Often unfairly regarded as an ‘irritant’ or disruptive presence in the Sugarcubes, vocalist/poet Einar Örn offered a slightly manic counterpoint to Björk’s otherworldly voice in that most wonderful and adventurous of Icelandic bands, blurting/rapping/shouting something akin to a running commentary on the singer’s lyrics. Following the Sugarcubes’ dissolution after 1992’s Stick Around For Joy, Örn multi-tasked as a journalist, poet and bartender as well as helping with the administration of the Smekkleysa or Bad Taste label, the imprint behind Icelandic illuminati such as Sigur Ros, Minús and the Sugarcubes themselves. In the late 90s, Örn worked with soundtrack composer (and Iceland’s Allsherjargodi or head pagan) Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson as Frostbite, and with Hilmarsson and fellow ex-Sugarcubes drummer Siggi Baldursson as Grindverk. He also worked on the soundtrack to the feature film 101 Reykjavik.

The first album to be credited to Einar Örn, 2003’s Ghostigital, was actually a collaborative effort with Iceland-based producer Curver. Together, the duo created what Örn described as ‘a sort of psycho dub electronic Icelandic hip-hop record’ that has warranted comparison to the Pop Group, early Cabaret Voltaire, Pere Ubu, Suicide and Sun Ra. Ghostigital (so-named because the duo felt as if they had discovered ghosts in their machines) was recorded after the track ‘Monday’ reached west London record store/label Honest Jons via friend/neighbour and Blur vocalist Damon Albarn, who co-owns the label. Self-described as ‘pure stupidity from start to end’, Örn’s recordings were deliberately intended as ‘lunatic music’ as a reaction to the proliferation of ‘smooth, suave music’. The album was apparently made in an atmosphere of provocation, with Curver trying to find the shock level or the point at which the extremity of the music would make his collaborator freak out. Such is the idiosyncrasy of Örn and Curver’s music making aesthetic that when the band performed live, they played with a trio of guitarists who had never rehearsed together before. Each guitarist wore headphones and could only hear their own individual parts, which were fed not through amps but directly into Curver’s mixer. Collaborators on the album included Jungle Brothers associate Sensational, Örn’s 11 year old son Kaktus, Minús guitarist Frosti Logason, and Siggi Baldursson.