Grapevine Events: KEX Port, PIKKNIKK & More

Very few places in Reykjavík have endured or garnered such a unique reputation as downtown institution Prikið. Known today as the beating heart of Iceland’s hip hop scene, the cultural icon goes back way further than many people — including us! — even know.

On this episode, Prikið’s co-owner and well-known local character Geoffrey Þór Huntingdon-Williams joins us in the studio and gives us a deep dive into Prikið’s past, present and future, offering us a glimpse into a rich and storied history that continues to this day as a living breathing saga of its own.

Prikið is posted up at Bankastræti 12, 101 Reykjavík. If you’re strolling through downtown for the first time, you’ll recognize it from the iconic “cock on a stick” above its corner entry.

Head to Apple Podcasts or Spotify to follow the show and catch all the weekly Hot Happenings episodes, out each Thursday!

Find more events to visit in the next few days below and on our listings website events.grapevine.is.

KEX Port Block Party

Saturday July 13 — 14:00 — Kex Hostel — Free

The recent announcement of renovations at Kex Hostel came as a huge blow to the live music scene, having been a beloved midsize venue for over a decade. The KEX Port block party has  long been their highly anticipated free summer party where Kex’s huge back patio (colloquially known in Icelandic as the “port”) is turned into an all-day-all-night rager. Eight bands will rock the block this year, including Cyber, Inspector Spacetime, Kef LAVÍK and Spacestation, plus five of the city’s coolest DJs including Kex’s own DJ Óli Dóri. This may be their last block party, so do not miss it! RX

PIKKNIKK #4: Khairkhan

Sunday July 14, 15:00 — Nordic House — Free

The Nordic House’s PIKKNIKK concert series is now at its midpoint and this time it brings us Mongolian musician Khairkhan. Coming from the Khorqin Tribe in the grasslands of the east side of Inner Mongolia, the folk artist hails from a region and community where a huge amount of Mongolian music also originates from. Using traditional instruments and throat singing blended with ethereal electronic production, his truly dreamy music brings the perfect picnic vibe. RX

Sólveig Pálsdóttir – þú ert ekki rusl

Saturday July 13 – 15 — Myrkraverk Studio

You know those days where you are not feeling so great about yourself and then you look around your home at all your stuff and you’re like, “Look at all this trash. I am trash.” Well, think again pal, because you are not trash! All that stuff, just like your thoughts and inner world, are fragments of a life that can be transformed into beauty and significance. Artist Sólveig Pálsdóttir takes over Myrkraverk for two days showing how she did just this. One person’s trash can be that same person’s treasure. RX

Organ Summer Series
Ongoing until August 25 — Hallgrímskirkja

The organ is a truly wild instrument. If you happen to be a synth nerd, they are the OG synthesisers. If you were raised in a church, they were very likely your gateway drug to music. And while they are indeed most closely linked with New Testament worship, they really make some ripping tunes. If you’re a metalhead or a techno fan, you must give the organ thanks. In fact, why not go listen to some of the incredible worldwide organists playing at Hallgrímskirkja’s Organ Summer series, bringing music both secular and spiritual, but all pretty goddamn great. RX

Sóley Ragnarsdóttir — Queen of Hearts

Runs until July 21 — Gerðarsafn (Kópavogur Art Museum)

Anyone prone to extreme bouts of overthinking and anxiety has been told to stop getting bogged down in details. Details are the devil and the devil’s gonna get you. But maybe it’s in the details where one can get lost, can let go, and find grace. Sóley Ragnarsdóttir’s highly detailed works in the exhibition Queen of Hearts are meant for this experience, where her intricate hyper-decorative paintings, sculptures and design works offer a space for one to turn off the thinker and just exist in the details. RX