Music News: Sónar Announce Lineup, Björk Cryptocurrency, Hatari EP

Electronic music and experimental arts festival Sónar Reykjavík has confirmed the first artists who’ll perform at the 2018 edition. The acts unveiled so far are Danny Brown, Nadia Rose, Bjarki, Jlin, Högni, Lena Willikens, Cassy b2b Yamaho, Bad Gyal, Volruptus, JóiPé x Króli, EVA808 and Vök.  More international and local artists will be announced in the coming weeks to complete the lineup, which will feature around fifty artists and DJs over three days. The last three editions of Sónar Reykjavík have sold out, and tickets are on sale now—get yours at sonarreykjavik.is. JR

Björk has announced that her more tech-savvy listeners can buy her forthcoming album ‘Utopia’—set for a Nov. 24 release—with cryptocurrency. Currencies such as Bitcoin, Litecoin and Dashcoin will be accepted and buyers will receive a bonus of 100 Audiocoins, which can be used to purchase music online. Björk is a proponent of cryptocurrencies and hopes that the move will inspire more people to use them. The innovation was carried out in collaboration with Blockpool, whose CEO Kevin Bacon (nope, not the one from ‘Tremors’) said this is the first time a popular musician has allowed fans to buy music using cryptocurrency. EÞ

There are always some choice new releases around Iceland Airwaves, and our pick of the bunch is by goth-pop trio Hatari, who chose this moment to unleash their first EP ‘Neysluvara’ (“Consumer”) online. For a band with a reputation built on their theatrical live presentations, it’s an interesting hurdle to cross—but the well-produced and crisply designed EP proves there’s more to Hatari than their stage show. It seems they’re a band intent on continuing to surprise everyone. Check it out on Spotify, or pick up a hard copy from 12 Tónar. JR