Author: Steindór Grétar Jónsson - The Reykjavik Grapevine

Unearthing That Frosty Vibe: Árni Has A Passion For The Decks

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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’

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“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

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“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

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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

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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

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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

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“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

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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

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A half an hour’s drive inland from the ring road, Flúðir is a tiny town often overlooked by those looking…