Plastik Joy
Plastik Joy is the duo of Cristiano Nicolini and Fannar Ásgrímsson. The two met by chance during both of their studies of audio engineering at the school of SAE Institute in Spain. Ásgrímsson who did not find the natural course of the “every-day-man” appealing eventually found himself leaving his native Iceland after a couple years of soul searching to peruse a career in audio engineering in Barcelona. There he met Nicolini who had left Italy a year earlier to peruse the same dream for almost the same reasons. Developing a friendship at school Nicolini and Ásgrímsson never really gave it a second thought that they might be creatively compatible until one day Ásgrímsson played some rhodes over some of Nicolini's beat work. From then on they made music in their free time which still to this day is written without pretense, overcomplexity, focus on style or concept.
A couple of months would pass and Plastik Joy actually became a more concrete idea which then made the duo think a bit more seriously about such extra curricular activities. In 2008 n5MD took notice of their myspace page due in large part to them befriending label owner Mike Cadoo's wife and they were signed on several months later. Using the tracks they had written together as a bed for the album they enlisted the help of friends Sarah K. Hellström (Lost Room), Erik Mattiasson (Melpo Mene), Giovanni Civitenga (aka Bluermutt) and vocalist Sarah Kawasaki (who features prominently in their music) to give their music more depth. These sessions yielded their debut album 3:03 which took its name from the time of night the recording sessions usually ended. The album which was released by the n5MD imprint in May 2009 was heralded by the label as "music for after the after party". Stylistically linked by the label to a nocturnal stroll home just before dawn. 3:03 straddles moods and styles with great finesse leading you bit down for a few moments before you are emotionally lifted up again by a passing melodic element. Walking such a fine line in their emotional creativity makes it hard to believe these guys never plan their attack; they just go where the song takes them. Coke Machine Glow said of 3:03 "...nothing short of lovely" and one writer from Cyclic Defrost called it "one of the best winter soundtracks I've heard so far this year". Others have named checked Dntel, Telefon Tel Aviv, and Four Tet as stylistic signposts for Plastik Joy. Although these comparisons fit in a sort of loose stylistic way they all seem somewhat unfair descriptors of their originality and musical craftsmanship.
A couple of months would pass and Plastik Joy actually became a more concrete idea which then made the duo think a bit more seriously about such extra curricular activities. In 2008 n5MD took notice of their myspace page due in large part to them befriending label owner Mike Cadoo's wife and they were signed on several months later. Using the tracks they had written together as a bed for the album they enlisted the help of friends Sarah K. Hellström (Lost Room), Erik Mattiasson (Melpo Mene), Giovanni Civitenga (aka Bluermutt) and vocalist Sarah Kawasaki (who features prominently in their music) to give their music more depth. These sessions yielded their debut album 3:03 which took its name from the time of night the recording sessions usually ended. The album which was released by the n5MD imprint in May 2009 was heralded by the label as "music for after the after party". Stylistically linked by the label to a nocturnal stroll home just before dawn. 3:03 straddles moods and styles with great finesse leading you bit down for a few moments before you are emotionally lifted up again by a passing melodic element. Walking such a fine line in their emotional creativity makes it hard to believe these guys never plan their attack; they just go where the song takes them. Coke Machine Glow said of 3:03 "...nothing short of lovely" and one writer from Cyclic Defrost called it "one of the best winter soundtracks I've heard so far this year". Others have named checked Dntel, Telefon Tel Aviv, and Four Tet as stylistic signposts for Plastik Joy. Although these comparisons fit in a sort of loose stylistic way they all seem somewhat unfair descriptors of their originality and musical craftsmanship.