Paddan’s Sigtryggur Baldursson and Birgir Mogensen are lifelong friends from Kópavogur, Iceland, who started as mates on the local football team, then graduated to making music together as teenagers and even later as young men doing time in the DIY collective KUKL, from 1983 - 1986.  Released by London-based Crass, KUKL was populated by survivors of the post-punk scene in Iceland in the early 80s, well documented in the 1982 film “Rock in Reykjavik”. In addition to Birgir and Sigtryggur, it featured Guðlaugur Óttarsson, Einar Melax, Björk and Einar Örn, some of whom would become better known later in outfits like the Sugarcubes and their respective solo work and other collaborations.

Paddan’s Sigtryggur Baldursson and Birgir Mogensen are lifelong friends from Kópavogur, Iceland, who started as mates on the local football team, then graduated to making music together as teenagers and even later as young men doing time in the DIY collective KUKL, from 1983 - 1986.  Released by London-based Crass, KUKL was populated by survivors of the post-punk scene in Iceland in the early 80s, well documented in the 1982 film “Rock in Reykjavik”.

In addition to Birgir and Sigtryggur, it featured Guðlaugur Óttarsson, Einar Melax, Björk and Einar Örn, some of whom would become better known later in outfits like the Sugarcubes and their respective solo work and other collaborations.

Now older and perhaps wiser, Birgir and Sigtryggur inevitably came together again to form Paddan, and “Fluid Time” is their first proper EP. A recording inspired by the very perception of time and space, the songs fill the room as the instrumental tracks pull as much from free-form jazz as they do from the punk experimentalism that informed their youth. 

Recorded, produced and arranged by the pair, Sigtryggur and Birgir play basses, drums, and various other instruments. They are joined by the eminent harmonica and lap steel-wielding Gaukur Davidsson on two tunes, “Vaguely” and “Bug”,  and trumpet maestro Eirikur Orri Ólafsson on “Splash”, not to mention the mixing expertise of Vaccines bassist Arni Hjörvar Árnason on three tunes, “Bug”, “Splash” and “Kokka”, and sound wizard Albert Finnbogason on “Vaguely.  “Fluid Time” was released by Washington DC-based label Lovitt Records, who first met Sigtryggur at the annual Iceland Airwaves festival and bonded over a mutual love of music regardless of genre or decade. 

Bed Maker's origins date back to summer 2019, when bassist Arthur Noll (Light Beams, Kid Congo Powers) and drummer Vin Novara (The Crownhate Ruin, 1.6 Band), each having played in Alarms & Controls, invited guitarist Jeff Barsky (Insect Factory, Time Is Fire) to collaborate and see what might happen. By autumn, they invited Amanda MacKaye (Desiderata, Routineers) to join them, and the chemistry was immediate. In February 2020 at DC's Rhizome, Bed Maker played their first show and then paused their activities the following month, as did most people.

 

Due to the state of the world in 2020 and 2021, they continued writing music through sharing recordings. Mike Schleibaum assisted by assembling home recordings of their individual parts into working demos. This allowed them to keep momentum, and by the time in-person rehearsals resumed, a handful of songs and new ideas were close to fruition. Bed Maker resumed playing shows in November 2022.

 

Following a self-released digital single ("Miss Dickens") and an EP (Three on the Tree) -- each recorded with Schleibaum and Matt Michel at Viva Studios -- Bed Maker began work on their self-titled LP in May 2023 with Ian MacKaye and Don Zientara at the original Inner Ear Studio in his basement in Arlington, VA, and with Mike Schleibaum at his home studio in Maryland. 

 

Today, you can listen to the new song "Ballad of Tokitae" on Bandcamp.  

The record is now available for pre-order on our website and Bandcamp page.




Please note that if you order any additional items along with this, the entire order will be shipped together on the release date.