Ljóstillífun

Ljóstillífun (“Photosynthesis”) is the 2017 debut EP by Án, the electronic project of Icelandic musician and visual artist Elvar Smári Júlíusson. Released through Reykjavík’s Möller Records, the six-track record grew out of both his early experiments with electronic music and his art studies.

Before turning to electronica, Júlíusson came from a post-rock and alternative background. That transition can still be felt here: synthesizers, restrained bass drums and electronic textures are built around sombre piano melodies, giving the music an organic, human quality.

The name Án means “without” in Icelandic, fitting Júlíusson’s deliberately reductive approach to composition. Rather than layering sounds endlessly, he works by removing and replacing elements until each piece is pared down to what it needs. The result is a contemplative form of minimal electronica that moves naturally between piano-led introspection and understated rhythmic passages.

Written and produced by: Elvar Smári Júlíusson
Cover artwork: Elvar Smári Júlíusson
Mastered by: Frosti Jonsson