Ari Árelíus - Career
Ari Árelíus is the music project of guitarist, producer and songwriter Ari Frank Inguson. In 2018 he released the Ep Emperor Nothing, a psychedelic rock record written mostly with his friends from a previous band, Fabio Samsara. The album was produced by Ragnar Jónsson, member of the electro-pop band Bloodgroup and Ari's cousin. The results were a bit genre bending, Ari and other performers on the record were studying jazz at local conservatory Fíh and Ragnar's electro influence was clear.
Between 2019 and 2021 Ari released multiple singles sticking to the psychedelic sound but continuing to explore different influences from bossa nova, funk and afrobeat. In July 2022 Ari released his first Lp titled Hiatus Terræ. On the album, Ari juxtaposes the concepts of local and global to create a distinctive ideological basis that he built the album on. He uses local Icelandic musical elements such as fifth voicings, the accordion and an electric version of the Icelandic traditional drone zither Langspil and global musical elements, various world rhythms, throat singing, wooden flutes and an electric guitar sound that echoes the psychedelic 60s.
Ari studied music at Fíh and Mít, local music conservatories, and has a bachelor in philosophy from University of Iceland. Ari Árelíus has performed at festivals such as Iceland Airwaves and Secret Solstice and played at various venues around Iceland. Ari is also a playing member of indie pop band Pale Moon and has toured with them around europe and played perhaps most notably Jazz Festival Montreux 2022 in Switzerland.