Let Me Be What I Want To Be: LaFontaine Opens Up

Jóhannes LaFontaine, better known under is electronic-music moniker LaFontaine, is a known figure in Iceland’s clubbing scene. He started making music when he was eleven and has numerous solo projects and collaborations under his belt, not to mention countless live and DJ sets performed at most of Reykjavík’s clubs and festivals over the years. Currently, he hosts a regular club-night at Bravó with fellow electronic-musician Exos, and runs his own label, 199X Recordings.

Let the children techno

Best known for his techno, Jóhannes still has a broad taste for music. “My parents were big metal-fans and I grew up listening to the same bands they did,” he explains. “Then, my uncle Gulli [of bands Fufanu and russian.girls] introduced me to different kinds of music when we were growing up. From there, I got more into techno and dance-music in general.”

The SoundCloud connection

“Some people said that releasing an unknown artist on a new label isn’t clever. I say f*** them, I still love it!”

The idea for 199X Recordings came back in 2016 when Jóhannes got bored of releasing digital-only tracks. “I stumbled upon music by [the Swiss techno musician] Mateo Hurtado on SoundCloud and decided I wanted to press it on vinyl,” he explains. “Some people said that releasing an unknown artist on a new label isn’t clever. I say fuck them, I still love it!”

199X Recordings released ‘Inverted Forest’ by Mateo Hurtado last year following a successful crowdfunding project. “We have a few releases lined-up for the coming months, first-up will be a solo-EP of my songs as LaFontaine, which will include a remix by Volruptus,” he says. “Then we will release an EP of songs by [local electro-acid musician] ThizOne.”

Festival feature

Jóhannes’ next release, ‘Dehumanized,’ will be out on Planet X Records next month and includes a remix by leading US techno-producer Matrixxman. “Matrixxman played the original version of ‘Dehumanized’ during his Boiler Room set at this summer’s Dekmantel festival,” he explains. “It’s really cool and rewarding to see well-known artists play your music. That set created a lot of hype for me.”

Info: Follow LaFontaine’s music on his SoundCloud. Find out what 199X Recordings is all about on their website. Keep your ears peeled for its releases in the coming months. LaFontaine’s next EP ‘Dehumanized’ will be released on Planet X Records in late October. Read more ‘Electric Dreams’ here.