Reykjavík Grapevine - jún. 2023, Blaðsíða 24

The Reykjavík Grapevine 7 / 23 24Music
Music News
Harpa Concert Hall, in collaboration
with Reykjavík Music City and RÚV,
has announced a new series of con-
certs starting in fall 2023. The series,
named Upprásin, begins in Septem-
ber 2023 and will take place every
Tuesday until spring 2024. Each night
will feature performances by two art-
ists The initiative is part of an effort
to increase the accessibility of Harpa
to grassroots artists and young
musicians. Applications are open to
anyone who defines themselves as
part of the grassroots music scene.
Participants will receive logistical
support from Harpa, and promotional
help from Reykjavík Music City and
RÚV. Applications are open on Har-
pa’s website until June 16.
Ísafjörður-based music festival Við
Djúpið has announced its return af-
ter a nine-year hiatus. A small-scale
version of the event was held last
year. Við Djúpið focuses on bringing
world-class contemporary classical
artists and chamber music opportu-
nities to the West Fjords. Musicians
will give recitals and teach at the
associated festival summer course
program. Music students are en-
couraged to register for the summer
courses incorporating masterclass-
es by flautist Catherine Gregory and
pianist David Kaplan. Við Djúpið runs
from June 17 to June 21 and kicks
off with an open-air performance by
Árný Margrét and Andri Þrastar.
The annual Hátíðni music festi-
val, produced by the art collective
post-dreifing, has revealed the first
wave of its lineup. Hátíðni takes
place for the fifth time this year and
features a diverse roster of artists,
showcasing local and internation-
al grassroots scenes. The festival
takes place in the town of Borðeyri in
North Iceland and spans three days,
from June 30 to July 2. The festival‘s
first lineup announcement includes
artists Sucks to be you Nigel, PEL-
LEGRINA, Berglind Ágústsdóttir
AKA siggi0lafsson, Iðunn Einars,
Masaya Ozaki, Einakróna, Kate,
NITEFISH, and Nothing To Wear, with
more artists to be announced.
Harpa Opens Applications For
New Concert Series
Við Djúpið Music Festival An-
nounces Its Return
Hátíðni Music Festival Reveals
Lineup
WORDS Jóhannes Bjarkason
IMAGES Supplied by FOUND
The Icelandic music industry is
not known for its size or the gener-
ous revenue streams it generates.
It’s mostly haphazard – musicians
ebb and flow between different
bands, genres and styles, never
settling down to a cushy record deal.
The spontaneity and curiosity of
Icelandic artists are perhaps due in
part to the music industry’s lack of
formal frameworks. Record labels
are few and far between, and most
form out of a grassroots necessity
for artists to be able to release their
own work.
Not to say that the Icelandic mu-
sic industry is completely devoid
of formal organisation or business
practices. You can find corporate
labels mixed in between those run
independently – from Alda Music to
Why Not? Records – which all have
their own artists to support.

YOU’RE GONNA NEED A
BIGGER SUITCASE

From America to Iceland, the re-
cord label FOUND is entrepreneur
Scott Blum’s newest venture. Based
in California, Scott has a tech and
music business background. Some
of his notable achievements include
co-founding the company behind
iMusic; producing Peter Gabriel’s
multimedia album EVE; and work-
ing on numerous music projects
on his long list of ventures. Moving
on from the music industry, Scott
established the yoga and meditation
company DailyOm, which he helmed
for 18 years until selling it in 2021.

In need of some rest and relaxation,
Scott decided to search out the
opposite of sunny Santa Barbara
– Iceland. On his trip in 2022, he
was struck with his next big idea: a
record company exclusively signing
Icelandic artists.
“I just sort of fell in love with the
music,” Scott says over the comput-
er from California. His first introduc-
tion to the Icelandic music scene
during his visit was his encounter
with Örlygur Steinar Arnalds from
the electronic group Sideproject,
at Reykjavík’s flagship Smekkleysa
record store. On his way back home,
Scott had to buy extra luggage to fit
all his newly acquired vinyl records.
He flew back to Santa Barbara,
enchanted by the music he discov-
ered. A month later Scott estab-
lished FOUND.

Exclusively focusing on Icelandic
artists, FOUND currently has three
names on its roster: Gróa, Magnús
Jóhann and Silva & Steini. Varying in
genre and style, the diversity of the
label’s roster is deliberate. “I think
it’s representative of the real Ice-
landic music scene, where you see
all of these different types of artists
all performing on the same night,
sometimes on the same stage.”
Scott says that his perception is that
Icelandic musicians are on a con-
stant quest for ingenuity and novelty
– nobody tries to emulate what once
broke through.
“One of the first things you do when
you come to Iceland as a foreigner
Feature Not Like All The
Other Labels
American record label FOUND enters the music scene