HAVE YOU EVER met a twentysomething who has been employed as a gardener, pizza delivery man, construction worker, and staff member of a hospital mental ward? What about a man with that dazzling list of credentials who went on to become an internationally enjoyed musician?

Sveinbjörn Thorarensen, or Sveinbi for short, is that type of man. Hailing from Iceland, he has released melodic trip-hop under the name Hermigervill since 2003.

Recently, he begot two new projects: SvenBit (his electro outlet) and Moogzart (his forum for vocal work). And even after a lifetime influenced by electronic music — he got his first Casio keyboard as a toddler — Sveinbi is just getting started.

I have been a fan of Hermigervill for about a year and a half, but there isn’t much information about him available in English. So, I decided last week that I wanted to know more about Sveinbi, and got in touch with him via the Internet to ask him a few questions.

Read on, and get to know the man, his music, and his country.

"I can’t stand super-serious musicians," says Hermigervill. Photo used with permission (click to enlarge)

What does “Hermigervill” mean?

Hermigervill is a word that I made up. It is a spin-off of the word meaning synthesizer in Icelandic. I have seen people get confused and actually use my name when they actually mean to say synthesizer.

When I asked you if you could speak English, you said, “Of course I speak English!” Why the “of course”?

The people of Iceland are generally pretty good English speakers. We don’t overdub our movies and TV shows like they do in some other European countries, like France, for example, where you can have a hard time finding English-speaking people.

How old were you when you started creating music? What did you use/what kind of music did you make?

I got a Casio keyboard as a toddler back in the '80s which I was hooked on from the start. I then progressed to playing the violin, which I played for 10 years. I completely hated playing it. The whole time. It almost turned me off music completely. Until I got this game for the PlayStation called “Music 2000.” I guess I was 16. I formed a band with my friend called “The Dandruff Brothers,” making music on the PlayStation. What kind of music? I guess you could just call it really bad music. As you would expect from a band with such a name, we didn’t get very far. However, that was a starting point really. From that time on, my head would be completely stuck in the world of music.

Are you a full-time musician, or is it something you do on the side of something else (such as a job, or school)?

I am a full-time musician, yes. More than full time. I’m working on my own material, remixes, TV commercials, recording projects such as audiobooks and music for documentaries. I am also a DJ and I do live shows.

For fun, when not working, I collect vintage electronic instruments and old records. Currently I am (on the side of all this) also doing a bachelor’s degree in recording arts in Amsterdam, where I have been living for over a year.

Before I became full time I worked lots of different jobs along with the music. I was a pizza delivery driver, gardener, hospital worker (at the mental ward), and I also did some construction work.

I believe I found out about you by following a chain of links from Björk’s Web site. Any comments about that?

What can I say? It’s a small world! And Iceland is even smaller. I don’t know her personally, but she was a friend of my mom’s sister as a kid. My dad also did some singing (in a choir) on one of her albums (forgot which one). Seriously, Iceland is small. With only 300,000 people living there, it’s not very hard to connect yourself somehow to anyone.

I feel like I first saw your name on Smekkleysa’s Web site … I can’t find you on it now, but is there any reason why you would have been on that site? Maybe I’m just crazy.

Maybe you’re not crazy. I think they were selling my CD.

Are you with a label now? If not, do you plan to be on one anytime soon?

I have my own mini-label which is just called Hermigervill for releasing my own stuff locally. Some tracks have been released on labels, like remixes and tracks for compilations.

You’re the only Icelandic person I’ve ever talked to. What’s it like to live in Iceland?

It’s a big island with few people. Most of them bunched up in one small city and the rest of the country is quite desolate. As in the States, most people are caught up in this crazy material race, living fast, neglecting the real important things in life.

On the flipside, there is this spiritual calm, especially when you get out of the city. The one thing that defines living there is the extreme contrast between the dark winter (hardly any sunlight) and the everbright summer (daylight, even during the night). It’s like a common pulse for everyone, and people have different ways of coping with it.

Do you think there are any misconceptions about Iceland’s “scene” (e.g., I know it’s easy for me to think of Iceland’s musicians as a monolithic, cooperative group, just because the country is small)? What do you think people in the U.S. should know about Iceland and the Icelandic music scene?

That’s one tough question! In some respects, it feels like a family. Everyone knows everyone and no one is really so "big and famous" that other musicians are intimidated to ask for collaborations or stuff like that. However also, the scene is quite divided, with harsh boundaries and even hatred between styles and genres.

