Reykjavík Grapevine - 05.02.2016, Side 29

T H E R E Y K J A V Í K G R A P E V I N E S Ó N A R S P E C I A L 5
Hudson Mohawke
For obvious reasons! HudMo’s roster
spans from jaw-dropping electronic
infused hip-hop/trap bangers such as
“Fuse”, “Cbat” and “Higher Ground”
to Kanye West and Drake produc-
tion credits (“Connect” is one of my
all-time favorite Drake songs). Pro-
duction-wise I’ve always looked up to
HudMo as he’s unafraid of integrating
all sorts of fucked up and weird sounds
in his productions. Maybe that has
something to do that he’s from Scot-
land and everyone from there seems
to be either a goblin or a Loch Ness off-
spring, which seems to translate ide-
ally into hip-hop beats. I’m very excited
that he’s performing live instead of the
traditional DJ set.
Karó
I’m really looking forward to this show
for several reasons. Karó is a new-
comer in the Icelandic scene, having
released her first single, “Silhouette,”
back in September. She’s also Les
Frères Stefson affiliated—a part of the
fam. The live set will feature new mu-
sic only, which Karó, Logi Pedro, Auður
and myself have been working on for
the past few weeks. She’s got an amaz-
ing voice and her songwriting skills are
also top notch. Not to be missed!
Boys Noize
Another no-brainer. When I started out
DJing and producing back in 2009,
I was mostly into house and techno,
with Boys Noize being a leading figure
in the scene since ’07. His collabora-
tions with Erol Alkan are also ill, not to
mention the Chilly Gonzales remake
of “Waves”. Anywho, with the bang-
ing electro house beats of his DJ set
poised to fuck your brain cells up real
good, Boys Noize is gonna be dope for
sure.
Sturla Atlas
I gotta put the boys in here because I’m
super excited about our show. We’re
going to perform new songs which I
produced and co-wrote. This show’s
gonna be a fucking movie.
Angel Haze
Angel Haze, a.k.a. Babe Ruthless, is
super cool. When I say “super” I mean
she basically oozes swag. I actually just
listened to her new album, it sounds
really fresh. It’s a bit aggressive, but
that’s the vibe Angel Haze is about.
Ruthless. In my opinion there are cer-
tain similarities between this album
of hers and Travis Scott’s earlier stuff,
both production and flow-wise. She
usually goes quite hard on stage—I
just hope the crowd at Sónar dares to
get turnt with her.
Honorable mention: Annie Mac
Because she’s a legend.
Floating Points
I’m really excited to see Sam and his
band play. I’ve been following his music
since 2009—he’s such a great great
artist and DJ. He translates his signa-
ture sound across genres, from house
to ambient to trap, and into places
where these labels hardly fit. Seeing
this on stage with a live band is incred-
ibly exciting. ‘Elaenia’ was, in my opin-
ion, the best album of 2015.
The Black Madonna
Probably the most interesting female
DJ in the world right now, her releases
have always impressed me. She’s from
the cradle of House music, Chicago,
and while she represents the Chicago
roots of the style, she’s bringing it into
new spaces. Her music is so tight. Not
simple, not complicated, just tight. You
just enjoy the whole thing. Playing her
music is a joy.
Dorian Concept
This guy is taking music into new plac-
es. I could stick some labels on him, but
really it’s music for people that want
to be pleasantly surprised. His track
“Trilingual Dance Sexperience” was a
staple in Funkþátturinn in 2009, and
we’ve been covering him since. He’s
one of the many reasons why it’s been
worthwhile to follow the Ninja Tune la-
bel for the last 25 years.
Rodhad
Rodhad is taking techno into new ar-
eas with his fresh approach to rhythm.
He’s backed by many of the older, leg-
endary figures of the genre like Dave
Clarke, Exos, Jeff Mills and Laurent
Garnier. Also, he’s the style twin of
Icelandic DJ Omar E. I’m really hoping
I’ll meet the both of them at the same
time at the festival, and that they’ll do
that trick where they pretend to be
a guy looking into a mirror. His track
“Newspeak” got my attention two
years ago and after that, I have been a
fan. Be sure to check out his DJ sets on
Soundcloud!
Kiasmos
One of the best electronic music duos
in the world. I don’t think I need to say
anything else. If you’re in Iceland and
at an electronic music festival, you
know this. But you’re probably also in
Iceland to bring home stories of new
discoveries, so you should also check
out Bjarki, Árni Skeng, President Bon-
go, Intro Beats and Brilliantinus—and
the all-female lineup at Sonar Lab on
Thursday is not to be missed.
20:40 - 21:20 LIVE Futuregrapher
21:20 - 22:00 LIVE Kosmodod
22:00 - 23:00 DJ Tandri
23:00 - 00:00 DJ Courtesy
00:00 - 01:00 DJ BenSöl
01:00 - 02:00 DJ Ultraplay
Saturday 20th February
SonarClub by Tuborg
Silfurberg
19:30 - 20:25 LIVE AV AV AV
20:45 - 21:45 LIVE President Bongo & The
Emotional Carpenters
22:10 - 23:10 LIVE Hudson Mohawke
23:20 - 00:20 DJ Annie Mac
00:30 - 02:00 DJ Boys Noize
SonarHall
Norðurljós
20:00 - 20:25 LIVE Karó
20:40 - 21:15 LIVE GKR
21:30 - 22:10 LIVE Sturla Atlas
22:30 - 23:30 LIVE LE1F
23:45 - 00:25 LIVE Úlfur Úlfur
00:45 - 02:00 LIVE !!!
SonarLab
Harpa underground car-park
21:00 - 22:00 DJ DJ E.D.D.E.H.
22:00 - 23:00 DJ Skeng
23:00 - 00:30 DJ Ben UFO
00:30 - 02:00 DJ Rødhåd
02:00 - 03:00 DJ DJ Margeir
SonarComplex
Kaldalón (seated)
Red Bull Music Academy presents
20:00 - 20:30 LIVE Brilliantinus
20:45 - 21:20 LIVE Brigitte Laverne
21:30 - 22:20 LIVE Dorian Concept
22:30 - 23:15 LIVE James Pants
23:30 - 00:20 LIVE Koreless
00:30 - 01:30 LIVE TM 404
SonarPub by Síminn
Hörpuhorn
20:00 - 20:30 LIVE asdfhg.
20:30 - 21:30 DJ DJ Katla
21:30 - 22:30 DJ B-Ruff
22:30 - 23:30 DJ Rix
23:30 - 00:45 DJ ELOQ
00:45 - 02:00 DJ Unkwon
Áslaug
Símon
FKNHNDSM
House DJ & Radio Host
Young Nazareth
101 Boyz / Sturla
Atlas producer