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Limelight Is Liquid: Örvar Smárason Steps Centre Stage
“It bores me so much to talk about the Icelandic sound,” says Örvar Smárason, his eyes flashing. “I have an insane dislike of the word “krútt.” He pauses, breaking into a joking-not-joking smile. “I don’t wanna see that word anywhere in the…
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Electric Dreams: Johnny Blaze & Hakki Brakes On Crappy Cars & Italo-Disco Influences
Johnny Blaze & Hakki Brakes’s music collaboration presents an absurd but intimate fantasy world. Their month-old release ‘Vroom Vroom Vroom’—their first since December 2016—is a synthesizer-heavy concept album that tells a musical story about cars and being on the road. Upon closer…
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Girl Talk: Sillus Unleashes Her Potential In Iceland’s Music Scene
Icelandic musician Sigurlaug Thorarensen never pretends to have it all figured out, but there is a clarity of mind behind her tentative words that doesn’t go unnoticed. Pensive but firm, this is Sillus—one of the most interesting emerging artists in the Icelandic…
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Track By Track: ‘MMXVI’ by Nicolas Kunysz
From ambient drone to experimental electronic to random samples taken off the street, musician Nicolas Kunysz is known for his eclectic and immersive soundscapes. The Belgian-born Reykjavík transplant has become a force in the Icelandic music scene, founding Prikið’s monthly lowercase nights…
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Seeking The Inner Child: María Viktoría Embarks On A Cacao Adventure To Guatemala
Musician María Viktoría laughs heartily on a bright day in Reykjavík, anticipating her upcoming travels to the United States and Guatemala. She plans to take part in traditional cacao ceremonies there—and to record a new song on the subject. “San Marcos is…
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Why Not? Reykjavík’s Underground Scene Gets A New Home
Why Not? Plötur is a young record label owned by Ægir Sindri Bjarnason that makes sure that records see the light of day in the form that the band had imagined them. “I don’t want to put any restrictions on what the…
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Music News: Airwaves, Indriði, And The $1,000,000 Festival Ticket
Iceland Airwaves has released a new round of acts who’ll be performing at the festival this year, including eye-catching names like Fever Ray (SE) and Blood Orange (US). The festival will be held this year from November 7th-10th, and the lineup so…
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Premiere: Indriði’s Ode To Dark “December”
Icelandic solo artist Indriði has unveiled the second track from his forthcoming album ‘Ding Ding’. It’ll be Indriði’s second album, and it promises to follow on where the soothing, introspective indie-folk-slacker-rock sound of his first left off. The track, “December,” comes with…
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Photos: Grapevine Grassroots n° 5
It’s true that at first glance the music scene in Reykjavík presents itself as very colourful and vibrant, but after a while you start noticing the patterns – the same bands and acts tend to be booked over and over again, which…
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The Power of Three: Meet Ateria, Winners Of Músíktilraunir 2018
In a garage in the West of Reykjavík, Ateria are meeting for a practice session. Their studio is just large enough to fit their instruments, amongst the vintage walking skies, homemade jams, some belongings in storage, and a few scattered boxes of…
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Melkorka The Maker: From Ballet To Milkywhale To The Vakúm Pop Opera
Ever-changing and always surprising: these words could be the tagline of dancer, singer, choreographer and creator Melkorka Sigríður Magnúsdóttir. The artist defies every label and genre you could pin her down in, pushing outside the box of traditional art forms with every…
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Electric Dreams: Melodic Armchair Disco With Yagya
Yagya—real name Aðalsteinn Guðmundsson—is known for the melodic ambient soundscapes he’s been pumping out for more than 15 years. He performed at Sónar Reykjavík last month and has a few forthcoming releases, so we asked him for an update. “The sound system…
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Monosodium Glutamate FTW: Prins Póló On His New Record And Solo-Tour
Svavar Pétur Eysteinsson is a very busy man. Not only is he a farmer, producing the popular bulsur (vegan sausages) and sveitasnakk (vegetable chips), but he is also releasing his third album called “þriðja kryddið” under the name of his alter-ego Prins…
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Track By Track: Sóley, Sin Fang & Örvar Smárason – Team Dreams
In 2017, Sóley, Sin Fang and Örvar Smárason made a pact to write, record and release one song a month for the whole year. The resulting album, ‘Team Dreams,’ is an evocative LP that bears the hallmarks and voices of all three.…
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DJ Dominatricks: DJ/VJ Duo On Technology, Obscurity And Oppression
In the past half year or so, the DJ/VJ duo DJ Dominatricks have become an intriguing addition to Reykjavík’s nightlife. The two deliver absorbing performances, mixing hard-hitting electronic dance music and dark, technologically-centred visuals. The duo consists of two promising young talents—the…
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Utopia Found: Björk’s Lush New Live Show Reviewed
It’s hard to find the words to express how one feels after seeing Björk perform, and I’m certainly not the only who feels this way. When she walks out on stage, her presence has a way of slapping a big smile onto…
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Grapevine Playlist: Indriði, Ólafur Arnalds, Morpholith, Illuminine & More
Like a continent-sized ocean of lava spewing forth from the molten core of the Earth, here’s the new Grapevine Playlist: your regular update on the eternally renewable resource of the Icelandic music scene. ding ding by indridi Indriði – Amma Like an…
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Kælan Mikla And More Announced For Robert Smith’s Meltdown
Kælan Mikla have been announced as part of Robert Smith’s Meltdown Festival. Held at the Southbank Centre in London June 15th-24th, the event is this time curated by The Cure’s legendary frontman, who’ll also perform. Kælan Mikla aren’t the only Icelandic band…
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More Amplifiers Than Band Members: The Powerful Doom Metal Of Morpholith
“The concert is held on the occasion of the screening of ‘The Doom Doc’ that we and Godchilla are organising,“ says Hörður Jónsson, guitarist, about the concert that the band Morpholith will play on April 20th at Gaukurinn, along with Godchilla and…
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Festival News: Airwaves, LungA, Eistnaflug Updates
Festival season is coming to Iceland, and new lineup information is creeping out day by day. Whether it’s the summer art party of LungA, the annual metal blowout of Eistnaflug, or the music-state-of-the-union of Iceland Airwaves, here’s what we know so far.…
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Electric Dreams: Melodies Of The Deep With Sindri7000
Sindri7000 is the solo project of composer and guitarist Sindri Freyr Steinsson. His 2016 album ‘Music For Divers’ was his first foray into downtempo and deeply melodic, electronic territory. It’s outlandish, dreamy, a tad depraved, and yet hopeful. It tells a great…
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Into The Cloud: Flóni’s Dark To Turnt Emotional Trap
Flóni, a.k.a. Friðrik Róbertsson, is a twenty-year-old rapper who released his first song, ‘Tala Saman,’ nine months ago. It garnered him infamy in the local hip-hop scene, and he quickly became an underground sensation. After dropping his first album in December, the…
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Hatari’s Háskar Beckons In Easter Doomsday
Synth-punk trio Hatari, via their weird-ass holding company Svikamylla ehf., threw a memorable Doomsday-themed party at Iðnó during the Easter holiday. Running from 3pm-3am, with a cover charge of 3333 ISK, it was a buzzing event. As well as concerts in the…