Reykjavík Grapevine - 06.01.2017, Page 28

The peak of the Reykjavik Grape-
vine festive season, our winter
solstice festival if you will, is
the Reykjavik Grapevine Music
Awards party. This year we will
celebrate at Húrra on the 13th of
January. On this occasion we get
together, all warm and cosy, give
presents to the ones we love the
most, sing songs and give praise.
It's really a pretty great idea, more
people should do it. The line-up is
still in the works, but show will
consist of performances from
some of the award winners, host-
ed by a professional funny person,
with surprising interludes. You
don't need to know any more re-
ally, if you've been to one of our
parties, you know it'll be good. See
you there!
The Grapevine Music Awards Party
Celebrating Icelandic Music at Húrra
Friday the 13th January 2017 from 20:00
Alexander de Fontenay
The lushly named Alexander de
Fontenay is an energetic presence
on the Reykjavík music scene. He
books the best DJs around for Sto-
fan Cafe’s monthly programme,
and plays out himself, whether
as part of the duo It Is Magic, or
under his solo moniker of Bervit.
He’s also a promoter of the regu-
lar electronic music night Rafnæs,
and was one of the ears-to-the-
ground tastemakers who helped
curate the Grapevine Grassroots
concert series in 2016. Alexander
seems to pop up everywhere, and
always has a valuable and refined
take on the local scene. Thanks Al-
exander!
Davíð Roach
Davíð Roach will be familiar to
regular readers as one half of Str-
aumur, with Óli Dóri. Both of the
pair are busy DJs in Reykjavík, and
they also host a radio show, as
well as writing a popular new mu-
sic blog, and, of course, a regular
column right here in the Reykjavík
Grapevine. Straumur have made it
their constant and never-ending
mission to stay on top of exactly
what’s what in the Icelandic mu-
sic scene, but they’re also totally
on top of what’s going on interna-
tionally, which lends a welcome
context to their expert take. They
don’t come more expert than this.
We love you, Davíð Roach!
Megan Horan
Meg Horan arrived in Iceland sev-
eral years ago, and immediately
made her presence felt, hitting
the ground running with stints
working behind the scenes on
festivals such as Reykjavík Music
Mess, Innipúkinn, Rauðasandur
and Breiðholt festival. She then
had a stint as label manager at
one of Iceland’s premiere record
labels, Bedroom Community. She
is currently working for the Ice-
landic Music Export (IMX), where
pretty much all the new bands in
Iceland sent their work for her to
post on their blog, newsletter and
social media pages. She’s also an
active DJ around town. Sounds
hectic, wow. Go Meg!
As December rolls around, the Reykjavík Grapevine office descends into a chaotic frenzy of bartering and
debates. The only influence our editors have on our Music Awards is helping decide who sits on the panel. The
criteria is a broad taste in music, impartial behaviour and a way with words. Our panelists have always been,
in one way or another, music professionals or respected figures from the music scene. After we all sign off on
the choices, we sit and wait with baited breath for that most joyful day of the year, December 29th, when we
hear the results. Here are the people who made the tough choices:
The Panelists
Who are these people and why
do they get to pick?
28 The Reykjavik Grapevine Music Awards 2016
Snapshot from last years party. A rather subdued affair, as per usual.
Special Thanks
Winners deserve prizes, so we'd
like to say a special thank you to the
companies that supplied our fifth
Reykjavik Grapevine Music Award
winners with the following tokens
of appreciation for their efforts.
One winner gets a free night
of luxury at Hótel Búðir. Thanks
to Reykjavík Excursions, a lucky
artist gets a tour-friendly one-
year Flybus ticket for getting to
and from Keflavík Airport. We
also teamed up with Sushi Social,
who’ve invited one of the bands to
have a luxurious dinner party. One
of the bands will receive a print
run of band T-shirts, courtesy of
Dogma.
Another lucky winner will receive
a gift-voucher from musicians' ha-
ven Tónastöðin, and another will
get a vinyl-junkie’s dream: a gift-
voucher to spend in Reykjavík
Records. Finally, we’ve teamed up
with the Grapevine’s Best of Reyk-
javík award-winning restaurant
Snaps, who’ll host a dinner party
for one of the bands.
So whilst streaming revenues
are bullshit, Icelandic bands can
rest easy in the knowledge that
if they get really, really good, one
day, the payoff could come—their
friends at the Reykjavík Grapevine
might make it rain! Sure, it’s rain
made out of sushi, but it’s still
rain! So keep up the good work,
bands! It could rain sushi on you!
SALKA VALKA
FISH & MORE
SkólavörDustígur 23 • 101 reykjavík
Steamed Fresh Fish, Traditional Icelandic Fish ‘Stew’, Fish & Vegan Soups,
Smoked Salmon & Vegan Toppings on Sourdough Bread, Beer, Wine, Coffee & more