Reykjavík Grapevine - 13.07.2018, Blaðsíða 38

Music

Norðanpaunk Festival, held
annually in the roadside ham-
let of Laugarbakki in North-
west Iceland, has announced the final
lineup for their 2018 edition. Originally
branded as a punk festival, the lineup
is a diverse cross-section of Iceland’s
various conjoined underground, dark,
heavy and DIY scenes, from ambient to
metal, noise, indie and synth-pop. Acts
that will play include Skátar, Madonna
+ Child, Axis Dancehall, BSÍ, dj. flugvél
og geimskip, Morpholith, MSEA, The
Post-Performance Blues Band, and Rex
Pistols. The festival takes place August
3rd-5th, camping is “cheap,” and
tickets are on sale now—priced 7,000-
7,500 ISK—at nordanpaunk.org. JR

Icelandic electronic music producer
Andi has snap-released his second
album, ‘Allt í Einu.’ His eponymous de-
but record—released on the Reykjavík
experimental label Ladyboy Records—
won the “You Should Have Heard This”
award at the 2016 Grapevine Music
Awards, and was met with praise for
its glossy, accessible, bold crossover
between electronica and Italo-disco.
The new record landed on July 11th.
It shows real progress; the genre
“Islando-disco” has even been coined
for Andi’s sound. It will be released by a
new Hafnarfjörður art collective called
Skýlið, and will be available on CD, digi-
tal formats, and ltd. edition vinyl. JR

Pianist Vikingur Ólafsson has been
named the featured soloist for
Orkester Norden’s annual summer tour,
entitled ‘Play ON!’ A prestigious inter-
Nordic symphonic youth orchestra,
Orkester Norden has produced such
world-renowned musicians as Esa-
Pekka Salonen, Paavo Järvi, and Vasily
Petrenko. So far concerts in Aalborg,
Copenhagen and Reykjavik have been
announced, with Swedish conductor
Olof Boman leading the group. The
fateful homecoming show will be on
August 22nd at Harpa. The programme
will include Tarrodi’s ‘Paradisfåglar
II’, Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 in A
Minor, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3
‘Eroica’. On the 25th, there will also be a
smaller chamber concert at the Nordic
House. HJC
MUSIC
NEWS
Weird, Unafraid
And Upbeat
Collaborative duo Stelpuróló talk music making,
influences and their debut album
Words: Alexander Jean de Fontenay Photo: Patrik Ontkovic

Info
Listen to Stelpuróló’s ‘Slydd City’
at HOLY HRAFN's page soundcloud.
com/l-filibuster and Stelpurófan at
soundcloud.com/stelpurofan.
Local rap musicians HOLY HRAFN
(Óli Hrafn Jónasson) and Stel-
purófan (Þorgerður María Þorbja-
rnardóttir) form the musical col-
laboration Stelpuróló. In the past
months, they have performed at
a handful of events—such as our
own Grassroots n° 6 concert—and
at local DIY music venue R6013.
A project is born
Stelpuróló’s performances are al-
ternative, upbeat and observational
Icelandic rap that tackles various
situations and feelings. “Most of our
songs are some sort of a concept,”
says Þorgerður. Óli continues: “One
of our songs is from the perspective
of a dog. Another is about money
and constantly speeds up. Our first
song, ‘Slydd City’ is about the gray
reality of waiting for summer.”
The two met after a concert fea-
turing Krakk & Spaghettí—a pro-
ject that Þorgerður is also a mem-
ber of. “I asked Þorgerður to join me
on songs regularly because I dug
her style—and I still do,” says Óli.
“Suddenly, we had a bunch of
songs and decided to collect them
together under the name of Stel-
puróló,” adds Þorgerður. “So a little
project baby was born!” Óli exclaims.
Verbal expression
Óli and Þorgerður share a common
affection for expressing themselves
through words. When
a sked what t hey
have in common,
Þorgerður said: “We’re
both suckers for funny and witty lyr-
ics. Hip hop is the best way to channel
them, in my opinion.” Óli continues:
“We want to reflect a non-serious and
loose feeling with our music. And we
pretty much do whatever we want.”
They enjoy music-making and
performance on different levels. “I
love the part of producing when I’m
in the zone, take a walk with a half-
cooked project in my headphones
and fill in the missing pieces in
my mind,” says Óli. “Then take it
back, tweak it, repeat, and so-forth.”
“Remembering the lyrics and
thinking about looking cool fills
my head-space while performing
live,” says Þorgerður, with a smile.
"If I know someone in the audience
well, I try not to look at them, in
case I start laughing and lose my
cool. But I enjoy live performance
for the ego-boost it gives me.”
Unpredictable and
weird
When asked to name influences for
their creative practice both Óli and
Þorgerður ran down a list of strange,
quirky and alternative musicians.
“Madlib’s music and attitude really
influenced me,” says Óli. “I like the
feeling I get when I get to know mu-
sic that I don’t get at first.” Complex,
fractured hip-hop producer Prefuse
73, prog rock legends Gentle Giant,
Beck, and American jazz pioneer Sun-
Ra are also big influences for him.
“They’re all unafraid to do something
unpredictable,” Óli explains. For
Þorgerður, “Kött Grá Pje is my spirit
animal. I also really like Cyber and
Tommy Cash. I like the weirdness.”
Stelpuróló are working on a full
length album, which will see a re-
lease in the near future. “We are
about finished recording it. It will
be ready soon,” says
Þorgerður. Óli, who
is also finishing a
solo album under
his HOLY HRAFN guide, finishes:
“It’s going to be a fun album!”
Gaukurinn
bar & live venue
TRYGGVAGATA 22
We are very queer, open
and diverse. We have
gender neutral restrooms,
an all-Vegan bar and now
the brand new VEGANÆS is
open for cruelty free
comfort food!
HAPPY HOUR
every day
from 14 to 21
...and other events:
Drag-Súgur queer variety show
KARAOKE party
Singer/Songwriter Night
"Golden Mic”, open mic Standup
Comedy in English
Drag Duo variety show:
Hans & Jackie - What a Mess!
Skálmöld (2 concerts)
day: all ages // night: 20+
InZeros, Alchemia, Paladin
Atomstation + support
Drag-Súgur DRAG LAB
Experimental drag show!
13/7
14/7
15/7
18/7
19/7
20/7
21/7
25/7
26/7
www.gaukurinn.is
STANDUP COMEDY
in English every Monday
KARAOKE PARTY
every Tuesday
Free entry and starts at 21 both nights
gpv.is/music
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