Can music become a space for listening that is not only sonic, but cultural, social, environmental? The electronic duo Bicep, originally from Belfast, proves it with Takkuuk (pronounced tuck-kook): a project that interweaves music, climate and the identity of a fragile and symbolic territory like Greenland.

Born amid the (ever-diminishing) eternal ice, their new album – whose title means "to observe deeply" in Inuit – is an invitation to look beyond the surface, into the cracks of a changing world.

The record is also the soundtrack to an audiovisual installation developed by visual artist Zak Norman and director Charlie Miller. Following its London premiere at Outernet on 3 July, the work is preparing for a world tour, promising an immersive journey through retreating glaciers, the resilience of Inuit culture and the voices of indigenous communities who have inhabited these extreme lands for centuries.

A journey through ice, sounds and invisible communities

At the heart of Takkuuk is climate change, observed and experienced firsthand by the artists in one of the most vulnerable places on the planet. Greenland, with its rapidly transforming landscapes, is a tangible symbol of a crisis that is no longer distant or abstract. As Andy Ferguson told the Guardian – who together with Matt McBriar makes up the duo Bicep – "everyone comes back changed. Seeing climate change happen firsthand in this way" leaves a deep mark. And it is precisely this close-up gaze that Takkuuk seeks to convey.

The result is a powerful narrative that, while rooted in Greenland, extends its imagery to Sweden, Norway and Canada, weaving together landscapes, traditions and testimonies. Bicep's electronic music – known for its hypnotic grooves and enveloping melodies – undergoes a transformation, merging with the raw sounds of the land: wind, ice fracturing into sonic fragments and, above all, the ancestral traditional Inuit songs such as throat-singing.

The duo, renowned for their ability to build evocative atmospheres, uses these elements not as mere samples, but as genuine narrative layers that integrate seamlessly with the music.

Greenland: an open-air climate laboratory

Few places tell the story of climate change like Greenland, where global warming is advancing at a rate four times faster than the planetary average. Data from the National Snow and Ice Data Center are alarming: between 2002 and 2021, the Greenland ice sheet lost an average of 280 billion tonnes of ice per year, contributing to rising sea levels worldwide. If the entire ice sheet were to melt, seas would rise by more than 7 metres.

And the effects are already visible: ice loss is accelerating, the landscape is being transformed and new expanses of green – the so-called "greening" – are advancing over areas that were once permanently frozen, further fuelling warming and releasing greenhouse gases such as methane in a worrying cycle.

Takkuuk: when culture becomes resistance

But Takkuuk is not merely an environmental manifesto. It is also a tribute to Inuit culture and to the knowledge of local communities that have preserved ancient wisdom and a profound bond with the land and sea.

The project is committed to giving space to the often invisible voices of indigenous peoples, exploring themes such as marginalisation, displacement and the direct impact the climate crisis has on their daily lives. Behind every changing landscape, there are cultures, stories and communities that risk disappearing along with the ice.

By collaborating with local artists and performers – including Greenlandic rapper Tarrak and throat-singing group Silla – Bicep have created a project rooted in respect and listening. Not appropriation, but dialogue: a way of bringing global attention to both the environmental emergency and the cultural richness of those who live day after day in these frontier lands.

A model of sustainability for the music industry

The project also stands out for its approach to sustainable production. The entire album was recorded on location, making use of renewable energy and keeping its CO2 footprint to a minimum. A concrete example of how even the music industry can rethink its creative processes along more responsible lines.

It is no coincidence that Takkuuk sits within the framework of In Place of War, a global organisation that uses the arts as a tool for social change in communities affected by conflict, crisis or marginalisation, as part of the EarthSonic programme, which tells the story of climate change through music.

Beyond sound: Takkuuk is an invitation to "observe deeply"

In the profound meaning of the Inuit word Takkuuk – "observe deeply" – the message of the entire project is condensed: to look beyond the surface, beyond the beauty of Arctic landscapes, to grasp the cracks, the fragilities, but also the strength and dignity of indigenous communities.

A powerful message that unites music, environment and rights, reminding us, once again, that climate change is not merely a matter of melting ice, but of cultures to be preserved and stories to be heard.