Atom Dance

Album: Vulnicura (2015)
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Songfacts®:

  • Vulnicura describes Björk's heartbreak over the ending of her long-term relationship with the artist Matthew Barney. Written in a 5/4 time signature, this song finds the storm clouds begin to lift, as she begins the healing process.
  • The song features guest vocals by Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons. The New York singer and Björk are frequent collaborators: the pair duetted on the Antony and the Johnsons number "Flétta" and Hegarty also provided vocals to two tracks on Bjork's Volta album, "The Dull Flame of Desire" and "My Juvenile."
  • This one of several tracks on Vulnicura that was produced by Venezuelan producer Arca, (aka Alejandro Ghersi, who previously worked with Kanye West and FKA Twigs). He told Fader how he came to work with the Icelandic artist. "A while ago, [Björk's manager] reached out to me, and very respectfully and gracefully expressed that she liked [2013 mixtape] &&&&&—in a very pure [way] and without any expectation," Arca explained. "I couldn't have ever expected that, I was so happy."

    "We wrote back and forth a few times, and she finished her tour here in London and asked me if I knew anyone who could DJ for a casual after-party," he continued. "I volunteered, of course, and this weird electric thing happened. I felt so comfortable around her, and it developed from there. We met up one time to see if there was some kind of possible chemistry [between us] and sure enough, there was. I've learned a lot from every musical collaboration I've ever had, but there's something about my relationship with Björk that is special to me."
  • Hegarty recalled his collaboration with Bjork during an interview with Uncut magazine: "On Atom Dance she had a basic melody and I improvised and recorded many layers; with her egging me on," he said. "It was a wild session. I was trying to give my best impulses. She's very generous and I wanted to try to give back as much as I could."

    "She was getting into (pitch -correction software) Melodyne and she cut it all up later and turned it into this inhuman oracle sound," Hegarty continued. "She's an amazing producer. Her mind is that of a scientist as well as an artist."

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