Reykjavík Grapevine - 25.08.2017, Qupperneq 2

Most Icelanders remember exactly the
good old downtown of Reykjavík. And
we do not have this romantic nostalgia
about it. 101 was empty. There were per-
haps not a dramatic tumbleweed rolling
down the streets, but there was snow,
and cold wind and some poor lone soul
trying to walk up Laugavegur, which all
the Icelanders - who drove down the
street - felt sorry for.
A lot of shop owners fled to the shop-
ping malls Smáralind and Kringlan, be-
cause few went shopping on Laugavegur.
Politicians had arguments about who
was responsible for this declining. Of
course they didn’t do anything to save it.
The only thing that could save downtown
was an eruption in Eyjafjallajökull, the
mother of all travel ads.
Tourists started to flock to Iceland and
grew from 300 thousand a year to 1.7 mil-
lion. All of sudden gourmet restaurants
started to flourish and these empty stores
were filled with puffins and outdoor gear.
And, occasionally, Icelandic design.
In just five years, the downtown of
Reykjavík transformed from this cold
white desert into a downtown similar to
Scandinavian cities.
One of the biggest problems Iceland-
ers are facing is the housing problems.
The rental market has gone up 53.4% in
five years. And a lot of this is the conse-
quence of the lawless environment of
AirBnB in the city. And it is interesting
to compare Reykjavík to Berlin. Rent in
the German capital rose 56% from 2009
to 2014. Rent per square metre in Berlin
costs 10 euros while it is nearly 20 euros
in Iceland. In just five years, from 2011
to 2016 the rent for a 50 square metre
flat in downtown Reykjavík, and the area
around, has risen from 644 euros per
month to 989 euros. This is the reason
why Icelanders are fleeing downtown.
Because we can’t afford to live here any-
more.
The politicians in Reykjavík have
done little to nothing to resist this de-
velopment. In Berlin there are strict laws
that forbid you to AirBnB whole flats or
houses. Only rooms. There are some
limitations on AirBnB in Iceland, but
not enough. In fact, they are killing the
daily life in the famous postcode 101. And
if there will be nothing done, there will
only be tourists around, taking pictures
of other tourists.
First
Hafnarstræti 15,
101 Reykjavík
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Valur Gunnarsson
The Reykjavík Grapevine
is published 21 times
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through February, and
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COVER PAINTING
Lundafár á
Laugavegi (2017) -
Þrándur Þórarinsson
thrandur.com
THE GRAPEVINE
PLAYLIST
EDITORIAL
2
Words:
Valur Grettisson
Photo:
Collage -
iStock, Axel Sig
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Sunna - Hero Slave
Sunna’s debut
single is both
psychedelic and,
industrial, and
also weirdly chill.
Imagine Siouxsie
Sioux on Xanax with
access to Ableton.
The lyrics them-
selves are ethereal,
personal, and ac-
cording to Sunna
herself, “a weird mix
of dreams, reality
and my childhood
memories.” It’s
weird stuff, but still
totally accessible.
HJC
SAMA-SEN - Sólsetrið
‘Sólsetrið’ is the de-
but release of SAMA-
SEN, a supergroup
collab between
rapper Dadykewl
and producer BNGR-
BOY. The song mixes
the best aspects
of both musicians,
taking BNGRBOY’s
unusual samples
and complicated
beats and sprin-
kling Dadykewls
boy-band voice and
emotional lyrics on
top. We’re left with
only three words:
give us more. HJC
Hekla Magnúsdóttir
- Heyr himna smiður
Hekla Magnúsdóttir
is one of very
few musicians in
Iceland who play
the theremin. Her
second album is on
the way and its first
song is on Youtube.
‘Heyr himna smiður’
(‘The maker of
heaven’) is an old
Icelandic hymn
but the text was
written before a
bloody battle at the
year 1208. The poet,
Kolbeinn Tumasson,
died in the the
same battle. Þorkell
Sigurbjörnsson
wrote the song, but
Hekla takes it the
extra mile with her
theremin, making
this beautiful
song absolutely
unforgettable. VG
Fever Dream -
Soy Houser
Fever Dream is the
edgy outlier of the
Icelandic rap scene.
She’s never been
afraid to say what’s
on her mind, and
this is what you’ll
find on her new
song ‘Soy Houser.’
The lyrics are raw
and biting—and in
English. HJC
Auðn -
Í Hálmstráið Held
The despairing and
beautiful tones of
black metal titans
Auðn have returned.
This song, a taster
for their new album,
will give you a
comprehensive
introduction to the
dichotomy of the
band’s sound. The
aggressive parts
are terrifyingly ag-
gressive. These fall
to melodic acoustic
interludes that are
fucking beautiful. It
is—like pretty much
everything Auðn
has done—perfect
black metal. You’ll
only be disappoint-
ed that it ends after
five minutes. HJC
In This Issue
10: ICELAND'S FIRST SON, THE SS OFFICER
12: FISH FARMING
18: AN AIRBNB OWNER SPEAKS OUT
28: ANDRI SNÆR MAGNASON
36: A KINDER MAMMÚT
38: COUNTESS MALAISE
50: LANDMANNALAUGAR;
THE LIVE SCREENSAVER
54: BOLUNGARVÍK
Progress is pain
and so is AirBnB
www.oddsson.isd
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in
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sing
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