Úlfur Hansson is an Icelandic composer and multidisciplinary artist working across contemporary classical composition, experimental electronic music, and immersive studio craft. Based between Reykjavík and Brooklyn, his practice spans solo releases, film scoring, ensemble commissions, and production. He has collaborated with internationally recognized artists including Björk, Jónsi (Sigur Rós), Ólöf Arnalds, Anna von Hausswolff, Skúli Sverrisson, and producer Randall Dunn, with performances and works presented at festivals such as Tectonics and by the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. His work is further distinguished by his design of original instruments—including the electromagnetic Segulharpa featured in Björk’s Cornucopia—reflecting an ongoing exploration of how sound, technology, and perception intersect.

In this episode, Michael and Úlfur explore creative leadership as the ability to create conditions rather than control outcomes. He reflects on his shift from tightly structured composition toward improvisation, where leadership becomes an act of facilitation—establishing the frame, then allowing something unexpected to emerge. Through his collaboration with Gyða Valtýsdóttir in the duo RÓR, he describes leadership as shared perception: recognizing when two people are oriented toward the same intangible goal and building trust around that alignment. He also discusses designing his own instruments as a form of leadership through constraint—removing excess to enable more direct, intuitive interaction with sound. Across his work in film, production, and collaboration, he moves between roles: at times serving the needs of a larger system, at others supporting an artist’s vision as a “midwife,” helping bring something fragile into form without imposing his own authorship. Throughout, he frames creative leadership not as direction, but as sensitivity—to people, to context, and to the subtle signals that indicate when something real is beginning to take shape.

Sunna Margrét is an Icelandic artist and songwriter whose work has earned international recognition for its blend of experimental pop, electronic textures, and strong melodic structure. Her debut album Finger on Tongue received widespread critical acclaim, with The Quietus describing it as “oddball Icelandic pop that packs a dense punch, heavy with ideas.”

In 2019, she co-founded No Salad Records with her partner, Stéphane Kropf. Their vinyl-focused DIY label, based in Lausanne, Switzerland, operates as a curatorial platform releasing work unified by artistic intent, independence, and experimentation.

In this episode, Michael and Sunna explore her curatorial mind. She reflects on heading out for a UK mini-tour and what she’s testing in the live space right now—how performance becomes a laboratory for choice, tension, and restraint. She revisits her 2025 set at Iceland Airwaves and walks through the craft of building a set list—where she applies preferences and constraints, and which songs she deliberately holds back—before comparing that process to sequencing an album and the discipline of setting certain tracks aside. They also discuss her founding of No Salad Records as a quiet act of resistance within a monetized, patriarchal music culture. Finally, they explore the unlikely but formative influences of Can and Frankenstein, and what they reveal about experimentation, atmosphere, and control in her work.

In this first episode of Season 2, Michael interviews Hildur Maral.

Hildur is an Icelandic-Iranian music industry executive, artist manager, and co-founder of OPIA Community which is a record label, traveling festival series, and creative platform. With over two decades of experience across artist, event, and label management, she has worked with major music institutions including Universal Music Group, Coachella and Roskilde Festival, and is part of the management team for acclaimed composer and producer Ólafur Arnalds.

Season 2 shifts focus from entrepreneurial behavior of artists to their creative leadership—helping others unlock their creative potential.

The two discuss the launch of OPIA and how Hildur's wildly diverse career prepared her for artist development, community development, and label development. She shares how artist development is like dating and why different modes of leadership—foreground, background and "side-by-side"—are necessary in community development regardless of one's role.

They discuss the importance of both "learning by doing" and "learning by education" and how she values her experiences at Kaospilot and Berklee College of Music. The conversation closes with an exploration of grassroots organizations as communities of care.

Recorded in front of a live audience on January 7, 2026 at Huldunótur in Reykjavík.

For this special edition of Two Beats Ahead Live! in Reykjavik, Michael speaks with Lóa Hjálmtýsdóttir at Iceland Innovation Week.

