Secret Solstice: Futuregrapher And Lord Pusswhip SPEAK

A Few Words With Futuregrapher

Árni Gretar is Futuregrapher, and one half of Árni2, both of whom will play at Secret Solstice. He’s a central figure at Møller Records and Reykjavík’s Weirdcore collective, famous for searing live performances with big beats and bigger personality. Here are his thoughts leading up to the inaugural festival.

You’re playing both as Futuregrapher and Arni2, what are the different directions of the two projects?
The difference is just that with Árni2 I am creating music with my friend Árni Valur and sometimes other people (now Anna Sóley, before Veroníque Vaka) and Futuregrapher is just me being me —doing something. I am Futuregrapher, so that’s maybe the difference. The music can also be quite different, since Árni2 is more minimal—ambient-house, techno, neo-classical—while Futuregrapher is like jungle: ambient, weirdcore, etc. But maybe I will be making post-punk tracks in five years.

What can the audience expect from your show—are you trying out any new visuals or tracks?
The Futuregrapher show will be something else. I’ll do something special for sure. Not even sure if people will like it, but I will, so hopefully others will too. Árni2 will be very interesting, I think. Árni Valur and I have been creating music with our friend Anna Sóley. She is a singer and plays the violin—very interesting. It’s going to be fun.

If you think about festival or live gig high-points, what was your favourite show?
For myself, definitely Aldrei Fór Ég Suður, Iceland Airwaves, Extreme Chill, and the Harvest Festival in Canada. I’ve had great times at those festivals playing as Futuregrapher, and this year, Sónar Festival was amazing, too. Árni2 had a great gig there in Kaldalón. It was something else.

Are there any overseas bands on the lineup you’re keeping your eye on, and are planning to go and see?
I will always have my eyes and ears on Carl Craig. He´s my idol. He is playing at Secret Solstice, thank God.

And any new up-and-coming Icelandic acts you’re into right now?
Lafontaine.

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A Few Words With Lord Pusswhip

Prolific and relentless, Lord Pusswhip injects something new into Icelandic electronic music. A steady flow of new tracks appear on his Soundcloud, from simmering instrumentals to chopped up remixes and beats produced for rappers and musicians such as Antwon, Th@ Kid, Lofty305 and Prada Mane. When he isn’t turning a set at a US Embassy reception into an impromptu Edward Snowden protest, he’s to be found remixing his favourite tracks and haunting the stages of Reykjavík’s clubs. We caught up with him to see what’s in store for us.

Secret Solstice is nearly here… a big new festival on Iceland’s summer calendar. Looking forward to it?
Oh yeah, I got really hyped when I saw that Massive Attack and then Schoolboy Q were playing.

Pusswhip has been through a couple of live incarnations right? What’s the current shape of the band?
It’s just my solo project but sometimes people play with me on stage—I prefer to do shows with my homie David Thor, who goes by the name $ardu or Svarti Laxness, because we have good stage chemistry together. But he’s studying in LA now, so I’ll just be solo onstage at Secret Solstice.

What can the audience expect from your show, are you trying out any new visuals or tracks?
Lately my shows have been kind of a mash-up of everything: instrumentals, my own rap songs in Icelandic or just freestyles—songs I’ve produced for musicians abroad, and so on. All of it is new stuff that I’ve produced in the last six months. One of the instrumentals is the first song from a new project called Psychoplasmics, which is comprised of me and my homie Alfreð Drexler. Sadly, I can’t have any video projections, though I wanted to, but I’m playing during the day in a tent, so it won’t work out.

Are there any overseas bands on the lineup you’re keeping your eye on, to go and see?
Schoolboy and Massive Attack, of course, but I have to admit I really don’t know many of the foreign names that are playing. I’m also going to check out Banks and maybe Disclosure and Woodkid, although I’ve never listened to them except one or two songs, maybe. I just hope I’ll be pleasantly surprised.

And any new up-and-coming Icelandic acts you’re into right now?
Vrong and Marteinn will be banging. Besides that, I’m going to see Kött Grá Pje, Fufanu, Sometime, Geimfarar, Russian Girls, Gervisykur and a few more.

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See Also:

A Summer Blockbuster?
Secret Solstice Day 1 Schedule
Secret Solstice Day 2 Schedule
Secret Solstice Day 3 Schedule