Mugison

Örn Elías Guðmundsson, is an Icelandic musician.

Early life

Mugison was born in Reykjavík and lived in Ísafjörður until age six, when his family relocated to Cape Verde. His father, a fisherman, had been sent there by the Icelandic government to Cape Verde as part of a development program to train local fishermen in the use of modern machinery and techniques. Mugison has described his childhood in Africa positively, noting that he kept a pet monkey during that time. As a teenager, he entered the fishing industry, following his father's profession.

Career

Aldrei fór ég suður festival

Mugison and his father, Guðmundur Kristjánsson, founded the annual Aldrei fór ég suður ('I Never Went South') music festival in 2004. It was named after the Bubbi Morthens song of the same name. The festival has never charged an entry fee and performing bands are not paid.

2005–present

Mugison released his debut album Lonely Mountain in 2003 through Accidental Records. In 2004 he soundtracked the drama film Niceland. His second album, Mugimama Is This Monkey Music?, was released in 2004 in North America by Mike Patton's label IPECAC Records. Mugison played 200 gigs in 2005 to promote the album, including supporting Fantômas in London at the HMV forum and playing Roskilde festival. He also shared stages with José González and Hot Chip. Continuing his soundtrack work, Mugison scored the thriller film A Little Trip To Heaven in 2005.

In 2006, Mugison founded the record label Mugiboogie. He also performed at the G-festival in the Faroe Islands and at the SPOT Festival, where he performed with a live band for the first time.

In 2007, he released his third studio album Mugiboogie with JamesMuddd. Mugison wanted the album to sound timeless, so that one could not identify when it was recorded. The idea was for it to sound similar to a 'Best Of' compilation. The album leans more into rock influences than Mugison’s previous electronic work, drawing inspiration from George Harrison. Following the release of Mugiboogie in Europe on his own label and Ipecac Records in North America, booking agent William Morris approached him to represent his touring interests in North America. Mugiboogie sold over 10,000 records in Iceland without radio support.[citation needed]

Gig highlights in 2008 promoting his third studio album with James Mudd include:

• Supporting Queens Of The Stone Age during their 2008 Canadian Tour
• Mugison's first US tour, from New York to LA in three weeks, with 2-piece band-setup with his good friend Davíð Þór Jónsson
• Popkomm in Berlin – the day Iceland went bankrupt
• The Nightmare Before Christmas Curated by The Melvins and Mike Patton (ATP Festival)
• Three headline tours around Europe plus a second appearance at Roskilde Festival 2008

In 2009, Mugison released his album A Reminder, which contained songs that had been modified over the years. He sold it through his website and toured in Iceland with Björgvin Gíslasson.

Mugison was invited to an Amnesty International charity event whereby he played all 5 boroughs of New York in one day.

In 2011, he released his fourth and most successful studio album to date Haglél. The album sold in excess of 30,000 during 2011. Recorded entirely in Icelandic and using simple two-track soundcard, the album was casually recorded with friends in various houses and homemade studios. Due to the success of the record, Mugison was able to pay off various debts. As a way to show gratitude to people that bought his album, he did three free concerts in Reykjavík at Harpa in December 2011. He performed the three concerts in a day, all at maximum capacity. The second performance was filmed live to air on RUV and was the highest rated TV show on RUV in 2011. Mugison also performed free concerts in Seyðisfjörður, Vestmannaeyjar, Bolungarvik and Akureyri.[citation needed]

All Mugison's albums are handmade, and creating 30,000 units became a full-time job for some of his friends and family.[citation needed]

Discography

• 2003: Lonely Mountain
• 2004: Niceland (Soundtrack)
• 2004: Mugimama Is This Monkey Music?
• 2005: Little Trip (Soundtrack)
• 2007: Mýrin (Soundtrack)
• 2008: Mugiboogie
• 2009: Ítrekun
• 2011: Haglél
• 2016: Enjoy!
• 2023: É Dúdda Mía

Collaborations

• Dani Siciliano – All The Above – writer singer
• Cheek Mountain Thief – "You Are The Demon"
• Bubbi Morthens – Þorpið 2012
• Björgvin Halldórsson – "Minning"
• Wrote a song and performed with band Reykjavík a song called "Sumarást"
• Wrote a song with Múm (unreleased) performed in Poland, song called "Stamina"
• Wrote a song with Icelandic reggae band Hjálmar – song called "Ljósvíkingur"
• Sang two songs on Tómas R. Einarssons album Trúnó. songs are "Stolin Stef" and "Náungar Mínir"

On all albums, Mugison worked with Pétur Ben (who co-wrote Murr Murr) who is responsible for string arrangements on many of the songs, and also played guitar. His partner Rúna was featured on every album; while his friend Biggi mixed and mastered all albums. Gudni Finnsson and Arnar Gislason respectively played bass and drums, both live and in the studio, since 2006.

Awards

Personal life

Guðmundsson got the nickname "Mugison" while on holiday visiting his father, Muggi (Muggur), in Malaysia. His father is a karaoke singer, and, as the crowds at the karaoke bars in the small fishing villages they were touring had problems pronouncing his name, they came to call him "Mugison". Mugison is the Icelandic naming convention for the surname of someone who is "the son of Muggi".

External links

• – via Internet Archive