórsveit Nix Noltes As of 2020, Sundlaugin is owned by Sigur Rós keyboardist

Kjartan Sveinsson Kjartan Sveinsson (; born 2 January 1978) is an Icelandic musician who is the keyboardist for the post-rock band Sigur Rós. He joined the band in 1998. A multi-instrumentalist, he has also played such instruments as the flute, tin whistle, oboe ...

References

{{Authority control Sigur Rós Recording studios in Iceland