Reykjavík Grapevine - Jan 2021, Page 23

23The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 01— 2021
Electro Poets Of
The 21st Century
Möller Records turns 10 years old
Through almost 100 albums over a
span of 10 years, Möller Records has
delivered cutting-edge premium elec-
tronic music to a market of just around
360,000 people. Árni Grétar, or Future-
grapher as he calls himself, compares
the survival of the label to how people
get weirdly obsessed with golf and then
just do it all the time forever. Pure re-
silience, he explains.
We couldn’t meet with Árni Grétar
in-person because of COVID-19 so we
decided to talk together for three days
through email about Möller Records’
upcoming anniversary and 100th re-
lease, which they are currently crowd-
funding through Karolina Fund. Here
is that unfiltered email conversation.
valur@grapevine.is
--------------------------------
Now then, you started Möller records a
decade ago in the turmoil of Iceland’s
total financial collapse, a decade be-
fore the worst pandemic outbreak in
the last 100 years and, during all that,
there’s been an incredible global surge
of populism, fascist ideology and just
overall political insanity. How the hell
have you survived all of this as a small
electro-indie label in Iceland?!
ag@mollerrecords.com
--------------------------------
I would like to think that staying out-
side of politics and what others are do-
ing around you has helped quite a bit.
And what has helped a small label like
Möller to stay alive and to grow is the
drive from the inside—because if we
look into the whole electronic scene
here in Iceland, then it's quite big if you
compare it to other countries.
We have many artists and a lot of
labels who are doing great here. And
the music is getting around globally—
thankfully—and that is first and fore-
most because of the quality. Lastly, I
would like to say that all good things
come out of passion and love—and we
got that here. And Frosti (Bistro Boy)
has held this together very nicely the
last few years. He is the Obi-Wan and
has the best ear. I started this with
Jóhann (Skurken) only to release mu-
sic from us two and maybe a few other
friends. But Möller is still here.
valur@grapevine.is
--------------------------------
So what you're saying is that you are
technically on another planet, where
you have nothing less than Techno-
Jedis? Makes sense actually. But it's
true what you say, the scene here is
quite strong in electronic music. Why
is that? Does the Icelandic scene have
a unique sound? And I can't help won-
dering—what Jedi or space creature
would Futuregrapher be?
ag@mollerrecords.com
--------------------------------
Maybe we are... far, far away in anoth-
er galaxy. But yeah, if you look at it, we
have such a strong scene. I think it is
because it starts from digging yourself
out of something. And Icelanders are
good at that, right?
You get a drum machine, you get a
synth and you try to make it work. And
in the meantime there is really bad
weather outside—windy and cold—so
you just stay inside until you have mas-
tered the craft.
The Icelandic scene has a bit of am-
bient in it all and is very experimental.
We have great talents in all genres of
the electronica world, but to me, there
is a great soundtrack to them all. That
cold, windy stuff... yet beautiful.
I am a Han Solo type. The Jedis are
the likes of Bistro Boy, Skurken, Rux-
pin and such.
valur@grapevine.is
--------------------------------
Talking about cold, windy stuff. How
the hell has Möller records managed to
release 99 albums? Have you not slept
for a decade? And what was the hardest
one to get out or the most memorable
(you have to choose one biz story here)?
ag@mollerrecords.com
--------------------------------
Well, it takes hard dedication to do
pretty much nothing else than focus-
ing on music. Which I do pretty much
myself, [as do] Frosti and the people
around us. We are just those kinds of
people. Some people play golf—we do
this. The first releases were mastered
by Jóhann (Skurken) and then I took
over in some projects and for the last
few years Frosti has been managing
this with pride.
Not every release is physical, so that
helps. But still a lot of work. But we like
it. The hardest one to put out at first
was probably my first solo album as
Futuregrapher which was entitled "LP"
and came out in 2012 (Helga012). It was
supposed to be one of the first releases,
but I was still drinking at the time and
partying so it always got postponed.
But after many sleepless nights—liter-
ally—it finally came out in August and
I sobered up and have been sober ever
since.
Also me and Jóhann were good
friends with Bjössi Biogen who was
also my mentor in the biz. We were
talking about putting out an album
with stuff from him. He was excited
and we were stoked. But he said good-
bye before that happened. We still miss
him and I will always love him. Möller
wouldn't have happened without him,
because I met Skurken through Bjössi
at a Weirdcore event at Jacobsen many
moons ago.
valur@grapevine.is
--------------------------------
We have to talk about money. I'm truly
sorry, everybody hates it but needs it at
the same time. How does one finance
such an underground label in such a
niche market? Is an electro musician
perhaps the poet of the 21st century, al-
ways broke but full of wonderful ideas?
ag@mollerrecords.com
--------------------------------
Haha, I like that. Poets of the 21st cen-
tury. I'll take that <3 There is little or
like no money in this business. That's
why we all have day jobs. Like I said, to
us—this is like golf. A hobby. We are
good at it, for sure, but we aren't work-
ing professionals. Some might think
we don't take it seriously then, but the
beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
This is what makes us happy.
We have always kept a policy at
Möller Records that the artists own the
rights to their songs and if they want
to do physical copies of their releases,
then the artist themselves will pay for
it and get all the money for those sales
themselves. We help them to make it
happen and point them to the right di-
rection. But mainly we are focusing on
Spotify, bandcamp and the digital ven-
ues. Many artists on the label have also
got some help financially in making
their physical copies from applying for
national grants or to make it happen via
Karolina Fund (like we are doing now).
And because the artists own their
songs they get their collected royalties
via Stef or another collecting society.
So Möller is kinda like an umbrella
over the artists who are releasing here.
valur@grapevine.is
--------------------------------
Tell me more about this project about
the hundredth album you are crowd-
funding for? What artist will be on it,
and how has the older stuff aged?
ag@mollerrecords.com
--------------------------------
This is basically music from most of
the artists that have been releasing on
Möller for the past 10 years and will
be available in double LP—which will
be four records in total. Bistro Boy,
EinarIndra, Skurken, Futuregrapher,
Steve Sampling, Tanya & Marlon,
Röskva, Subminimal, Gunnar Jónsson
Collider, Fu Kaisha and many more
will be on it. We are working on the
final arrangements, so the tracklist
isn't 100% ready, but it will be a great
spotlight on all those years and great
compilation. The older stuff has aged
really well and the first few albums on
Möller got a lot of praise and were criti-
cally acclaimed.
Listening back to the catalog is
great and some of the first albums are
in my honest opinion very, very good.
It will be a great addition to the collec-
tion for any electronica fan.
Emails have been edited for format-
ting.
Words:
Valur Grettisson
Photo:
Art Bicnick
This here: The kraftgalli is coming back
“Poets of the 21st
century. I'll take
that.”
Info
mollerrecords.com