On April 30, Icelandic artist Jóhann Jóhannsson kicked off his two-week, 13-city North American tour with a performance at (Le) Poisson Rouge. Joined by new music stalwarts ACME and percussionist Matthias Hemstock, Jóhannsson performed songs from his popular records including Fordlândia, Englabörn, IBM 1401, A User's Manual and The Sun's Gone Dim and the Sky's Turned Black.

Recently featured on David Garland's Spinning on Air, the haunting music of Jóhann Jóhannsson takes the audience on a journey through bewitching soundworlds--in this particular performance at (L)PR, he used the traditional string quartet texture flanked by piano, electronics and percussion to create a cinematic atmosphere. With a deep-seeded interest in breaking down barriers between art forms, Jóhannsson is a fouding member of Kitchen Motors, an arts organization/think tank/record label that encourages collaborations and art projects across diverse artforms.

Listen to the entire concert from (Le) Poisson Rouge above or excerpts below, and don't forget to poke around the Q2 Live Concert archive for more exciting live performances at your fingertips. You can access Q2 24/7 through our pop-out audio player or iTunes.

(L)PR’s Technical Director is Richie Clarke and this concert was mixed by David Garland.

Program

Jóhannsson, Hemstock and ACME kicked off their show with Englabörn from a 2002 record and an as yet unreleased new piece, Flight from the City.

Fordlândia - Aerial View and Salfrædingur

Drömme i Köbenhavn, Englabörn Variations and Day and Night

Melodia (i) and Odi et Amo

Encouraged by an enthusiastic audience, Jóhannsson and his band performed two encores: Passacaglia and Eg heyrdi allt an thess ad hulsta.