Reykjavík Grapevine - 07.10.2016, Blaðsíða 25

Reykjavík Grapevine - 07.10.2016, Blaðsíða 25
The Third Annual Icelandic Design Awards The electro-pop trio aYia have been honing their craft for the past year, playing their first shows at Secret Sol- stice and LungA this summer. They have finally released their first song into the world (meaning: internet), a thick slice of trip-hop with a twist, titled “Water Plant.” This gem starts with a sultry female voice that’s half- way between a whisper and a hiss over string-like synth chords, before a massive beat hits you in the head. The track ebbs and flows with epic drops and marvellous rises across its 2:20 running time, with sonic bravado that’s rarely heard in a band’s first re- lease. The soundscape is liquid, like the title, and the song has a sense of drifting—but drifting with an elegant confidence in the clear direction of a pre-planned goal. “Water Plant” was mixed and mastered by Valgeir Sig- urðsson and is being released by Hv- alreki, a new sub label of Bedroom Community. Having heard the band’s material at their live shows, we are thoroughly psyched about future re- leases. aYia will be playing at the up- coming Iceland Airwaves festival, No- vember 2-6. Reykjavík musicians/artists Hall- dór Ragnarsson and Sindri Már Sig- fússon (Sin Fang), previously together in the band Seabear, have a brand new song out with their new musical proj- ect Spítali (“Hospital”) called “Schaff- hausen.” The pair released their first song “You” under that name in March, and like that song “Schaffhausen” was mastered by electronic producer Ocu- lus, and mixed by him and the band. Both songs will be on a four-track vi- nyl record that is scheduled to come out next year. “Schaffhausen” is an upbeat indie rock-influenced house song built around a voice sample (that sounds like Sindri repeating the letter E?) with a little guitar work from Hall- dór in the mix. Spítali also released a video for the song, directed by Máni M. Sigfússon. Head over to YouTube for a highly recommended viewing. Terrordisco has been a staple in Icelandic dance music culture for well over a decade as a DJ and a remixer, but recently released his first EP of music that is entirely his own, appropriately titled ‘Fyrst’ (“First”). The album cov- ers a lot of ground in its five songs, from afro to techno to ambient, but always with a thumping bass drum on every beat. Now there is a video out for the opening song, “Terragon Sunset,” a mechanical Berghain-esque techno banger that is sure to make your feet move and heart beat faster. As a society, we are driven toward bal- ance. Take the axioms “first as tragedy, then as farce” or “illness is the doorway to health” for example. Chinese phi- losophy calls it yin and yang. Here in Reykjavík we are witness to one of the most magnificent natural displays of the dance between darkness and light. For every winter of of darkness is a summer of 24-hour sun. Similarly, the more we hear about war and crisis, the harder we strive for peace. This month The University of Ice- land and the City of Reykjavík launch the Höfði Reykjavík Peace Centre. The centre is named after the historic Höfði House on Borgartún, where in 1986 Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev famously met and shook hands, helping to bring about the end of the Cold War. The new peace cen- tre, to be opened at the University of Iceland, will help support Reykjavík to become a “city of peace,” and to advise on how Reykjavík can promote peace and abroad. It will be host to regular conferences, panel discussions, and act as a research and education facility for the promotion of peace. Ambitious is an understatement, but the Centre has already shown its dedication to concrete involvement and community engagement with its opening ceremony program. Opening remarks will be made by the president of Iceland, Mr. Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, followed by addresses by key members of the University, the Ministry of For- eign Affairs, and the mayor of Reykja- vík, Dagur B. Eggertsson. A panel discussion will be held in conjunction with the Reykjavík Inter- national Film Festival, which asks: “Can films, non-state actors and dia- logue contribute to peace in the 21st century?” Panel guests include Ameri- can director Darren Aronofsky, produc- er Kristín Ólafsdóttir, director Hrund Gunnsteinsdóttir and Daniel Shapiro, the Director of Harvard International Negotiation Program. The ceremony takes place October 7 at 13:00 in the Cer- emony Hall at the University of Iceland. As Yoda once eloquently spoke it: “In a dark place we find ourselves, and a little more knowledge lights our way.” The Höfði Centre is an attempt at light. It’s an opportunity to maintain the bal- ance, and a push for peace. Because that yin-yang symbol is more than just a lame back tattoo. And throwing V- fingers in the air is more than just a signature for Japanese tourists. Words DAVÍÐ ROACH & ÓLI DÓRI Photo MAGNUS ANDERSON Straumur, Iceland's premier indie music radio show, airs on X977, Mon. at 23:00. Daily music news in Icelandic at straum.is Words PARKER YAMASAKI Photo KRISTINN INGVARSSON Flashback: 1982, the dark synth-punk outfit Q4U releases their first and only album, ‘Q1’. Shortly after they are featured in the seminal scene film of the time, ‘Rokk í Reykjavík’. Flash forward: October 2016, Q4U is back on the scene with a new ten album featuring all-new material, their first release in twenty years. The band originally began as an archetypal four-piece punk band, but by the time ‘Q1’ was originally re- leased, their spirited furor had been honed into a “sharpened synth-punk machine” (Aquarius Records). On October 8, Q4U will play a release show at Húrra, performing all of their new material along with a selection of songs from their 2013 re-release of ‘Q1’. Almost exactly one year ago one of our music journalists, Davíð Roach, sat down for an interview with Auðunn Lúthersson, aka Auður—an electronic music artist with no stage presence, no media presence, not even a single released song. It was what we’d call a faith-based maneuver. They hype was real. It was recently announced that Auður has signed with independent publisher Imagem Music, a group responsible for names like Daft Punk, M.I.A. and Ludacris to name a few. During the month of October, Auður will attend Red Bull Music Academy in Montreal (the first Icelander to do so) and has promised new material before coming back to Reykjavík for his second appearance on the Iceland Airwaves roster. In January of this year, Karl Tor- sten Ställborn (Muck/Fufanu) and Guðlaugur Halldór Einarsson (Fu- fanu/russian.girls) joined forces as Skrattar and released four tracks of rockish popish lo-fi. In June their second four-tracker, ‘Hellraiser II’, came out and carried us through the psychedelic surf season of summer. At the end of September a compilation album assembled by the record label Hið Myrka Man featured a previously unreleased Skrattar track called “Never Gonna Slow Down.” We hope you don’t, Skrattar, keep it coming. MUSIC NEWS Find today's events in Iceland! Download our free listings app - APPENING on the Apple and Android stores 25 Drifting Through The House STRAUMUR Two Fingers In The Air (No, Not Those Two…) Höfði Reykjavík Peace Centre Opens CULTURE NEWS
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