Reykjavík Grapevine - 12.04.2019, Blaðsíða 16

16 The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 05— 2019
Amidst the noise and heat of KEX Hostel in the
middle of a bustling Airwaves afternoon, Skúli Sver-
risson and Bára Gísaladóttir took their seats for their
first ever concert together. After a brief introduction
from KEXPs’ Kevin Cole, they started to play, each
barely glancing at the other. As the sound filled the
room, the air seemed to freeze. Skúli’s face was still
and concentrated; his fingers flickered lightly over
his six-stringed bass, issuing forth a surprising noise
like a faraway orchestra echoing through a large,
watery space. Moments later, Bára started gently
bowing her double bass, staring into the distance
as she alternately muted, held, pressed and released
the strings, creating a quite startling sound—a
dusty, distressed, incomplete note, as if the strings
were moaning. The background conversation in the
room melted away and the audience leaned in closer,
suddenly transfixed by what was unfolding.
“That’s great to hear,” says Bára, later, her expres-
sive eyes open wide. “It was our first ever concert
together and it was a hard show to play. It was loud
when we arrived, and people were in the Airwaves
mood, drinking and chilling just metres from the
stage. We had to be a bit aggressive to be heard—it
was very scary. But I was very surprised when I heard
it. I don’t understand how they isolated the sound—
they managed to keep the very fine essence of the
detail. It didn’t become narrow in quality.”
INSTANT CONNECTION
These two musicians should, in theory, contrast
sharply. Skúli is a famed master collaborator with a
gently immersive and atmospheric signature sound.
Bára is rougher with her instrument, alternately
plucking, grabbing, and dragging the bow over the
strings in a style that’s in turn delicate, violent, and
willfully amusical. But when the two play together,
their distinctive approaches overlap, melding and
growing into something greater than the sum of its
parts, and joining organically and seamlessly into a
mesmerising whole.
They first came into contact when Bára, during
her academic studies in Milan, became frustrated
with the lack of a performance element in her course.
In search of an outlet, she enquired about holding a
concert at the downtown Reykjavík venue Mengi, of
which Skúli is one of the founders.
He was immediately captivated by Bára’s music.
“There’s an incredible discipline and precision in
her work,” he says. “And, at the other end, a sense of
complete freedom—a leap of faith, somehow. And
finding that balance is quite rare.”
Skúli followed Bára’s progress as she went about
her studies, releasing a series of solo records and
performing in various ensembles along the way. “We
started talking about doing something together,”
he says, “and ended up finally coming to the studio
in Iðnó. We just set up the microphones and
started playing.”
SHIMMERING MOMENT
The two realised immediately that they were onto
something special. “It was a really good feeling,” says
Bára. “It was the feeling of something being right. I
think our approach is quite similar, especially in the
way of listening. It’s a common thread in our work—
extreme listening, and the music comes from that. It
starts in the ears, before anywhere else.”
The two didn’t spend much time discussing what
they would do in advance. “We both believe in the
process of making music, I think,” says Skúli. “How a
sound is a sound, and it doesn’t have to be within the
framework of a composition. Just playing together
already had a context. And the beauty of this kind
of collaboration is the cycle of getting to know the
person through the music, and then getting to know
the music through the person.”
For Bára, that first session proved to be profound
and formative. “It might sound dramatic, but it was
one of the few moments in life where you really feel
something magical happening,” she smiles. “It was
just a shimmering moment. I had no idea how we
“It might sound dramatic,
but it was one of the few
moments in life where
you really feel something
magical happening.
A whole new world
opened up
to me.”