You know Bang Gang, right? Barði Jóhannsson’s project has throughout the past decade continually contributed to Icelandic music’s reputation abroad, and greatly enriched our musical output at the same time. Barði is a renaissance man if there ever was one; when he’s not writing music, he’s running an entire business from his apartment, designing clothes or sunglasses, making videos or TV shows – and lots of other stuff too.
We’re not sure there’s anything Barði CAN’T do, but one thing he doesn’t do is put a lot of energy towards is being interviewed. He likes to keep it short and to the point. Which is a good thing, especially if you’re in a rush.
So we like Barði and his Bang Gang, and so should you. Read on for his short answers to our dumb questions.
Who are you? What can we expect from your Airwaves appearance, and what can we expect of you in general?
Bang Gang
What are some of the acts you want to see at this festival, and why?
Dikta, Ourlives, Bloodgroup, Mínus, Go-Go Darkness, Mammút, Cliff
Clavin, Ólafur Arnalds, Feldberg, Autodrone, Ten Steps Away – because
they are good.
Are there any acts missing from the bill that you’d like to see on there?
Michael Jackson, Igor Stravinsky and Eric Satie.
Wow. There are, like, one million ‘international’ acts on this
year’s schedule. Have you heard of any of them? Are you excited to see
any of them? Do you believe this changes anything for the festival in
general, and its spirit.
I look at many of the Icelandic bands as international acts and many of
the international acts as local acts. I want to see Robyn and Autodrone.
Looking back, do you have a favourite edition of Iceland Airwaves? And if so, why?
I would say they are all equally good.
A lot of our readers are first time Airwaves-visitors. Do you have
any tips for them? What to see, what to do, what to avoid, etc? Where
to buy records? Or a good place to grab a bite or get away from it all
for a while?
Go and see all the good bands and skip the bad concerts. Remember to
eat and drink. Buy all the records you can and stay away from your bed.
Given that most Airwaves-visitors won’t have a lot of time in their
schedule to see the Icelandic countryside, are there any nature-havens
close by that you’d reccommend?
Just buy a postcard of a glacier and use photoshop to put yourself in
the landscape. Iceland in general is “the countryside” even Reykjavík.
Has a lot changed in the Icelandic music scene since Airwaves 2009? How about Airwaves 2002?
I don’t remember.
Who are your favourite Icelandic acts these days?
Dikta, Ourlives, Leaves, Bloodgroup, Singapore Sling, Mammút, Cliff
Clavin, Ólafur Arnalds, Eberg, Páll Óskar, Ten Steps Away because they
are good.
A lot of international journalists like to ask: “How has kreppa
affected the Icelandic music scene.” Do you think the question is
valid? Do you have a preferred way of answering it?
I would say Kryppa.
Watch Barði’s very own video for his version of ‘Stop In The Name Of Love’ RIGHT NOW!
Bang Gang is playing tonight, Saturday 20:20 at the Reykjavík Art Museum.
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