Gulli Briem is a founding member and drummer of the jazz-fusion group Mezzoforte, that enjoyed major success in the mid-eighties with the album “Surprise Surprise” and the top hit single “Garden Party”. Mezzoforte continues to tour worldwide for jazz funk fans and music lovers. www.mezzoforte.com
Gulli’s solo project “Earth Affair – Liberté”
Gulli shows a new side to his talents with these new works and album with “film like” ambient, electric, orchestral pieces of music that draw you quickly into their sonic world. The pieces are indeed surprising and dynamic, where Gulli features South African singer, Vusi Mahlasela. Unusual instruments like an Icelandic Stone Harp made by modern artist Páll Guðmundsson from Húsafell are featured on the album as well as Dulcitone & Glockenspiel. British string arranger Simon Hale contributed to the album with two string arrangements performed by a Hungarian string ensemble in Budapest.
The Liberté album features eight new compositions written mostly by Briem & Icelandic poet writer Jökull Jörgensen. Additional musicians on the album apart from Mahlasela are trumpeters Joo Kraus, Sebastian Studnitzky, classical percussionist Frank Aarnik & guitarist Arnar Guðjónsson.
Gulli Briem’s voice, powerful drumming and piano playing make “Liberté” a very unique album of dynamic sound-sculptured works, but at the same time strong and dynamic pieces of music. Welcome to the soulful world of Earth affair.
Born in Reykjavik, Iceland. As a child Gulli started banging on pots and pans on the kitchen floor of the family home in Reykjavik. Played guitar for two years age twelve and sang in a school band until the original drummer got sick and was forced to leave his chair. Practiced drums in the loft of the Briem family residence, while playing in high school bands and musicals, where he met Johann Asmundsson a co-founding member of Mezzoforte (1977). The pair soon met Eythor Gunnarsson and Fridrik Karlsson in a Reykjavik music store, where Fridrik sold guitars. Recorded and toured with the band internationally from 1982. First big worldwide success with the group was in 1983 with the U.K. dance funk hit “Garden Party” and the Surprise, Surprise album.
Has been nominated five times as the drummer of the year in Iceland. Won five times.
” ALL STAR FUNK”
Is Gulli Briem’s brand new musical live concept, where he teams up with outstanding musicians in Norway, Denmark & Hungary to explore different kinds of music, from powerful Jazz Rock of the 70’s plus some of his ambient works & solo materials “Earth Affair” as well as playing some selected Mezzoforte classics with a new approach. A place where the musicians get to express themselves freely within the musical arrangements of each piece of music. On the Norwegian tour Gulli has worked with elegant players like bass icon Per Mathisen, guitar virtuoso Hans Mathisen and young keyboard star Knut Lochsen. On several occasions Magnus Bakken saxophonist has joined both on tenor and also on Ewi.
EDUCATION
Took private drum lessons in Reykjavik at the age of twelve. Graduated from The Commercial College of Iceland in spring 1980. Studied classical percussion with Reynir Sigurdsson as well as music theory at the FIH Jazz conservatory in Reykjavik 1980-1983 and The Musicians Institute in Los Angeles in 1992 with Joe Porcaro, Ralph Humphrey, Marc Rio and Joe Bracato. Took private lessons with jazz drummer legend Petur Östlund.
EARTH AFFAIR
Is Gulli’s side project, where he writes the music and explores new territories with unusual compositions and sounds. First album “Chapter one” was released in 2004 on Skip Records/Hamburg, featuring A-HA singer Morten Harket and The Voces Thules Gregorian singers.
In 2006 he took his band Earth Affair and performed at Nelson Mandela ́s 46664 awareness concert for Africa, which took place in Tromso, Norway along with Peter Gabriel, Robert Plant, Annie Lennox and Brian May. Gulli released a brand new album 26. September 2014 under the Earth Affair. The album title is “Liberté” and has boosted of four and five star reviews in different media, German and Hungarian especially.
Gulli is an ambassador for the 46664 Nelson Mandela foundation.
MADONNA
Was called to record with Madonna , Antonio Banderas & Jonathan Price in “Evita the Movie” in 1996 in London and later appeared with Madonna in Top of the Pops that same year with her own song “All by myself”
2024 – 2025 Gulli has been working as a Musial director and composer at the National Theatre in Reykjavik, Iceland in the classic piece “Yerma” by Frecrico Garcia Lorca adopted by Simon Stone in London.
He will also tour in 2025 with this All Star Funk band in Norway.
