FIRE.inc.

FIRE.inc. was an independent record label associated with Icelandic artist and experimental musician Heimir Björgúlfsson. Björgúlfsson ran the label from 1993 until 2003, during a period when small artist-led labels provided an important outlet for experimental music that was often underserved by conventional commercial record companies. The label’s activity was connected to Björgúlfsson’s broader work in Icelandic and European avant-garde music communities, particularly the experimental band Stilluppsteypa, which he co-founded in 1992 and left in 2002. Over its decade of operation, FIRE.inc. issued 24 releases. Its catalogue included work by Björgúlfsson’s own musical projects as well as releases by a range of experimental, electronic, improvisational, and sound-art-oriented artists. The documented roster includes The Hafler Trio, Stilluppsteypa, Akira Yamamichi, Stock Hausen & Walkman, Vindva Mei, irr.app.(ext.), Skúli Sverrisson, Carl Michael von Hausswolff, Sigtryggur Berg Sigmarsson, and Reptilicus. This catalogue indicates a curatorial focus on exploratory sound rather than a conventional genre-based or mainstream market strategy. The label’s operating period overlapped with Björgúlfsson’s education and early professional development in the Netherlands. He moved from Reykjavík to The Hague in 1997 to study Sonology at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, then studied fine art at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam, graduating in 2001, followed by postgraduate study at the Sandberg Institute, completed in 2003. FIRE.inc. therefore belonged to a wider transnational artistic network spanning Iceland, the Netherlands, other European countries, and the United States. FIRE.inc. was not documented as a large corporate music business, publicly listed company, or mass-market consumer brand. It is better understood as a small independent label and cultural imprint whose value lay in documenting and circulating experimental music. The label appears to have ceased active operations after Björgúlfsson’s period of management ended in 2003. The available reference material does not establish a separate corporate successor, parent company, current owner, catalogue administrator, or official website. FIRE.inc. is chiefly remembered through its releases and its association with Björgúlfsson’s artistic and musical activities.

FIRE.inc. was established in 1993 and operated as an independent record label under the direction of Icelandic artist Heimir Björgúlfsson. Its history is closely linked to the experimental music and art networks in which Björgúlfsson participated. Before and during the label’s operation, he was involved in Stilluppsteypa, an experimental music group founded in 1992. Stilluppsteypa produced numerous recordings, toured in Europe and the United States, and contributed to compilation releases, giving Björgúlfsson direct experience in the production and circulation of non-mainstream music. The label’s catalogue eventually reached 24 releases. Rather than concentrating on a single commercial genre, FIRE.inc. published work associated with experimental music, electronic sound, improvisation, and broader avant-garde practices. Artists and projects connected with the label included The Hafler Trio, Stilluppsteypa, Akira Yamamichi, Stock Hausen & Walkman, Vindva Mei, irr.app.(ext.), Skúli Sverrisson, Carl Michael von Hausswolff, Sigtryggur Berg Sigmarsson, and Reptilicus. The breadth of this list suggests that the label functioned as a curatorial platform for individual artists and unusual collaborative projects. Björgúlfsson’s work with FIRE.inc. took place alongside his movement between Iceland and the Netherlands. He left Reykjavík for The Hague in 1997 to study Sonology at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague. In 1998 he moved to Amsterdam, where he studied fine art at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy and received a bachelor’s degree in 2001. He then completed postgraduate fine-art studies at the Sandberg Institute in 2003. These educational and geographic connections placed the label within an international art-and-sound context rather than a solely Icelandic recording market. Björgúlfsson left Stilluppsteypa in 2002 and is documented as having run FIRE.inc. until 2003. The available material does not provide a precise closure announcement, a sale, a merger, or details of a successor organization. Accordingly, the label is treated as defunct after 2003, although its historical releases remain identifiable through music-reference catalogues and artist discographies. No reliable information is supplied about its legal structure, physical headquarters, revenue, distribution agreements, current catalogue owner, or continuing commercial activity.

• 2003

  FIRE.inc. ends its documented operating period

  [1]Heimir Björgúlfssonen.wikipedia.org

  Björgúlfsson’s documented management of FIRE.inc. concludes. The available source does not specify whether the catalogue was transferred or formally liquidated.

• 2002

  Björgúlfsson leaves Stilluppsteypa

  [1]Heimir Björgúlfssonen.wikipedia.org

  After a decade with the group, Björgúlfsson leaves Stilluppsteypa while remaining active in other artistic and musical work.

• 2001

  Björgúlfsson completes undergraduate fine-art studies

  [1]Heimir Björgúlfssonen.wikipedia.org

  He graduates from the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam with a bachelor's degree in fine art.

• 1997

  Björgúlfsson moves to The Hague

  [1]Heimir Björgúlfssonen.wikipedia.org

  Björgúlfsson moves from Iceland to the Netherlands to study Sonology at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague while continuing his artistic and music-related activities.

• 1993

  FIRE.inc. begins operations

  [1]Heimir Björgúlfssonen.wikipedia.org

  Heimir Björgúlfsson starts operating FIRE.inc. as an independent record label.

• 1992

  Stilluppsteypa is founded

  [1]Heimir Björgúlfssonen.wikipedia.org

  Heimir Björgúlfsson becomes a founding member of the experimental music band Stilluppsteypa, an important context for his later label activity.

An artist-led independent record label focused on experimental, electronic, improvisational, and sound-oriented music rather than mainstream commercial releases.

• Independent record releases · 1993

  FIRE.inc. catalogue

  The label issued 24 releases during its operating period from 1993 to 2003. The catalogue represented experimental, electronic, improvisational, and sound-oriented practices, with releases connected to artists and projects including The Hafler Trio, Stilluppsteypa, Akira Yamamichi, Stock Hausen & Walkman, Vindva Mei, irr.app.(ext.), Skúli Sverrisson, Carl Michael von Hausswolff, Sigtryggur Berg Sigmarsson, and Reptilicus.

1. 1Heimir Björgúlfssonen.wikipedia.org
2. 2FIRE.inc. at Discogsdiscogs.com