With their fifth and self-produced album “BODY”, the Nordic experimental vocal ensemble IKI delves into the human body — biologically, spiritually, and socially.

For over a decade, the award-winning Copenhagen-based collective IKI has been at the forefront of experimental vocal and electroacoustic music in the Nordic region. Renowned for pushing the boundaries of vocal expression and sound perception, IKI continues to surprise and inspire audiences. This has led to numerous international, cross-disciplinary collaborations (e.g., Blixa Bargeld, Hotel Pro Forma, Damselfrau, Henrik Vibskov, Laurie Anderson, Matthew Herbert, Sargun Oshana) and appearances at prominent venues and festivals, including TEDx and Roskilde Festival.

With BODY, their most personal album to date, IKI explores the raw, acoustic, and authentic voice — embracing its imperfections — in contrast to the ultra-processed voice, fragmented or manipulated by electronic machines.

“Every sound on the album is created solely with the voice, weaving seamlessly between acoustic and electronic expressions. The album is conceived as a continuous, cyclical movement – one that can be listened to repeatedly, without a defined beginning or end.”

Along the way, listeners encounter tracks such as “Walk,” “Run,” “Dance,” and “Float,” each investigating the tempo and pulse that resonates with the body during various physical actions. A recurring acoustic motif, titled “Circuit,” offers reflective pauses throughout the album. Built around a cyclic, 11-syllable melody, the motif reappears in various forms before ultimately revealing the phrase:

“Are you gone when your body is not breathing?” With this question, BODY embodies the cyclical nature of life itself.

“We wanted to remind ourselves that life extends beyond our living bodies. This aligns with our artistic ethos as a group. As five different vocalists, we work toward becoming a unified organism – one body – while investigating the interplay between the organic and mechanical, the spontaneous and the analytical, the improvised and the composed.”

IKI is:
Anna Mose
Guro Tveitnes
Kamilla Kovacs
Johanna Sulkunen
Randi Pontoppidan

Music composed and produced by IKI
Recorded by Louise Nipper in Soundscape Studio, Copenhagen
Mixed by August Wanngren
Mastered by Caspar Hesselager
Photos by Julie Montauk
Cover by Mads Wolff, Eks-skolens
Visual design by Laura Rathschau
Supported by Statens Kunstfond, Koda, Dansk Musiker Forbund & Autor
Cat. No. TILA004LP – All rights reserved
℗ & © TILA 2025

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