Author: Steindór Grétar Jónsson
Unearthing That Frosty Vibe: Árni Has A Passion For The Decks
A real “DJ’s DJ”, Árni E. Guðmundsson is a tireless champion of other people’s music, often bringing unknown talents into…
Iceland’s Techno Star Bjarki: трип Down a Road Less Travelled
Flashing lights. The meditative rhythm of music blaring from stacks of speakers. A sea of people, entranced by the spectacle,…
Video Premiere: Kira Kira’s ‘Pioneer Of Love’ Reaches For The Top
Wading through the thick snow, musician Kira Kira steadily ascends icy cliffs in the music video for her single “Pioneer…
Grapevine Music Awards: Band To Remember – Subterranean
Once a year, we at Grapevine honour the best and brightest of the Icelandic music scene by giving out awards…
Grapevine Music Awards: Shout Out – Alvia & Bára Gísladóttir
by John Rogers and Steindór Grétar Jónsson
Once a year, we at Grapevine honour the best and brightest of the Icelandic music scene by giving out awards…
Anna Rún Tryggvadóttir: Everything Is In Motion, Nothing Is Solid
Each artist must determine the moment when a new piece of art feels finished and ready to be revealed to…
Don’t Fear The Eyes: Högni’s ‘Two Trains’ Take Him From Station To Station
Everyone knows Högni Egilsson. He’s a ubiquitous figure in Icelandic culture. Coming up with indie darlings Hjaltalín, he made himself…
Upside Down: Auður, Up Front & Behind The Scenes
In his music video for ‘I’d Love,’ Auður’s world gets literally turned upside down. He awakens, enters a mysterious room…
Alien Electro: Volruptus joins Nina Kraviz’s трип label
Electro—the hip hop-influenced, techno-adjacent dance music genre—is enjoying a major revival in clubs across the globe. One of the rising…
Track By Track: ‘Sinking Island’ by MIMRA
MIMRA is the pseudonym of singer, composer and producer María Magnúsdóttir, who just released her album ‘Sinking Island’. She will…
Another World Onstage: Sunna Is Rising
The polished electronica of Sunna Margrét Þórisdóttir—who, a musician, goes by simply Sunna—sounds almost surgical at times, yet somehow fluid….
Everything’s Good And Nothing Matters: The Return Of DJ. Flugvél Og Geimskip
How does one begin to describe dj. flugvél og geimskip? First of all, she’s not really a DJ, despite the…
Embracing The Unknown: KÁRYYN Steps Into The Limelight
KÁRYYN is a producer, composer and vocalist who makes mysterious, affecting and emotional electronic music. An American of Syrian-Armenian descent,…
Darkness And Dread: The Drag Electronica of Mighty Bear
A glittering skull-shaped mask appears from the fog, striding out over the moss, with the rest of his (or her?)…
Lost Film Classics: In ‘Count Me Out’ The Kids Are Alright
In the ‘90s, the Icelandic film industry was churning out three films per year on average. With that sort of…
Playing The Air: Hekla, Her Theremin, And The Possibilities
With her theremin, Hekla pulls haunting electronic music out of thin air. Named after its Russian inventor, Léon Theremin, this…
All Singing, All Dancing: Milkywhale Prepare For Iceland Airwaves
As Iceland Airwaves approaches, Icelandic pop duo Milkywhale is expanding horizons by reaching out to a new audience. “We’re playing…
Lost Film Classics: Shapeshifters’ ‘Under The Glacier’
“God has the virtue that one can locate Him anywhere at all, in anything at all.” So says the rebel…
Sincere Punk-Drag: Skaði Turns Her Gender Into A Mythological Music Being
“My art has a lot of sexual energy,” says Skaði, the music producer and performer known for her punk-electro drag…
Lagaffe Tales: Iceland’s Biggest House Label Celebrates 5 Years Of Grooves
Kaffibarinn, the legendary (but narrow) bar on Bergstaðastræti, has been the bastion of house music in Reykjavík for years. It’s…
Lost Film Classics: ‘White Whales’ Washes Ashore
Iceland resumed commercial whaling in 2006, in violation of the International Whaling Commission’s moratorium on the practise. The country remains…
Innipúkinn: Outdoor Festivals Are Self-harm
As thousands of people leave the capital area on Merchants’ Weekend, filing off to outdoor festivals around the country, those…
Lost Film Classics: ‘Foxtrot’ Delivers
“Brothers will battle.” The ominous foretelling of Ragnarök, the heathen armageddon, in the prophecy the Völuspá is also the central…
Breaking Through: Between Mountains Emerge From The Fjords
When the mayor of Reykjavík announced the winners at this year’s Músíktilraunir, Iceland’s battle of the bands, they couldn’t believe…
Flúðir Town Guide: Tomatoes, Ethiopian Food And Soccer Golf
A half an hour’s drive inland from the ring road, Flúðir is a tiny town often overlooked by those looking…