Reykjavík Grapevine - 26.08.2016, Page 26

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ReykjavíkFrakkastígur 16
ORGANIC
BAKERY
26The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 13 — 2016
A young Icelander
reportedly connected
to the GLACIER
MAFIA hip-hop clan
sadly passed away last week after
aledgedly smoking the painkiller
fentanyl. This prescription drug is
a well-known hazard on other
shores—at 50-100 times the power
of morphine, it’s highly addictive and
can cause respiratory failure and
death when misused recreationally.
Grapevine sends condolences to the
friends and family of the young man.
Icelandic electronica label
RAFTÓNAR have announced the
release of the first EP by former FM
BELFAST member, DJ—and (full
disclosure) Reykjavík Grapevine art
director—TERRORDISCO. Released
on September 8th, “Fyrst” runs the
gamut of Terrordisco’s eclectic taste,
from techno to ambient to afro-house.
Icelandic electro export STEED
LORD is no more. Fans of the playful
voice of Svala Björgvins and the pro-
ductions of Einar Egilsson need not
despair though. Last week the couple
presented their new project, Blissfull,
and their first single "Elevate", a
smooth electronic pop outing with a
glowing summery sheen, resting on
top of a base of sultry tropical-trap.
In other words a perfect addition
to your playlist for the last days of
summer.
Over the past ten years, Áskell Harðar-
son, formerly known as Housekell,
has made a name for himself as one
of Reykjavík’s most prolific house DJs.
He is currently working on releasing
The Organ Grinder’s ‘Delicate Din’ EP,
the third release from his own label,
BORG. To hear him spin, turn up to
Paloma or Kaffibarinn, where he’s one
of the resident DJs.
Starting out
"I started DJing approximately ten
years ago, when I was in my first year
of secondary school. Then I mostly
played party tunes and indie electro
stuff. I had my first “official” DJ gig in
2009 at the legendary Karamba (RIP).
Back then my DJ name was Dans-Hans
and I was a proud member of the Raf-
Hans “supergroup" along with Unnste-
inn Manuel. It took me a couple of
years to figure out what style I wanted
to represent so to begin with I played
everything from old school soul and
funk to the latest super hits. In 2011 I
started my Thursday night residency
at Faktorý (RIP) as Housekell. I went
knee-deep into the house genre under
the influence of my friends Yamaho
and Maggi Legó. I’m still exploring the
house sound and all its beautiful sub-
genres, except now I’m representing it
under my own name, Áskell."

On the vastness of House
"The umbrella term for the music I play
would be house music but house music
is so much more than just house mu-
sic. Therefore I like to play house mu-
sic with influences from disco and ga-
rage, techno or acid, depending on the
gig and the venue. One of the things I
love about house music is its diversity
and how constantly surprising it can
be when I go digging for new tunes. If I
like the music I will try to find a place
for it in my sets, creating a nice and
diverse mixture, not depending on one
specific genre, style or sound."

Playing out
"At the moment the Reykjavík house
scene has two homes: Kaffibarinn, the
legendary grandfather of the scene,
which hosts a big family of friendly
faces and is always there for you, and
then Paloma, the naughty teenager
who does whatever it wants, isn’t for
everyone, but once you get over the
griminess you’ll love it. I enjoy them
both as they offer a great variety of
styles of music. At Kaffibarinn I love
to play more disco-ish music and at
Paloma I love to hit it hard.
My favourite setup consists of
Pioneer decks, SL turntables and a
good (rotary) mixer with a nice delay
pedal. But most of the time I’ll use
what’s available at the venues. I’m re-
ally pleased with the improvement in
the bar scene here over the last couple
of years when it comes to the DJ set-
ups and the sound systems, which is
finally getting to a professional level,
primarily because of Óli Ofur’s "super"
ambition."

The best crowd
"An open-minded crowd consisting of
all kinds of people who are ready to
be a part of the journey you’re taking
them on is the best crowd. They come
together to dance and have a good time
and let go of their ego for a couple of
hours, listen to the music, embrace it
and enjoy it."

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MUSIC
NEWS
Music
Words HREFNA BJÖRG GYLFADÓTTIR
Photo ART BICNICK
Áskell
"Once you get over the griminess you love it"
DJ OF THE ISSUE
Áskell's 5
essential
tracks right
now:
Luv Music
DJ Slym Fas
Jaja Californien
Mad Rey
Fly By Night
Bruce Trail
Sicko
Youandewan
Life, Love,
Changes (Red
Rack’em Remix)
Ponty Mython
A leading light in the
House scene
Beacon.