Reykjavík Grapevine - 07.04.2017, Qupperneq 22

22 The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 05 — 2017

What does krútt mean? Did
you listen to it?
It means “cute,” but it was a name
businessy people invented for artsy
people. They would never call them-
selves krútt. Maybe later, but not then.
I listened to a lot of it and went to all
the concerts: Björk, Sigur rós, múm,
everyone. It was so intense. Like,
“We’re running through the forest!
Running in the dirt!” and then there
are big drums and 10,000 didgeridoos.
It takes itself very seriously, maybe too
seriously.
What does krútt sound
like?
I think they found a lot of inspiration
from being on this isolated island be-
fore it was popular and there were peo-
ple here. When I was younger listening
to them, I thought all of their inspira-
tion came from elves and nature, but
now I think it was also drugs. That’s
like the hip-hop scene too [laughs].
I used to fantasize or idolize the fact
that they were in nature and feeling all
these ideas and then I met one of the
members and he was just really high
and I was like, you just trashed my
childhood.
Tell us about the hip-hop
scene.
Well, if I listened to every man making
hip-hop here right now, I would never
get out of the house. I mean, everyone
who has Auto-Tune can make an al-
bum now. But I’m happy for them, they
are hardworking. I’m not their mom-
ma though, so it’s not my status to be
proud of them. Uh, there’s Gísli Pálmi,
GKR, all them dudes, Alvia, Marteinn,
a tonne of people.
Is there any krútt in your
sound?
Oh yeah, the album I’m recording
now is definitely a mixture of krútt
and hip-hop. I love the intensity and
psychedelic sound of krútt, it’s really
inspirational. Also, I am using a little
bit of Auto-Tune even though I just
thrashed Auto-Tune a few seconds ago.
Where did krútt come
from? Did you like it?
Well, Björk is involved in it. Krútt
people liked Björk’s thing and I think
they saw how Björk was doing and
wanted that. Björk was krútt some-
times, but she’s not really put in that
box, even though other people who
were in any way like her are called
krútt. I listened to Sigur rós grow-
ing up. They have good production.
They are not only krútt, but they are
certainly eligible for that category. I
guess as an artist I was inspired by
them when I was more, I guess, ma-
ture or conservative? I was at one
point a mature and conservative art-
ist, but I am not anymore. But yeah,
I’d say I was krútt. I would define my-
self as like deep krútt or post-krútt. I
am not joking.
Tell us about hip-hop.
Right now? Icelandic hip-hop, the
scene, is big but it's like a playground.
It’s moving but hopefully it develops
into something that is strong enough
to be more, to stand on its own, to
stand for something more. Everyone
is doing hip-hop now. Everyone’s a
rapper, but it’s always been like that.
A1 since day 1, you know? Krútt art-
ists too. They were A1 since day 1.
Who would you say is in
the scene now?
Sturla Atlas is the big one right now.
Aron Can too. And then there's the
usuals, Emmsje Gauti, Úlfur Úlfur.
Gauti did a lot this year and Alvia is
doing her thing now.
Is krútt an offensive term?
I don’t think anyone wants to be called
krútt. It’s like, you’d rather be sexy
than adorable, right? But people used
to argue about it, and at one point,
[Icelandic art and design guru] God-
dur was like, “I’m not going to say any-
thing, but just look at these pictures.”
And then he did a slideshow with múm
and Sigur rós and everyone was in na-
ture with knitted caps. They looked
adorable. But you know, no one likes
being boxed into a term. No one de-
cided, “Hey, let’s sit down and be ador-
able.” They are just making art, you
know. Someone else decided it.
What do you think of
Icelandic hip-hop?
It has never been so big in Iceland.
Never. It’s also really sincere now. Rap-
pers are talking about their emotions.
I mean, Emmsje Gauti has lines about
caressing someone's back. He’s a total
krútt. Emmsjé Gauti is the torchbear-
er of krútt. Gísli Pálmi is not krútt.
But maybe when he started he was. To
be honest, when he started I was just
fascinated by him. It was so different,
and I didn’t know if it was awesome or
awful or if I loved it or if I hated it, but
I watched him over and over. He was
just in front of his car being totally
gangster listing stuff he liked, like jet
planes, or leopards, or drugs. It was so
random to me, but it was great. It had
a realness and a sincerity about it. He
was like an indigo child. To be hon-
est, all these rappers are so sincere. I
would call this the sincere generation.
I think I was part of the sarcastic gen-
eration and maybe that’s why when we
were being sincere it came off as ador-
able.
Who do you associate with
it?
Úlfur Úlfur, Emmsjé Gauti, Gísli Pál-
mi, GKR, Reykjavíkurdætur, Shades of
Reykjavík.
Anything other thoughts?
Actually I got a tattoo last night in-
spired by Gísli Pálmi. It’s a “Ró” (the
nut on the bolt), you know, like Roro.
Roro! I am roro now.
Genre: Krútt
Claim to krútt fame:
Former frontman of in-
ternational pop stars
FM Belfast.
“KRÚTT IS LIKE: ‘WE’RE RUN-
NING THROUGH THE FOREST!
RUNNING IN THE DIRT!’”
“GÍSLI WAS IN
FRONT OF HIS CAR
JUST LISTING STUFF
HE LIKED, LIKE
JET PLANES, OR
LEOPARDS.”
Árni
Vil
“I’D SAY I WAS
KRÚTT… DEEP
KRÚTT OR
POST-KRÚTT.
I AM NOT
JOKING.”
Genre: Hip-Hop
Claim to Hip-Hop fame:
Notorious rapper who beat
up Bam Margera. Google it.
Gísli
Pálmi
Genre: Hip-
Hop
Claim to
Hip-Hop
fame: Former
member of
Reykjavíkurd-
ætur. Known
feminist and
vegan.
Vigdís H
owser
Harðard
óttir