Kiasmos – II (2xLP, Bio Vinyl)

When Kiasmos formed in the late 2000s, they had no idea that their part-time supergroup would soar into the stratosphere. It was the sound of two old friends from neighboring islands - Icelandic composer Ólafur Arnalds and Faroese musician Janus Rasmussen - breaking away from the austere piano and electropop music they were individually celebrated for and exuberantly sharing their love of Berlin-inspired beats. But their interplay evolved into a world-dominating live act whose music defined the decade. So what's next for one of electronic music's most dynamic duos after all this time? The new artwork hints at it: the unmistakable diamond motif of Kiasmos going up in flames, only to rise again from the ashes.

Kiasmos return, renewed and restored, with II. It's the triumphant follow-up to their 2014 self-titled debut, which reinterpreted minimal techno with orchestral flourishes and weightless production. Back then, they recorded the majority of the album in just two weeks; this time it's 10 years. The making of II was a test of their friendship, but also proof that great musical chemistry can still be as good as it once was. "In the beginning we didn't have a sound, so it was easy to write," says Janus. "But we're not the same people we were back then, we've gotten older and - hopefully - wiser. We wanted to surpass ourselves and not repeat what we did before."