Turn the Party Out

Rabbi Bananas

Now, I have to admit that I didn‘t have a clue what “Skweee” was until I wrote this, even though I reviewed Rabbi last year as well. It sounds dumb as fuck by the sheer phonetic texture of it; I can‘t say “skweee” without putting this weird pout on my lips and feeling like a total asshole. Anyway, it‘s a style of electro originated in Scandinavia that combines simple synth leads with funky rhythms resulting in a stripped-down sound. His set a year ago wasn‘t any good – I think I compared the drums to beating on an empty Pringles can – but it was decent this time around. Playful yet too disjointed. There‘s a lot of good stuff in there but it needs more coherence and on-pointness.

Jungle Fiction

The youngsters from the electro trio Jungle Fiction play a DJ-set for a slim but attentive audience, starting with dubstep versions of Sabotage and 99 Problems. I understand the sentiment of having DJ‘s play early during the evening to warm up and such, but it did feel like a means to fatten up the schedule. It‘s perfect for the dancefloor, which is half-full, and it‘s only nine o‘clock right now so it is what it is: filler.

Samaris

Samaris are an odd band. That being said, why they won the annual Battle of the Bands style-competition Músíktilraunir is disputable. Downtempo beats, a singer whose voice perennially reminds me of a young Björk (not really a good thing) and then there‘s a clarinet somewhere in the mix as well. I have to say though that they sounded surprisingly smooth and had consistency on stage. Everyone loves consistency.

Hermigervill

Hermigervill (a play on the Icelandic word for synthesizer) is an electronic heavyweight here – he‘s been around for quite a while and released a few albums. He‘s pretty much like the DJ Shadow of Iceland. His newest album is called Hermigervill plays more Icelandic songs, his second album of eclectic covers of famous Icelandic songs. He was definitely the best act of the night and almost interactive too; the crowd recognised the songs he was doing and sang along to almost each one. High points were his versions of HAM’s Partýbær  and the new wave classic Sísí by Grýlurnar. His set-up is pretty massive too; a few synthesizers and even a theremin.

Eik

Some disco-house from this lovely Danish girl but the dancefloor clears out after Hermigervill. Once again it feels a bit too much like these acts are serving only as filler. The schedulers made a big mistake of how they arranged the line-up; they should save the best for last. But it‘s no biggie, Eik plays some funky breaks and lets the crowd gear up for another go at the dancefloor.

Greco-Roman Soundsystem

Greco-Roman Soundsystem is the stuff of legends in London town and a “collective of like-minded musicians”, which began as a small musical experiment and became a DJ outfit, a record label and a full-fledged traveling party. By now the dancefloor is filled to the brim and PartyZone is certainly living up to its name.

Sexy Lazer

The Greco-Roman set segues into a DJ set from Sexy Lazer who I will give props for having an awesome name. If Sexy Lazer was a film I would definitely buy the second hand VHS tape. By now a terribly delirious state of fatigue and intoxication takes hold. It‘s over, folks.