Reykjavík Grapevine - 13.09.2019, Blaðsíða 23

The Next Big Thing
At New To Us, see the future of the Icelandic scene
before they get famous
“If you’re a new artist, where do you
start?” asks James Cox, the music co-
ordinator at Hlemmur Square. The
British transplant sits back on a couch
in the corner of the hostel café, smiling
broadly. “How do you do that? Where
do you play? Well, we’ve created a dedi-
cated space [for those artists] to make a
home in before they take a step up.” He
pauses, wringing his hands together.
“And that’s New To Us.”
Getting involved
The new concert series, created by James
in collaboration with Hlemmur Square
bar manager Halldór Viðar Hjaltested,
seeks to shine a light on
the newest and bright-
est of the Icelandic
scene. The series also
hopes to put Hlemmur
Square on the map as a
proper concert venue,
something that’s desperately needed in
light of the continued closure of many
music venues around the city.
“There’s a lot going on in the DIY/
underground scene,” James explains.
“There are a lot of interesting artists
that need a stage to showcase them-
selves and maybe give them a new audi-
ence, give them somewhere to play, and
somewhere to build on.”
And the first iterations have, he em-
phasized, been successful in that re-
gard. “The first one was with Dead Bird
Lady and Frid,” he says. “Frid is so tal-
ented and it was only her fourth or fifth
gig. The set was amazing, and watching
it, I thought, ‘This is why we do this.’”
The second event featured second-
place Músíktilraunir winners Konfekt
as well as Elín Harpa. “Konfekt only
started performing as a band in 2019,
and they’ve already taken 2nd in the
Music Experiments Competition. It’s an
exciting time to get involved,” he relays.
Enter the library
Hlemmur Square has, in the past, oc-
casionally hosted concerts, namely as
an Airwaves Off-Venue, but always in
the front of the hostel directly next to
the door. New To Us, though, will move
the party from the main entrance into
a smaller room in the back, therefore
making the concert more centralised.
“We call it the library,” James explains.
“It’s covered with antique furniture,
weird picture frames, lamps, so it
makes for a cosy, intimate place, where
everyone is there to listen to the music.”
The next event, which will be on
September 21st, features newcomer
Salóme Katrín and Matthildur. While
Salóme has yet to release recorded mu-
sic, the Grapevine re-
cently named her “one
to watch” after seeing
her performance at this
year’s Hátiðni festival.
Mat t h i ldu r, mea n-
while, is known for her
soothing and seductive vocals, which
are sure to thrive in the intimate con-
cert space.
“We want to put on new artists and
new music,” James explains. “And also
have an exciting night where people can
come to see the ‘next big thing’ they
didn't even know about.””
Words:
Hannah Jane
Cohen
Photo:
Polka Polkovskaa
Words:
Alexander Le
Sage de Fontenay
Photo:
M. Kristensen
CULTURE
NEWS
ELECTRIC
DREAMS
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Knockin' 'em dead
Let Me Be What I Want To Be
LaFontaine on his musical ubringing,
releasing electronic music on vinyl
Jóhannes LaFontaine—better known
under is electronic-music moniker
LaFontaine—is a known figure in
Iceland’s clubbing scene. He started
making music when he was eleven
and has numerous solo projects and
collaborations under his belt, not to
mention countless live and DJ sets
performed at most of Reykjavík’s
clubs and festivals over the years.
Currently, he hosts a regular club-
night at Bravó with fellow electron-
ic-musician Exos, and runs his own
label, 199X Recordings.
Best k now n for his techno,
Jóhannes still has a broad taste for
music. “My parents were big metal-
fans and I grew up listening to the
same bands they did,” he explains.
“Then, my uncle Gulli [of bands Fu-
Festival
New To Us. #3 will
be on September
21st at 20:30 at
Hlemmur Square.
Admission is free!
Music
Follow
LaFontaine’s
music at
soundcloud.
com/
lafontaine199x
Find out what
199X Recordings
is all about on
199xrecordings.
com.
LaFontaine’s
next EP
‘Dehumanized’
will be released
on Planet X
Records late-
October.
fanu and russian.girls] introduced
me to different kinds of music when
we were growing up. From there, I
got more into techno and dance-
music in general.”
The idea for 199X Recordings
came back in 2016 when Jóhannes
got bored of releasing digital-only
tracks. “I stumbled upon music by
[the Swiss techno musician] Mateo
Hurtado on SoundCloud and decided
I wanted to press it on vinyl,” he
explains. “Some people said that re-
leasing an unknown artist on a new
label isn’t clever. I say fuck them, I
still love it!”
199X Recordings released ‘In-
verted Forest’ by Mateo Hurtado
last year following a successful
crowdfunding project. “We have a
few releases lined-up for the coming
months, first-up will be a solo-EP
of my songs as LaFontaine, which
will include a remix by Volruptus,”
he says. “Then we will release an
EP of songs by [local electro-acid
musician] ThizOne.”
Jóhannes’ next release, ‘Dehu-
manized,’ will be out on Planet X Re-
cords next month and includes a re-
mix by leading US techno-producer
Matrixxman. “Matrixxman played
the original version of ‘Dehuman-
ized’ during his Boiler Room set at
this summer’s Dekmantel festival,”
he explains. “It’s really cool and re-
warding to see well-known artists
play your music. That set created a
lot of hype for me.”
Turn Me On With Your
Electric Feel
Extreme Chill Festival
September 12th – 15th – Various
locations — 4-day passes are 9.900
ISK
The Extreme Chill Festival is an
annual event for electronic music
lovers taking place both in
Reykjavík and Berlin. On the
festival’s 10th anniversary,
Icelandic and foreign artists hit the
stage in seven different locations in
the Reykjavík city center: Gamla Bíó,
IÐNÓ, Gaukurinn, Mengi, Exeter Hotel,
and Klaustur Bar. No need to buy an
expensive ticket to Berlin to see the
likes of TANGERINE DREAM, they’ll
come to us. LM
SOULFLOW COMEDY
Women & Queer Stand Up
Open Mic Night
September 16th- 21:00 – Gaukurinn -
Free admission
Every Monday, Gaukurinn hosts an
open-mic stand-up night. Only
women and queer folks are allowed
to sign up to go on stage, but
everyone is welcome to attend. If
you’re feeling especially
spontaneous you can even sign up
the same night or take part in the
improv audience participation
game. LE
Nostalgia And A Touch
Of Voyeurism
Icelandic Snitsel
September 19th - 20:00 -
Tjarnarbíó – Free admission
Janus Bragi Jakobsson and
Loji Höskuldsson provide the
opportunity to get exclusive
insight into Icelandic family life.
In a performative lecture, they
present old video-recordings that
they collected. The videos are an
expression of the fear of being
forgotten—so if you’re just a little
bit voyeuristic and keen on keeping
the memories of strangers alive,
this might be something for you. LE
“If you’re a new
artist, where do
you start?”