Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.07.2016, Qupperneq 40

Extreme Chill is a small but well-
loved electronic music event that
sits in the centre of Iceland’s sum-
mer festival calendar. For its sixth
edition, the festival has decamped
from its regular location in the
plains beneath the Snæfellsjökull
glacier, and moved to the pictur-
esque southern coastal town of Vík.
We caught up with one of the
festival’s founders, Pan Thora-
rensen—who also plays in the band
Stereo Hypnosis—to find out how
it all began, what it’s like to go from
musician to organiser, and what’s
on the menu this year.
How did Extreme Chill get started?
Extreme Chill has been held for
six years—five times in Iceland at
Hellissandur in Snæfellsnes, then
once in Berlin, Germany, for our
fifth anniversary. The idea came in
August 2009, when my band Stereo
Hypnosis held a release concert in
Hellissandur. One year later Ex-
treme Chill - Undir Jökli (or “under
the glacier,” in English) was held.
How did you enjoy the first
festival? It must be very different
as an organiser rather than a
festivalgoer.
The first edition was great. Biogen
played, and many other great artists.
Your first adventure is always epic.
Is there a community around the
festival who comes every time?
Yes we have our extreme chilled
crew, friends, fans and family. A
couple of them followed us to Ber-
lin in the summer of 2014. Tonik
Ensemble, Skurken, Futuregra-
pher, Yagya, Ruxpin, M-Band and
many more.
What's the range of music on offer
this year?
Ambient, experimental, down-tem-
po and electronica = Extreme Chill.
Obviously you're into the lineup,
but anything you're hyped for,
personally?
Hans Joachim Roedelius is playing,
of Cluster and Harmonia. Roede-
lius is a pioneer in the field of the
exploitation of electrically gener-
ated tones, sounds and noises, and
is one of the founders of contem-
porary popular electronic music.
He has collaborated with many
musicians such as Brian Eno, Holg-
er Czukay, Michael Rother, Konrad
Plank, and many others.
What prompted the change of
venue for the 2016 edition?
Vík is my favorite place in Iceland.
It has a beautiful ambient land-
scape, and lots of elves and trolls…
a new location for new adventures.
Will it be in the town, or in the
wilderness somewhere nearby?
We will be in the town. The con-
certs will be held in the music
venue Leikskálar on Saturday and
in the town church Víkurkirkja on
Sunday, during the day. Hilmar Örn
Hilmarsson will close the weekend
in Víkurkirkja.
Do you see many international
incomers, or mostly Íslendingar?
It will be about half and half, I think.
How's the atmosphere at Extreme
Chill? What is it that makes it
special?
The atmosphere is unique—there
are sunsets like nowhere else.
Reynisfjara is nearby—the most
beautiful non-tropical beach in the
world. There are some adventur-
ous hiking paths in the area as well.
The weekend is also perfect for tak-
ing photos, videos and field record-
ings. It’ll be a unique experience.
Extreme Chill tickets are on sale now,
priced at 5900 ISK. Visit www.ex-
tremechill.org for more information.
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Pan Thorarensen on Iceland’s
most chill music festival
Words JOHN ROGERS Photo ART BICNICK
40The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 9 — 2016
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Set Phasers
To Chill