Reykjavík Grapevine - sep. 2019, Blaðsíða 23

Bring Your Own Drill
Toolraiser 2019 is the DIY fest you’ve been waiting fore
The DIY, or rather DIT, scene in Reyk-
javík is booming, and one of its pillars
is the Reykjavík Tool Library. On Au-
gust 18th, the collective space will hold
its annual fundraiser-cum-festival,
Toolraiser, which will feature six local
bands rocking out for drills, donations,
and a whole lotta fun.
A bit of a whim
“I started the Tool Library last year on
a bit of a whim,” founder Anna Caro-
lina Worthington de Matos says with a
laugh. A warm, friendly, and outgoing
Brazil transplant, Anna’s love for the
scene is infectious. “I basically got very
sick and didn’t have anything to do, so I
started the Tool Library and when I left
the hospital I actually had the money
for it, so I had to do it.”
She’s being modest—in reality, the
amount of work Anna has put into the
DIY space is immeasurable. From her
hospital bed, she ran a wildly success-
ful crowdfunding campaign to launch
the library, raising al-
most €9,500.
“The concept is a
circ u lar economy,”
explains Anna. “That
mea n s by sha r i ng
things, most people
can afford tools with-
out having to pay a lot
of money for one or an-
other. What’s the point
of buying a 25,000 ISK drill when you
only need it for five minutes?”
She smiles, clearly full of pride in
what she’s accomplished. The Library
has been active for almost a year, with-
Toolraiser taking place on its birthday.
A bit of a party
But the point of Toolraiser goes far be-
yond helping the Library financially.
“The point is to create a community,
and what better way than to have a bit
of a party?” Anna says with a grin. “So
we have a gig and the entrance fee is
a tool per person.” Attendees can also
give donations, a portion of which will
be given to the all-ages music venue
R6013.
Currently the Toolraiser lineup fea-
tures Drungi, Dead Bird Lady, Sinah,
MSEA, Nornagal, and Soffín. “It’s really
nice to get a lot of support from the
bands,” says Anna. “We are in a com-
munity and we support each other. if
we can support local people, that’s the
point of it all.”
The fundraiser will also feature a
food share table, where you can bring
a dish and share your noms with oth-
ers. If that’s not enough, they’ll also
be screenprinting Toolraiser t-shirts
onsite.
A bit of an expanse
The money raised by Toolraiser will
aid the Tool Library’s upcoming expan-
sion. “At the moment, we are expand-
ing to a sharing depot, so you’ll be able
to borrow tents and extra beds, tables,
chairs, GoPros, and
more,” explains Anna.
The Tool Library also
plans on adding a DIY
centre, so you’ll be able
to borrow tools and
have the space to do
your own projects.
“We are also going
to be offering a lot of
workshops,” she adds.
“Most of them are upcycling or com-
munity driven.” She grins. “Generally
speaking, we keep our costs low, as long
as we are paying rent, we don’t care
much.”
Words:
Hannah Jane
Cohen
Photo:
Dominika Milek
Words:
Alexander Le
Sage de Fontenay
Photo:
Art Bicnick
CULTURE
NEWS
ELECTRIC
DREAMS
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The show is BYOT: Bring your own tool.
From Bedroom To Berghain
Meet Dynkur, a skilled beat-maker offering intricate blends of
sounds and textures that challenge the eardrums
Dynkur is a powerful and majestic
waterfall in South-Iceland. In Eng-
lish, “dynkur” means an impact, a
thump or a bang—making it a great
name for the techno project of one
Þórður Arnarson. For the past two
decades he has lived and worked in
Reykjavík, London and Berlin as a
musician, DJ, sound-engineer and
instrument-creator. Dynkur’s debut
EP ‘Tschüssi’ was released by FALK
in April.
Not long ago, Þórður was the type
of bedroom-producer who mainly
tinkered with music, rather than re-
leasing it. “Three or four years ago
Festival
August 18th
at 17:00 at the
Reykjavik Tool
Library, which is at
Eyjaslóð 3.
Music
Follow Dynkur’s
Soundcloud at
soundcloud.
com/dynkur
for live mixes
and mixtapes.
Follow him on
Facebook at
facebook.com/
dynkurmusic/
for news and
upcoming
gigs. Purchase
his debut 12”
EP ‘Tschüssi’
on Bandcamp
at falkworld.
bandcamp.com/
album/tsch-ssi.
I decided to challenge myself and
start playing live shows and releas-
ing stuff,” he explains. “I believe that
everyone needs to have a creative
outlet in their lives. It is not about
getting famous or earning money;
it’s about creating and sharing with
the world.”
Þórður’s first formative musi-
cal experiences were listening to
records and creating mixtapes. “I
was fascinated with the sounds and
baffled with how they were made,”
he says. “As a teenager, I started
DJing and saw people dance to the
music I selected, which gave me im-
mense pleasure.”
Berlin’s techno-scene is a big in-
fluence on the Dynkur sound. “I was
about to move back to Iceland with
my family and wanted ‘Tschüssi’
to encapsulate my influences and
moods,” he explains. “Being at
Berghain last Easter and hearing
my track played was a pivotal mo-
ment for me, as Berghain has been
a huge influence on my sound.”
Keep your eyes and ears peeled
for Dynkur in the near-future as
he is set to perform at September’s
Extreme Chill Festival and more.
“I’m working on the next Dynkur EP
and a series of ambient/yoga tapes
coming out on my label, Dynjandi,”
he says. “Remixes I made for Rex Pis-
tols will also be out soon and I have
other collaborations and remixes in
the pipes as well!”
Please Today, Satan
Bianca Del Rio: It’s Jester Joke!
August 19th - 20:30 - Harpa -
5,500-23,500 ISK
“Beauty fades, but dumb is forever.”
So said the queen of crass, Miss
Bianca Del Rio, who will finally make
her long-awaited appearance at
Harpa this Pride. So don your best
clown makeup and leave your
sunnies at home, for there will be
shade as far as the eye can see. No
one is safe...especially not
Valentina. HJC
We Love Alcohol
Menningarnótt 2019
August 24th - Reykjavík
Menningarnótt, the only day getting
drunk and passing out in the
streets of Reykjavík is not only
acceptable, but encouraged, will
grace us with its potent presence
on August 24th. The party will kick
off with the Reykjavík Marathon in
the wee hours and end with
whatever drunk food you decide to
scarf down at 5:00 AM. Also, many
museums will be free, so even you
‘intellectuals’ can have fun. HJC
Spice Up Your Rhymes
GRL PWR / JóiPé x Króli / Úlfur Úlfur
August 17th - 21:00 - Gamla Bíó -
2,900 ISK
For those obsessed with both
Icelandic rap and the Spice Girls,
God has really blessed you this
week. Taking the stage at this
ridiculously fun concert will be
veteran hip-hoppers Úlfur Úlfur,
the undisputed kings of Icelandic
rap JóiPé & Króli, and the Spice Girl
cover band GRL PWR. Only in Iceland
would they tell you want you want,
what you really really want over
some sick beats. HJC
“The point is to
create a com-
munity, and what
better way than
to have a bit of a
party?”