When Örvar Þóreyjarson Smárason met Gunnar Örn Tynes at his 18th birthday party, it was the start of a beautiful relationship. Two decades later, the two continue to embark on new adventures, bringing their acclaimed group múm to China for the first time with stops in Shenzhen (Dec 16 @ B10), Shanghai (Dec 18 @ MAO Livehouse) and Beijing (Dec 19 @ Yugong Yishan)
One of Iceland’s most enduring musical exports, múm have a distinct sound that could only be born on the Nordic island. Like Björk, they mix electronic beats with an assortment of instruments while crafting a beatific childlike sound reminiscent of Sigur Rós.
Taking a break from recording their seventh album, Smárason bashfully admits, “I can hear what the múm sound is, but I couldn’t put it into words.”
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He describes it as a natural result of his musical partnership with Tynes.
“Gunnar and I had been making electronic music since we were children and were of the first generation who had computers before we had guitars,” he says.
“When we were playing all this rock music with guitars in an indie band called Andhéri, we never really looked at it as being any different than our computer music. We have always had these things so mixed up that there is no way to distinguish.”
By their masterful 2000 debut Yesterday Was Dramatic – Today is OK, they had crafted their own gorgeous sonic world. Five albums later, múm remain an acclaimed act.
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Smárason admits that 2013’s Smilewound “was probably our most universally liked album,” and the band was handpicked by legendary producer Brian Eno to perform at this year’s Punkt Festival in Norway.
Past projects include an alternative soundtrack to Battleship Potemkin and collaborations with Japanese pop singers Aco and Tomoyo. More recently, múm wrote an orchestral piece with German pianist Hauschka for the MDR Orchestra in Leipzig to perform.
“These are our favorite projects,” Smárason raves. “They’re complete luxuries that we get to do. We are happy whenever we get to explore a completely different world whether it’s theater, film or orchestras.”
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Equally comfortable working with the Polish Radio Choir as they are with Australian pop goddess Kylie Minogue, Smárason credits that flexibility as the key to the band’s longevity.
“One of the most important things about staying together this long is to keep it loose and realize time will always move on no matter what,” he says. “Most bands in Iceland are very relaxed on who the members in each band are. You can leave a band and someone else can step in. You can be in many different bands with different styles.”
While Smárason and Tynes have been the band’s lone constants, múm currently boast a powerful eight-member lineup. Animal Collective touring cellist Hildur Guðnadóttir, Edea percussionist Samuli Kosminen and respected singer-songwriter Ólöf Arnalds are among its ranks.
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Noting that “our live set-up has evolved over time with us,” Smárason promises that the múm show will dip into the band’s immense discography.
“It’s pretty random though. The reasons we play each of these songs are often underunderstandable to us,” he concludes, admitting he just made up a word.
múm China tour:
> Shenzhen: Dec 16, 8.30pm, RMB160-200. B10, tickets.
> Chengdu: Dec 17, 8.30pm, RMB160-200. Little Bar, tickets.
> Shanghai: Dec 18, 9-11.30pm; RMB220-260. MAO Livehouse, tickets.
> Beijing: Dec 19, 9pm, RMB220-260. Yugong Yishan, tickets.
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