Reykjavík Grapevine - jan. 2019, Side 40
Dadykewl's
Inspirations
Locally sourced and homegrown
Words: Hannah Jane Cohen & Dadykewl Photo: xDeathrow
Artist Playlist
Dadykewl shows us his influences.
Singer and producer Dadykewl’s signa-
ture is that of positivity and good vibes.
Serving up everything from introspec-
tive trap to feel-good party bangers,
his most recent album, ‘Klámstjarna,’
was a favourite among Reykjavík hip-
hop heads this year. He is also one
half of Sama- Sem with BNGR BOY.
!For this version of ‘Dadykewl’s Top
5,’ I am inviting you on a journey that
started maybe 16 years ago, when my
brain began to recognise melodies,” he
says. “These are the Icelandic songs that
I have been humming with or without
consent ever since I first heard them.
Each has something that just busts
up your stupid brain and makes you
sing and, to be honest, each has prob-
ably had some sort of inspiration on
my music… probably? Well, here they
are: Dadykewl’s Top 5 Unconscious
Inspirations, in no particular order.
GusGus - ‘Arabian Horse’
The first time I recognised GusGus as
the greatest band of all time was at
a festival in Vestmannaeyjar. Seeing
them was the best thing that had ever
happened to me. Shortly after, I saw
Daníel Ágúst at Kaffibarinn and told
him that he’s dope. Then I ran away in
fear, but at least now he knows what I
think. I should probably take down my
shrine to him after this list is published.
‘50%’ is a sleeper hit. Everybody, wake
up! If you don’t know Trausti, he is a
music producer and singer from a town
in the middle of nowhere. This song
makes me think of that but in a beauti-
ful way. It hits the feels. I listened to it
once on my way home from downtown
in a taxi through a phone speaker. It was
a very emotional and expensive trip.
AUÐUR - ‘Þreyttur’
The new album “AFSAKANIR” by Auður
is one of the best things I’ve heard. He
just has a thing with lyrics—they are cra-
zy relatable. The song ‘Þreyttur' is, in my
opinion, the masterpiece of the album. It
connects the live instruments with the
synthetic instruments time and time
again on a level that is rarely achievable.
Shades of Reykjavík -
‘Álfheimar’
Shades of Reykjavík is a huge inspira-
tion for this new generation of Icelandic
rap. I don’t really consider myself a rap-
per, but Emmi Beats’ music produc-
tion definitely inspired me to make
hip-hop inspired music. This particu-
lar song is a beautiful piece and was a
huge kickstarter for me as a producer.
Marteinn! -
‘Mouie’ & ‘Fymat’
Marteinn ‘BNGRBOY’ Hjartarson is a
very talented producer from Grafar-
vogur. These two songs approached how
music is made in DAWs (Digital Audio
Workstations) very differently. There
is a lot of sound design in them that
is truly mind bending and inspiring.
But why did I put them together? Well,
if you listen to ‘Mouie’ and ‘Fymant’
back to back you can hear that they are
connected. Sexy.
40The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 01— 2019
He's crazy like a fool
Culture
New Year's Resolution: Get More Merch!
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