Reggae in Reykjavík? Looks like less is, more or less, more.

Answering popular demand within Reykjavík’s budding reggae scene, Ojba Rasta are a ten piece that’s dead-set on facilitating the spread of their niche, convincing Sinéad O’Connor to return to her reggae roots, and promising foreign bands anything they can dream. Most definitely. They also rocked Grapevine’s annual summer this year to an extent that SOME people are still attempting recovery. Band-member Teitur gave us the low-down on the dubby pressure drop.

Fill us in on the history of Ojba Rasta. How long have you been playing?
Although Ojba Rasta has been a band for two years, we’ve had constant line-up changes, and actually have a total of ten people in our band now. We played Airwaves last year, that was good.

What’s the scoop with the RVK Soundsystem?
Basically, the RVK Soundsystem is a collective for DJs who enjoy dub and reggae music. It’s basically a close-knit group of friends who get together, throw concerts and play their favourite tunes at the moment. They recently celebrated their two-year anniversary, I think. They have an event during Airwaves on Wednesday, at Faktorý, and we’re playing there the same night too.

So, it sounds like a reggae scene is finally developing in Iceland?
Most definitely. Reggae has always been popular here, but it’s almost impossible to hear it on the radio for whatever reason. People like it, but nobody plays it. So to help answer the big demand, we started helping put together these reggae nights.

There must be an act at this year’s Airwaves that you’re looking forward to, right?
Sinéad O’Connor, because she used to do reggae.

Do you have any tips for someone new to the festival, or possibly has never even been to Iceland before this?
That’s easy. You can always cut the line by finding someone that’s in a foreign band outside the venue, and promising them anything they could dream of. I could go into more detail, but I’ll just say don’t plan your evening too much, and do everything that comes your way. Most definitely.

By Bowen Staines

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