New Music & Discovery
The Reykjavík Grapevine presents Icelandic music news along with new Icelandic albums and/or tracks.
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Grapevine Playlist: Birnir, AAIIEENN, Hekla, BleachKid Funi, Saga Nazari & more
Like a skulk of hangry arctic foxes prowling into your living room, here’s the new Grapevine playlist, including more hip-hop, soothing screeching and more. Birnir – Dauður (Feat JFDR, Arnar) Just when you thought, “Yet another hip-hop track?” the answer is yes,…
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Music News: Extreme Chill Schedule Finalised, Hayley Kiyoko Plays Airwaves, Birnir’s Matador On Fire
The Extreme Chill festival schedule has been finalised. The avant-garde music festival that takes place September 6th-9th, with its focus on electronic music, moves between venues, setting up shop at the Harpa-Kaldalón music hall on Thursday, the vaunted Gamla Bíó on Friday, a…
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Music News: President Bongo, Airwaves For Gender Equality, G Y D A’s Moonchild
Acclaimed producer and DJ President Bongo—a former member of GusGus—has announced a new solo record. The release is the third in the LAPB (Les Aventures De President Bongo) series—an ambitious endeavour wherein Bongo “assumes the role of producer/instigator/artistic director, tasking some of…
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Grapevine Playlist: G Y D A, Vök, JFDR, Munstur, Grafík, Joey Christ & More
Welcome to another rich and varied Grapevine Playlist, containing everything from the starry gentility of the acronymic G Y D A and JFDR to the objectifying clusterfuck of the latest big rap track. Enjoy! G Y D A – Moonchild If you’d…
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Grapevine Playlist: Bjarki, John Grant, Hjálmar, RVKDTR, Axel Flóvent & more
Like a pack of raging, ravenous polar bears charging into your living room, here are the latest tracks we’ve been listening to from the Icelandic scene. Bjarki – Fork Techno isn’t often described as “fun,” as it demands a seriousness and repetitiveness,…
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Music News: Ambitious Tours, Reykjavík Jazz Festival, Bjarki Going Strong, Busy FALK & More
Three Icelandic acts are embarking on ambitious tours this year. First, mom-folk strummer Axel Flovent is heading out on a European tour in Nov-Dec. Second, with one member fresh from playing on Björk’s ‘Utopia’ tour, Hugar are embarking on a tour of…
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Track By Track: ‘Allt í Einu’ by Andi
Andi is an Icelandic electronica producer whose self-titled debut album won him a Grapevine Music Award in 2017. Here, he talks us through the follow-up, “Allt í einu.” “In Icelandic the title of the album has a double meaning,” says Andi. “‘All…
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Grapevine Playlist: ASTVALDUR, Omotrack, Kristín Anna, Andi, Mosi & More
Like eight glorious sea eagles swooping majestically into your living room, we present to you the essential Icelandic tracks of the previous fortnight, including scorching electronica that will hurt and please your brain, a ghostly theremin anthem, and Kristín Anna setting shit…
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Music News: Norðanpaunk Lineup, Andi Snap-Releases 2nd LP, Vikingur Marches On
Norðanpaunk Festival, held annually in the roadside hamlet of Laugarbakki in Northwest Iceland, has announced the final lineup for their 2018 edition. Originally branded as a punk festival, the lineup is a diverse cross-section of Iceland’s various conjoined underground, dark, heavy and…
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Track By Track: HRNNR – ‘Velkomin í teitið mitt’
Take a magic hat, pour in some trap, some arthouse rap, some heavy beats, some balloons, and add a touch of punk and way too much sugar. Voilá: you have HRNNR, the most offbeat figure in the Icelandic hip-hop scene. HRNNR, aka…
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Music News: Kælan Mikla, Innipúkinn, Mighty Bear
DIY goth-rock trio Kælan Mikla were recently invited to play at Robert Smith’s Meltdown festival at the Royal Festival Hall in London. It must have gone pretty well: soon after, they were announced to support The Cure at a one-off anniversary show…
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Grapevine Playlist: Úlfur, SEINT, GDRN, Ólafur Arnalds, GKR, Högni, More
