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Björk To Unleash Back Catalogue On Cassette Tape
Icelandic alt-pop queen Björk is to re-release her considerable back catalogue on the hot new format of the moment. No, it’s not an app suite, or a VR environment to wander through—it’s a collection of brightly coloured cassette Björk tapes. So if…
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Music News: Bræðslan Festival, Pussy Riot At Secret Solstice, Sólveig Matthildur
The tiny rural music festival Bræðslan has announced the lineup for its 2019 edition. Located in the far-flung village of Bakkagerði in Borgarfjörður Eystri, it’s one of Iceland’s most remote music festivals—the town hit the news a few years ago when locals…
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Grapevine Playlist: Bjarki, Mighty Bear, Örmagna, Kælan Mikla, Sunna & More
Like seventeen huge, gleaming icicles breaking off simultaneously and smashing into iridescent fragmented gems, here are the latest frigid emissions from Iceland’s frozen winter music scene complied into one playlist. Mighty Bear – Burt (Acoustic) Mighty Bear presents a bare rendition of…
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Electric Dreams: Good Moon Deer’s Tireless Electronic Experiments
Guðmundur Úlfarsson—also known by his musical moniker Good Moon Deer—is an Icelandic graphic designer and musician who currently lives in Belgium. He released his first album, the sample-heavy ‘Dot,’ as a limited run of 50 special edition LPs in 2015, and he’s…
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Happily Under The Radar: Should We Listen To ILO, Or Not?
The most unrecognised and underappreciated Icelandic album of last year happened by design. ILO, a mysterious figure on Iceland’s ever-expanding deep house scene, put out a belter of an LP, to absolutely no fanfare. But, as it happens, that’s just the way…
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Taking Care Of BIZNESS: CYBER Go To Work
CYBER are too busy to meet for an interview. Since beginning as a spin-off of the buzzworthy rap group Reykjavíkudætur, in their current incarnation they’re so busy they hardly even have time to perform. Now a high-flying sensation in their own right,…
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Underwater Realities: DJ. Flugvél Og Geimskip Descends To Atlantis
Once upon a time, long before anything existed, there were ancient creatures telling stories. These stories came in the form of songs and those songs emitted vibrations—the soundwaves that created the universe. Don’t believe it? Go into a silent room, take a…
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Music News: Riceboy Sleeps Awakens, Iceland Airwaves, Jóhann Retrosopective
Jónsi and Alex Somers will perform their collaborative album ‘Riceboy Sleeps’ with the London Contemporary Orchestra on July 8th at London’s Barbican Hall. It’s the first time the album, which turns ten this year, will be performed in its entirety. The album…
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Track By Track: ‘Celebs’ By Axis Dancehall
Imagine blasting an old school video game soundtrack in a dirty Berlin basement while having a realisation of your own mortality. Welcome to the genre bending ‘Celebs’ by Axis Dancehall, explained here in full by the band. If you like their vibe,…
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Grapevine Playlist: dj. flugvél og geimskip, Unè Misere, Tinslit, Kuldaboli & More
Holy moly! It’s Grapevine playlist time! Here are the latest Icelandic tracks burning up the office stereo. Kuldaboli – Ég elska þig eilífa stríð Translating as “I love you, endless war,” this heavy techno EP has slow, dark, almost robotic singing. Verging…
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Hatari Smash Into Iceland’s Eurovision Finals; Social Conservatives Protest
Possibly-demonic, wildy deranged synth-punk S&M art-school automatons Hatari smashed through into Iceland’s Eurovision final at the weekend after dominating their semi-final competition. They unveiled a show-stealing performance for their mooted Eurovision track “Hatrið man sigra” (“Hate Will Prevail”), featuring pulsing synths, extravagant…
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Björk’s Most Elaborate Staged Concert Set To Premiere, New Director Announced
Björk will debut a new theatrical production in New York City this May. Entitled ‘Cornucopia,’ Björk has teamed up with visual artists and filmmakers for her “most elaborate stage concert yet,” the singer wrote on Twitter. i am very excited to announce…
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Chillaxed Indie Hipster Mac DeMarco To Star At Airwaves 2019
Airwaves 2019 is go! After a broadly successful 2018 edition under new ownership, Iceland’s best music festival announced the first wave of acts for this year’s event today. The biggest name is Mac DeMarco, a lo-fi indie eccentric and music media darling.…
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Track By Track: ‘Psychoplasmics’ By Psychoplasmics
Psychoplasmics is the collaborative project of Lord Pu$$whip and Alfreð Drexler. Their first song, ‘101 Reykjavík,’ came out in in 2014, and they’ve finally followed it up with a long-awaited eponymous debut album. Here, the two take us through the album ‘Psychoplasmics’…
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The Call Of The Night: Dark Music Days Goes Back To Its Root
The Dark Music Days festival started unassumingly in 1980, but in the 38 years since, it has taken the contemporary Icelandic composition world by storm, becoming a well known festival of unusual and inventive Icelandic and international composers. This year, it’s bigger…
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Hearts Of Lead: Kaleikr’s Debut Is Original, Complex And Heavy
In recent years, the Icelandic black metal scene has been flourishing. Bands such as Misþirming, Svartidauði, Sinmara and Almyrkvi (to name just a few) have put Iceland on the map for dissonant metal, straight from the darkest depths of hell. From the…
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Electric Dreams: Cross-Genre Electronica Duo ClubDub’s Refreshing Musical Menu
ClubDub are an intriguing duo whose star rose quickly last summer with the release of their first album “Juice Menu, Vol. 1”. Each song thereon is a refreshing beverage for listeners to enjoy. Get it? Aron Kristinn Jónasson and Brynjar Barkarson’s music…
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Meet The Trows: Arnljótur Communes With Orkadian Fairies As Kraftgalli
Trows rockin’ and rollin’, joking and telling stories, oh my! Icelandic micro-label Smit Records released Kraftgalli’s adventurous three track EP ‘Trítill’ on vinyl last autumn. Trítlar, or trows, are mysterious, mischievous fairies or spirits from the folklore of the Orkney Islands. They’re…
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Some Kind Of Void: Disappearing Into The World Of aYia
After their live debut at the Secret Solstice festival in 2016, enigmatic trio aYia became an overnight buzz-band, inciting powerful energy and excitement around their spacious, chilly, electronic pop music. To see them perform live evokes the true power of the trio.…
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Hatari, Skaði & Tara Mobee Amongst Contestants To Represent Iceland At Eurovision
As you may have noticed, the Eurovision Song Contest is kind of a phenomenon in Iceland. Alongside supporting the occasionally semi-successful Icelandic handball and football teams, each year—without fail—Eurovision evokes a heightened nationalistic fervour. Over 98% of Iceland’s TV audience watched the…
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GYÐA And GDRN Nominated For Nordic Music Prize
Two Icelandic artists have made the longlist for this year’s Nordic Music Prize. Acronymic twins GYÐA and GDRN are both up for the prestigious award, which will be presented at the Norwegian music industry festival by:larm. Gyða’s “Evolution” was one of 2018’s…
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Grapevine Music Awards: More Photos From A Magical Night
A fun time was had by all who attended the Grapevine Music Awards, and one guest took it upon themselves to snap some cool photos of the event as it unfolded. It was certainly challenging choosing our winners—there’s plenty of great music…
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Artist Playlist: Dadykewl’s Top 5 Unconscious Inspirations
Singer and producer Dadykewl’s signature is that of positivity and good vibes. Serving up everything from introspective trap to feel-good party bangers, his most recent album, ‘Klámstjarna,’ was a favourite among Reykjavík hip-hop heads this year. He is also one half of…