Reykjavík Grapevine - 13.07.2012, Blaðsíða 44

44
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 10 — 2012
Slippbarinn isn’t one of the pubs you
might stumble into downtown in the
midst of a weekend drunken reverie.
Rather, it’s a classy little place found
by the harbour, in Icelandair Hótel
Reykjavík Marina. Although it might
not be in the epicentre of Reykjavík’s
nightlife, it’s a two-minute jaunt down
to the harbour, and the extra foot-
steps are well worth the effort. We
got in touch with the bar’s owner and
creator, Ólafur örn Ólafsson, to get
an idea of the motivations behind this
newcomer bar.
“It might sound strange to say,” he told
us, “but this is a bar for nerds. We want to
cater to nerds of all kinds. If you’re a beer
nerd, we have six kinds of beer on tap. If
you’re a wine nerd, we have ten types of
wine. And if you’re a cocktail nerd, well,
you’ll be able to get any kind of cocktail
you want, and they’ll be the best you’ve
had in town. We make all our own syrups
and squeeze all our own juices for them.
Not to mention, we have six types of gin
and ten types of rum.”
We weren’t even aware that there
were ten types of rum, so we were duly
impressed. Apparently plenty of other
people were, too, because after a “difficult
birth,” as he put it, Ólafur says they got so
busy that they became busier than they
could handle. “It’s our Achilles heel,” he
says.
In terms of personal recommenda-
tions, Ólafur was hesitant to name a favou-
rite. But he did say that he was especially
proud of their T9 cocktail—a drink using
the Icelandic schnapps Birkir, tea and
honey.
The bar also has some fine food on of-
fer, and Ólafur told us that if you’re coming
with a group of people, one of your best
bets is to get the Whale Tail—a platter of
lamb, hangikjöt, Italian sausage, home-
pickled vegetables, squid and fish that’s
meant to be shared.
Despite having firmly established
themselves as an exceptional pub, Slip-
pbarinn has no intentions of resting on
its laurels. The cocktail menu changes
every two to three weeks, and the menu
doesn’t stay the same for long, either. But
you can visit the Icelandair Hótel Reykjavík
Marína homepage (www.icelandairhotels.
is/hotels/reykjavikmarina) to see the cur-
rent menu. “We are constantly reinventing
ourselves,” Ólafur told us. “We can’t set-
tle down. It’s a process of changing and
growing.”
Slippbarinn is located inside the Ice-
landair Hótel Reykjavík Marína, Mýragata
2. It’s open Sunday to Thursday from 11:30
to midnight, and Friday and Saturday from
11:30 to 1:00. During Happy hour, from
17:00-19:00, there is two for one on all
beers on tap and house wines, in addition
to specified cocktails.
Special | Best Of Reykjavík - Best Newcomer Bar: Slippbarinn
Slippbarinn: A Bar For Nerds
PAUL FONTAINE
JULI VOL
Music | Interview
All Hail To The Technobaron
The original dance music legend Dave Clark is coming back to Iceland, prepare to be assimilated!
The word “legend” is thrown around
a lot these days, especially to hype
up various over-the-hill groups rid-
ing the retro gravy train to Iceland,
all with the purpose of parting large
sums of cash from locals with more
money than taste.
But once in a while the description is
entirely apt. While some may not know
Dave Clarke, he’s considered one of the
electronic music scene’s true greats.
His seminal ‘Red’ EP series and ‘Archive
One’ album helped to define the techno
sound of the ‘90s, while the last decade
has seen him move beyond techno to
explore other styles from electro and
hip hop to post punk, with albums such
as ‘World Service,’ ‘Devil’s Advocate,’
and ‘Fabric 60.’
In anticipation of his arrival to Ice-
land, where he will perform a set with
some of Iceland’s best electronic art-
ists, we caught up with Dave to pump
him for information about his music,
technology and why Iceland helps his
hay fever.
Right now you’re on your way to
Japan to play a DJ set. What’s the
reality of being an international DJ?
It must be tiring spending hours
travelling all over the world, being
dropped into a festival or club with
barely a moment’s rest.
I’ve just landed in Tokyo and the driver
is an hour late, that always seems to
happen here, but this interview should
give me some distraction in the swel-
tering heat and humidity. But yes it is
tiring, travelling hasn't been fun for at
least fifteen years. The job is still good,
though, and I'm very lucky to earn a
living by being creative, so I shouldn't
complain.
MINIMAL, UNINSPIRED KET-
AMINE-HOUSE
You became synonymous in techno
for the series of releases that you
created in the ‘90s, such as your
‘Red’ EPs and ‘Archive One’ album.
What is it about techno itself that
drew you to it in the first place?
The music was funky, space-age pro-
phetic computer music; it took from
electro and made it edgy and industrial.
Despite being known for techno,
you’ve talked about your love of
other types of music, from post-
punk to hip hop and electro. With
people today ransacking the inter-
net for different sounds to make
music, are we moving away from
the puritanical idea of what elec-
tronic music is?
Well if that’s the case, it’s a shame that
many internet portals are plying mini-
mal, uninspired, ketamine-house music
then. Most of the music I get is from the
artists themselves. I'm not even sure
if their stuff makes it to Beatport. But
there are some incredible artists out
there on the edge of the genre, like
Mazzula for example.
You recently started up Unsub-
scribe, a production unit with Dutch
musician Mr Jones. How did you
two meet up? And what’s the state
of play right now?
I was impressed by his music and te-
nacity. At one point I was playing a new
track every week from him on my radio
show, and then I met him in Utrecht
and we slowly got to know each other.
At the moment I am having fun work-
ing with someone in the studio; before
that I was 95% on my own in the stu-
dio, so as long as the vibe stays good
for both of us I'm sure Unsubscribe will
continue.
AMOUNT OF SHIT
You’ve often talked about “the
amount of shit you received” for
being an early adopter of digital
technology in techno music. Look-
ing back, do you feel slightly vin-
dicated that the same technology
is so prevalent in much of today’s
electronic music, as well as the fact
that people are still having argu-
ments over its use in live sets?
Yes and no. We have to march forward,
as the whole point of techno was to
embrace both music and technology.
To just stay with vinyl made no sense,
but... but we lost the record shop scene,
which inevitably meant more commer-
cial music would take over. A lot of DJs
have also really watered down their
sets, which is very sad, but it seems
money is more important than integrity
to these characters. With every change
there is good and bad; I don't neces-
sarily feel vindicated, but I am happy I
made the switch when I did.
As an adopter of digital technol-
ogy and the internet, what are the
biggest opportunities/challenges
facing musicians on the internet
today?
Doing this interview whilst waiting for
my driver at Narita airport via free wire-
less! Social media is good, but it often
distracts and detracts from the artistry.
As I understand it, you’ve been
to Iceland before. What are your
hopes/expectations of how your
visit is going to go down this time?
I’ve been many, many times and I love
the place. It gives me respite from my
hay fever!
BOB CLUNESS
PROMO
Best newcomer bar
Slippbarinn, Mýrargata 2, 101 C2