Electronica Under the Glacier

Alright, so the second weekend in August is fixing up to be pretty legendary. Why’s that? Because Iceland’s first electronic and experimental music festival is going to kick off its inaugural edition. Even cooler is the fact that it’s being held out at Hellissandur, under the looming glow of the Snæfellsnes glacier (so if you were thinking of trying to venture into the centre of the Earth, that would be a good chance!) Nearly twenty artists are playing, including Xerxes from Norway and Moonlight Sonata from France. Of course, the cream of Iceland’s electronic crop will also be dropping beats, such as Stereo Hypnosis, Ruxpin, Yagya, Futuregrapher and tons more.
The concept is very cool and refreshing, a fine break from all the Sódóma multi-band bills that are being dropped. We are going to check it out, and we recommend you do the same. To prepare ourselves, we got in touch with Andri Már Arnlaugsson, DJ and one of the festival’s promoters, to find out all the cool details.
Why is the festival held under the glacier?
Last year we held a release concert for Stereo Hypnosis there. Me, Snorri Ásmundsson (artist and former presidential candidate) and Reptilicus (Iceland’s own industrial pioneers) played as well. We just thought that the place was amazing and we fell in love with it instantly. So it’s going to be our second concert there, except we decided to go all in and do a festival instead.
What’s different about the festival to, say, your average Verslunarmannahelgin party?
This is totally different. It is a festival that focuses solely on electronic music
Will you be offering anything other than music?
Snorri Ásmundsson is going to give a performance. Then on Sunday, we’ll take a moment to say goodbye to all the participants where everyone will meet up for some pancakes and enjoy the countryside vibe.
This is a pretty eclectic gathering. Are you expecting a big crowd?
The place is going to be packed, so it’ll be a lot of fun. Many people have bought wristbands already. In fact, it’s probably going to be sold out.
For more info, check out their Facebook page: Extreme Chill Festival 2010 / Undir Jökli 6-8 August.