Author: Rex Beckett - The Reykjavik Grapevine

Some Kind Of Void: Disappearing Into The World Of aYia

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After their live debut at the Secret Solstice festival in 2016, enigmatic trio aYia became an overnight buzz-band, inciting powerful…

The Cold Front: Kælan Mikla Have Grown Up And Blown Up

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Five years ago, Kælan Mikla were playing twenty minute sets of furious poetry-punk in the attic at Dillon. Five months…

Code Of Conduct: Daníel Bjarnason Releases ‘Collider,’ Talks Conducting

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“It’s a terribly strange job, to be honest,” Daníel Bjarnason finally says, after a long pause. He is staring straight…

Pure Vibes: Peeling Away The Etheric Layers Of Teitur

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Teitur Magnússon casually stands from the park bench he’s sitting on and saunters into the garden path. “When the sun…

Ruled By Nature: Muted Carves Out His Kingdom Of Sounds

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As far as artist names go, Muted is one of the most apt titles Bjarni Rafn Kjartansson could have chosen…

Nothing Else But Me: GDRN’s Velvety Trap Pop Is Sincerely Honest

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Swirling in a sea of luscious, soulful harmonies and sleek, modern trap beats, breakthrough newcomer GDRN’s music is slightly anachronistic…

Cloud Nine: The Extreme Chill Festival Aims For The Skies

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Since 2010, the Icelandic electronica community has been rallied together by the annual Extreme Chill festival, a multi-locational gathering of…

Build The Pattern, Break It Apart: Munstur Focus On The Repetitions

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On a sunny, breezy late afternoon, bandmates Kristinn Arnar Sigurðsson and Atli Arnarson stroll calmly across the grassy Hagatorg roundabout…

SOE Kitchen: Ólafur Elíasson and Victoria Elíasdóttir Fuse Dining With Art

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Soft grey light pours in through the high rectangular windows of The Marshall House from the overcast eastern sky. The…

Christmas Ends And Monday Starts: The Post Performance Blues Band Give It All

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We all know the feeling. The moment you read the final word of an amazing book. The second your plane…

A Deal With The Universe: Kristín Anna Navigates The Personal And The Professional

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A distinctly enigmatic character with a unique, ultra-high pitched voice, Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir has been a widely recognised figure in…

Cold As Ice: A Rex Pistols Playlist

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When asked to make this list I started with a nostalgic list that reminded me of my first trip to…

KRÍA’s Sonic Tears: Merging Retro & Futurism

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Listening to KRÍA’s dark, ethereal synthpop gives a strange, wobbly, pleasant sensation of floating between timelines. From a retro vision…

Too Blessed To Be Stressed: Sólveig Matthildur On Robert Smith & Touring Japan

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In the short time since branching out into a solo music career, Sólveig Matthildur has caused tidal waves through Reykjavík’s—and…

Down To Middle Earth: Exhilaration & Relaxation At Midgard Base Camp

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Off a newly demarcated dirt road—literally off the beaten path—one finds themselves at a curious location that combines the sheer…

Step Your Pusswhip Up: Lord Pusswhip On Trying To Be Somebody

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Since his humble beginnings as DJ Pusswhip in 2012, Þórður Ingi Jónsson, aka Lord Pusswhip, has carved out a reputation…

Harvesting Sparkles: Kórus Collective Choir Leader Kira Kira Opens Up

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Nestled into the cosy pink suede couch at Emilie & the Cool Kids, Kristín Björk Kristjánsdóttir sips her tea and…

One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer: Bargain Boozing In Reykjavík

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You hear it everywhere you go every single day: “Iceland is so expensive!” Especially in relation to alcohol. No one…

Airwaves Hangover Guide: “Trust Me, I Know Just The Place.”

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Oh my god, dude, how fucking crazy was last night? That show was amazing! What? Oh, of course you’re going…

Poseidon Has Left The Building: New Documentary ‘Atlantis, Iceland’ Sinks

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Music documentaries about Iceland have had a fairly spotty past, and their titles are often met with extended groans, so…

Winning: FM Belfast Give All Their Power

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Lóa Hjálmtýsdóttir stops everything when it’s brought to her attention that season nine of RuPaul’s Drag Race is now on…

Iceland Airwaves 2017: Meet The Venues

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Now in its 18th year, the annual Iceland Airwaves Music Festival has grown and changed and morphed into a much…

When Is Life? Omotrack Seize The Day


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Fifteen years ago in a remote village in Ethiopia, two Icelandic toddlers started writing rap songs. The brothers, Markús and…

City Guide: How To Soup In Reykjavík

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Winter, as the white walkers and weathermen tell us, is here. But don’t worry—if you find yourself in a snowstorm,…

While You Were Waiting: Kiriyama Family Are Finding Their Groove

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It can take anyone a little while to figure out who they are. Kiriyama Family have had four years, and…