Like everywhere you have people who are completely full of themselves after a hint of success, but they have a tendency to fade away quicker than the clever, hard-working musicians who make the Icelandic music scene worth its name.

I’ve read a couple of sources that describe you and your act as “goofy.” Can you explain that a bit?

It’s just who I am I guess. I can’t stand super-serious musicians. Even if you are making "serious" music, you shouldn’t take yourself too seriously. Where’s the fun in that?

On your site, you seem to take a self-deprecating stance when it comes to dancing. What are your moves like?

Any grandma could easily put my dance moves to shame … I didn’t get the "Michael Jackson/Justin Timberlake" gene. Hell, I didn’t even get the "Macarena" gene. (Note: There is a chance that this comment could only be funny in Europe.)

Describe what it feels like to “move crowds like the riot police,” as you say on your Web site.

I let my friend write the text for my Web site. He can be a bit, well, dramatic in his explanations. It does feel good, though, when people enjoy themselves when I play my music.

Since we are talking about the Web site, it hasn’t been updated for two years now. I would actually advise people NOT to visit it because it is shamefully bad.

Can you tell me a bit about the differences between terms like “remix,” “reassembly,” “dub,” and “acoustic treatment”? For instance, what kinds of tricks or sounds would you use to create a reassembly of a song?

These are just different terms that I use for remixing. I try to find a new way of saying “remix” each time I make one. Something that has to do with what I actually do with the song in question. The "Acoustic Treatment," for example, is a remix in which I put a lot of (badly played) acoustic guitar

On your site, you say your situation as a one-man act is “lonely.” What would your ideal situation be?

Lonely is ideal. Total creative control. Almost — internal struggles do sometimes occur.

What inspires you?

Everything, from nostalgic memories to getting a new machine to play with. Old records, films and photos. The people I know, views from high places, robots, the list goes on. Am I being too cliché here?

How do you come up with your beats?

I have a bunch of drum machines, samplers, and thousands of obscure old records with funky drumbreaks on them. Depending on the type of project, I will use any combination of these things.

I read somewhere that you play at least one new song at every gig you do. Is that true? If yes, do you write them beforehand, or improvise them? If you improvise them, what’s it like? Do you get nervous?

I guess this is a comment on the fact that I am quite prolific when it comes to songwriting. If there is more than one to two weeks between gigs, there will be a new song for sure in my program. If more time goes by, chances are that I will be playing all new songs (aside from maybe one or two popular ones). So, it can be hard to keep up with me. I even have a hard time keeping up with myself most of the time.

Improvise? Yes, improvisation is essential to having a fun live show! Usually the reason for needing to improvise is due to some instrument malfunction or me just screwing things up pretty badly. I’ve even had random people coming on the stage and playing along in my songs.

The music of yours that I listen to most is mostly pretty trip-hop, chillout. Your Web site says that lately you’ve taken a turn toward dance and house music, and that your next EP is going to be a collaborative hip-hop project. Is there a particular style of music that you feel suits you best, or are you an electronic jack-of-all-trades?

I feel at home in many electronic styles. This might be the right time to point out that I do have many other projects, besides Hermigervill. SvenBit is an electro/techno project with a harder edge. Moogzart is the singer in me. In fact, I am currently working on a SvenBit song featuring Moogzart. SvenBit is actually the project that has received most of my attention for the last year or so.

Are there any other projects you’re going to be working on in the near future?

Another project besides Hermigervill and SvenBit that I have going is a band called "Dots." It is a collaboration with a few of my friends. We make cheesy electro-guitar-pop, and are just releasing a single in Iceland.

What does "Lausnin" [the title of the first Hermigervill album] mean?

"Lausnin" means "The Solution," and just as in English, the word can mean a solution to a problem, but also a mix of various ingredients … both of which are appropriate for the album.

I’ve noticed that when you perform, you often wear sequins. Why is that?

What started out as a joke has become like a fetish. I actively seek out the nuttiest sequin overalls to wear while playing. Lately, though I’ve been trying out other stuff. Like an outfit in homage to Kraftwerk — red shirt, black tie …

Would you ever consider performing in the U.S.?

If I could I would.

You spin at parties, but do you party much yourself?

Too much.

Is there anything else you want to say?

No … we’re pretty much covered …

And finally, the kicker: boxers or briefs?

Commando! Although sequin briefs can also do the trick.

[Postscript: Hermigervill’s entire first album, titled “Lausnin” (“The Solution”), is available as a free download from his Web site.]

Hermigervill on his houseboat. He splits his time between Iceland and Amsterdam. Photo used with permission (click to enlarge)