If you’re sick of football, here are the latest tracks from the eternally renewable resource of Icelandic music instead. Arborescence {remixes} by Úlfur, Oren Ambarchi, Kara-Lis Coverdale, Alex Somers Úlfur – Scraped (Kara-Lis Coverdale ‘Serpentine’ Rework) Before his recent quite mellow solo…
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Grapevine Playlist: Fufanu, List Einn, Countess Malaise & Pusswhip, HRNNR & More
Oh lord! Like the presence of a pink unsetting sun in the midnight sky, the Icelandic music scene shines down constantly upon us all. Here’s what’s new. Fufanu – Hourglass Fufanu are a genre-skipping band that have released krautrock epics, new wave…
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Track By Track: An Elixir For Intuition On Kira Kira’s ‘Alchemy & Friends’
Each piece of music is an alchemical offering; an elixir for courage, a device for distilling faith, a meditation on patience or trust. If not a direct conduit to healing, the music is an act of friendship coiled as an alchemical substrate,…
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Track By Track: ‘Klámstjarna’ by Dadykewl
The Dadykewl vibe is one of chill positivity. While he does everything from party bangers to toned-down emotional trap, the singer is known for his no-holds-barred honesty. Love songs, real talk—you’ll find it all on his new album ‘Klámstjarna’. We asked him…
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Music News: New Festival! Godchilla tour! More Airwaves! Dayum!
Most of Reykjavík’s grassroots indie scene will head out to Borgarfjörður in West Iceland on July 6th-8th to play at Hátíðni, a DIY festival that’ll be held at the BRÚN community centre. The acts announced so far are Umer Consumer, GRÓA, bagdad…
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Grapevine Playlist: Iceland’s New Lo-Fi Indie Wave, Dadykewl, Seint, Teitur & More
Grapevine Playlist Teitur Magnusson – Hverra Manna? Probably the most chill musician in Iceland, Teitur Magnússon is back with a new single. It’s a characteristically sunny and languid pop track with sonorous brass parps, light flute arrangements, and a chorus perfect for…
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Music News: Bræðslan Lineup Announcement, New Festival, 12 Tónar Anniversary
The Bræðslan festival, which takes place annually in a fish factory in the remote East Iceland town of Bakkagerði in Borgarfjörður Eystri, has announced its 2018 lineup. Home to just 100 people, the festival sees visitors descend from all over Iceland; this…
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Grapevine Playlist: Sturla Atlas, Kiriyama Family, Mio Dior, Arstaðir & More
As new tracks continue to surface like a pod of spectacularly breaching fin whales, here are the latest tracks from the cold, dark depths of the Icelandic music scene. Snorri Hallgrímsson – Still Life Not to be confused with folkie crooner Snorri…
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Track By Track: ‘MMXVI’ by Nicolas Kunysz
From ambient drone to experimental electronic to random samples taken off the street, musician Nicolas Kunysz is known for his eclectic and immersive soundscapes. The Belgian-born Reykjavík transplant has become a force in the Icelandic music scene, founding Prikið’s monthly lowercase nights…
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Music News: Airwaves, Indriði, And The $1,000,000 Festival Ticket
Iceland Airwaves has released a new round of acts who’ll be performing at the festival this year, including eye-catching names like Fever Ray (SE) and Blood Orange (US). The festival will be held this year from November 7th-10th, and the lineup so…
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Track By Track: Sóley, Sin Fang & Örvar Smárason – Team Dreams
In 2017, Sóley, Sin Fang and Örvar Smárason made a pact to write, record and release one song a month for the whole year. The resulting album, ‘Team Dreams,’ is an evocative LP that bears the hallmarks and voices of all three.…
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Grapevine Playlist: Indriði, Ólafur Arnalds, Morpholith, Illuminine & More
Like a continent-sized ocean of lava spewing forth from the molten core of the Earth, here’s the new Grapevine Playlist: your regular update on the eternally renewable resource of the Icelandic music scene. ding ding by indridi Indriði – Amma Like an…