Lóa is a Reykjavík-based visual artist, illustrator, and entrepreneur, known for her creative studio Lóaboratorium. Her work spans comics, visual art and design objects that often feature playful, character-driven stories. In addition to her visual art and product design, Lóa is a founding member of the electro-pop band FM Belfast, where her energy and creativity come to life on stage.

In this short episode we talked about Lóa’s “accidental” careers, how the disruption of Covid was a catalyst for her entrepreneurship, and the supportive creative community in Reykjavík. We also discussed the joys of toys!

See Loa's work here.

In this 10th episode of Two Beats Ahead Live!, Michael speaks with Jóel Pálsson, acclaimed saxophonist and cofounder of Farmers Market, an Icelandic design company and clothing brand. A five time recipient of Iceland’s Jazz Album of the Year, he has performed in concerts and festivals in Europe, America, Canada and China and appeared on over 150 albums with various artists and groups. He is also a graduate of Berklee College of Music.

Their discussion weaves together the similarities of jazz and fashion retail. They discuss taking inspiration from the past, finding an authentic voice, and working with trusted collaborators. They also discuss connecting with audiences, staying committed to iteration and the value of setting constraints to unlock creativity.

In this episode, Michael interviews Haraldur “Halli” Thorleifsson, an entrepreneur, designer, musician, and philanthropist. Halli founded Ueno, a design agency that worked with Google, Uber, Airbnb, and many others and was acquired by Twitter in 2021. A musician before becoming a designer, he put music on hold until 2023 when he launched his project Önnu Jónu Son. Since selling his business, he’s launched a program to build wheelchair-accessible ramps across Iceland, opened and closed a restaurant, and launched a podcast.

Halli has spoken previously about traumas that have formed him, from losing his mother during his childhood, to being confined to a wheelchair as an adult, and his struggle with alcoholism. He also made headlines when Elon Musk erroneously fired him from Twitter and then had to walk it back publicly. So I didn’t want to lead with any of these things because they have been well documented—though we did occasionally refer to them.

In this episode of Two Beats Ahead Live! I went deep with Halli about his identity as a creator—how did he understand the connection between design and songwriting? Why has he taken up drawing? Why did he design and open his restaurant, Anna Jóna, and then close it in the course of a year? Our conversation covers these topics, as well as how Halli is letting go of perfection and embracing a beginner’s mind. We also discussed the chemistry of collaborating and how the early days of Ueno bore a remarkable resemblance to the making of his album, The Radio Won't Let Me Sleep.

For the eighth Two Beats Ahead Live!, author R. Michael Hendrix interviews Siggi Baldursson, the renowned drummer and music executive, best known as a founding member of The Sugarcubes. He plays a key role in promoting Icelandic music globally, recently as managing director of ÚTÓN (Iceland Music), where he helped launch initiatives like the Icelandic Music Export Fund and the Record in Iceland program.

In this episode, Siggi discusses the connection between the growth of tourism in Iceland and its impact on Icelandic music. He shares that the Sugarcubes began as a joke, albeit one that “blew up in our face!” He tells about the importance of communities as creative incubators and how Smekkleysa became this for him and his friends in the 80’s. He expands on this for other creative communities in Iceland and how relationships built in a small locale have a trust that encourages weirdness and collaboration. He also shares how the lack of knowing how to do things can actually be the secret to doing something exciting and new, which was especially important to the early post-punk scene in Reykjavik. Finally he shares about the changing nature of the music business and how new innovations are helping artist find audiences.

In this episode of Two Beats Ahead Live!, Michael Hendrix interviews musician and carpenter, Klemens Hannigan, best known as a member of techno performance art project HATARI, and an accomplished solo artist and sculptor. They discuss the parallels of songwriting and woodworking and the differences between art and design in both practices. They delve into why they appreciate limitations and frameworks, and how identities or brands create boundaries and opportunities for world building. Klemens discusses owning his personal contradictions as tensions and why the goal of an entrepreneur is to do something you burn for. They also discuss what is next for HATARI.