Kim Hiorthøy (born 17 March 1973) is a Norwegian electronic musician, graphic designer, illustrator, filmmaker and writer.

Kim Hiorthøy

Biography

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Hiorthøy was born and raised in Trondheim, Norway. He studied at the Trondheim Academy of Fine Art from 1991 to 1996 and at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen in 1999 and 2000. During his tenure at the Trondheim Academy of Fine Art, Hiorthøy spent a year abroad in 1994 to attend the School of Visual Arts in New York. There he worked extensively with Cinematographer Mott Hupfel. Currently, he lives and works in Berlin, Germany.[1] A fictionalized version of Hiorthøy is a character in Erlend Loe's novel L.

Career

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Music

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Hiorthøy began making music while attending the Trondheim Academy of Fine Art; he worked in the academy's sound studio until he left school and purchased his own equipment. After various "collaborations and accidents", his music was eventually introduced to Joakim Haugland of the Smalltown Supersound record label. Haugland asked Hiorthøy to work with the label, and in 2001 Hiorthøy released his debut album, "Hei".[2] He has subsequently released several albums, EPs, and 7-inch records with Smalltown Supersound.[3]

Hiorthøy's musical style is difficult to classify; the Smalltown Supersound website offers the following description: "On his records Kim Hiorthøy combines weird beats, lo-fi/leftfield electronics, field recordings, electro-acoustic sounds and samples, resulting in a sound all his own." His live sets, however, differ from his recordings, with louder, faster beats and a techno undertone.[3]

Graphic design and film

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While exploring music at the Trondheim Academy of Fine Art, Hiorthøy simultaneously began his work in graphic design. He started to publish fanzines and design record sleeves for local bands, and as time passed he began to work more seriously in a variety of creative mediums. To date, Hiorthøy has released several collections of photography, drawing and design, and has provided cover artworks for such record labels as Rune Grammofon, Smalltown Supersound, Smalltown Superjazzz and the rock group Motorpsycho. He is currently represented by STANDARD, an Oslo-based gallery aimed at promoting contemporary Norwegian artists. Some of his other creative achievements include film directing, film photography, and illustration for children's books.[1]

In a 2004 interview with KultureFlash.com, Hiorthøy described the relationship between graphic design and music: "I regard them as very different things, even though the place in my head that decides if something works or not is the same for both".[4]

Bibliography

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  • "Tree Weekend", 2000, Die Gestalten Verlag
  • "Du kan ikke svikte din beste venn og bli god til å synge samtidig", 2002, Oktober
  • "Katalog", 2003, Smalltown Superbooks
  • "Tago Mago", 2007, Bergen Kunsthall on the occasion of the exhibition

Illustrations

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Photography

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Discography

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  • "Hei", 2000 (CD), Smalltown Supersound
  • "Melke", 2001 (CD), Smalltown Supersound
  • "Hopeness EP", 2004 (CD), Smalltown Supersound
  • "For the Ladies", 2004 (CD), Smalltown Supersound
  • "Live Shet", 2004 (CD), Smalltown Supersound
  • "This Record Can Not Set Me on Fire", 2006 (12"), Smalltown Supersound
  • "I'm This, I'm That", 2006 (7"), Smalltown Supersound
  • "My Last Day", 2007 (CD), Smalltown Supersound
  • "Dogs", 2014 (CD, 12"), Smalltown Supersound

References

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  1. ^ a b "Kim Hiorthøy Biography". Standardoslo.no. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-02.
  2. ^ "The Milk Factory Interview with Kim Hiorthøy". Themilkfactory.co.uk. Archived from the original on October 15, 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-02.
  3. ^ a b "Smalltown Supersound Artists". Smalltownsupersound.com. Archived from the original on August 18, 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-02.
  4. ^ "Artworker of the Week 37, Kim Hiorthøy". Kultureflash.net. Archived from the original on August 7, 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-02.
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