Reykjavík Grapevine - 20.10.2017, Page 54

Frímann Andrésson wears many hats.
He’s a family man, and occasionally
volunteers for the rescue service, locat-
ing lost tourists. But most of the time,
you’ll find him running services for his
undertaker business, consoling griev-
ing relatives and sending off the dead
respectfully. He wears a suit and tie and
assumes a solemn tone to comfort cry-
ing relatives and celebrate the lives of
the deceased.
But Frímann has one more hat.
Around two nights a month, he sheds
his sombre attire and heads for Kaffi-
barinn, leaving behind the stresses and
strains of parenting, saving tourists and
burying bodies. His mood is upbeat and
he’s ready to party. Because on these
fateful nights, he’s not Frímann An-
drésson of Frímann and Hálfdán funer-
al services; he’s DJ Frímann, and things
are about to get funky.
“I try not to think about my day job
while I am DJing,” says Frímann, who is
charismatic and confident—surely use-
ful qualities for a DJ-come-undertaker.
“But it can get emotional at work and
it’s good to be able to shake off the stress
from the day.”
Frímann started DJing at college,
around the same time he began working
in a graveyard, clearing away leaves and
keeping the grounds tidy. He originally
played under the alias DJ Psycho, but,
unlike the folks he works with during
the day, was reborn as DJ Frímann when
he made the shift away from drum &
bass and towards techno and house.
“People are often surprised when
they find out about my work,” says Frí-
mann, who notes that, frankly, there
aren’t many similarities between his
two jobs. “The best thing about what I
do is that I get to see the full spectrum
of human emotion—from grief to eu-
phoria.”
Of course, Frímann does his best to
keep these two facets of his life sepa-
rate. But Reykjavík is a small place and
sometimes people he’s worked with at
the funeral home recently turn up at
his gigs, necessitating a swift change of
subject. “Sometimes people try to talk
to me about the service while I’m DJing,”
he says, “So instead I’ll try and ask them,
‘Isn’t the track great?’”
HOUR OF THE WOLF
CITY SHOT by Art Bicnick
Spanning The
Scale Of Human
Emotion
Frímann Andrésson takes techno
gravely seriously
Words:
Charley Ward
Photo:
Art Bicnick
DON’T ASK NANNA...
...About
National Parks
Words: Nanna Árnadóttir
Nanna,
Just wondering, what are your impressions
of Laugardalur Park? Are there other parks
like it in the country?
Adam
Hi Adam,
We don’t have parks in Iceland, just im-
mersive open air toilets for tourists to
take dumps in and leave flittering, flut-
tering ribbons of loo-roll to dance in the
wind.
Nanna

Hi Nanna,
I’ve been to Iceland once before and am going
for the second time next month. This time
I’m coming with a friend and I want to show
her some really impressive nature but feel
like Gullfoss and Geysir have become so com-
mercial that there isn’t that same wonder,
you know? Can you recommend some cool
secret places I could take her instead?
Intrepid Adventurer
Dear Adventurer,
So, what you’re telling me is that Gullfoss,
a two-stage waterfall that drops into a 70
metre canyon, where a single low-hang-
ing rope counts as security and is all that
separates you from a drop to your death,
where the thrum of churning, beating
water carries for a mile in every direction
and the force of nature is both terrifying
and awe-inspiring to behold, is “too com-
mercial” and doesn’t have enough wow
factor for your fuck buddy weekend get-
away?
Boy, BYE.
You don’t deserve secret waterfalls.
Nanna
Don't email: nanna@grapevine.is
Don't tweet at: @NannaArnadottir
West-Iceland
54 The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 19 — 2017
Things are about to get funky
Blue suit & brown shoes: so 2017.