The Reykjavík Grapevine: Music

Accidental ReggaeHjálmar

“It was completely by accident that all the songs ended up being reggae songs. When we started recording, we knew that we didn’t want pop but we weren’t aiming for […]

REVENGE OF THE DRUM NERDS

I’m well aware of the fact that in Iceland, famous people are not treated with the same degree of fawning and adulation that they might get in other countries. I’ve […]

Ego: the fine art of resurfacing

Arguably, one of the highlights of Reykjavík’s recent so-called Culture Night was the reunion of Egó – one of the biggest Icelandic rock acts of the early to mid-‘80s. Then

A WELL-LAID MAN IS A HAPPY MAN

You go over to Bæjarins bestu with hot dog on your mind and by the time it´s your turn you´re no longer responding to commands from your belly region. Even […]

Harvesting the Fertile Imagination: Múm comes home

With the addition of a percussionist, brass player and string player they have become a veritable orchestra. But orchestrated they are not. The stage is rife with movement, players

THE BLACK HEART OF LOU REED

The poet must find the medium to suit the times. In ancient Greece, Homer and his cohorts would sing their epic poems. In the Middle Ages, poems troubadours would go […]

James Brown works Laugardalshöllin

From the Godfather of punk to the Godfather of funk. And, of course, soul. To my generation, James Brown first appeared coming out of the floor, singing Living in America […

Music for the Masses

Grapevine: What are your influences? Böddi: Sting and Guns n’ Roses. GV: Sting and Guns n’ Roses. Really? You’re not a 101 band, are you? Böddi: No. What we’re playing [&

HIP HOP TAKES CENTER STAGE IN REYKJAVÍK

The only disappointment of the evening was Geno Sydal, whose laid-back style could not make the transition to the fist-pumping persona he took on for the show. Amiable and likeable

BEERMAN IN THE ROUGH

It is common practice to start drinking in the car on the way. Somebody gets to be the designated driver and, since he´s usually the only one that cares by […]

Cigarettes and Mint Tea

Yeah, we hit Germany rolling and came up shooting, sunglasses on, with a rum bottle in one hand and a hotel key in the other. We immediately went to our […]

DRINKING IN THE SHOWER

Much of my childhood was spent messing around in the local swimming pools and as a logical progression, I got hooked on long, hot showers. This habit caused some frustration [&hell

Revolution or social extinction?

I have always admired him, always found him to have a mysterious magnetism that surpasses his general amiability. And sitting there, watching him, hypnotized by his fraying dreadlo

Return of an MC

Geno Sydal will be opening up for 50 Cent on August 11th: “I think we’re going to steal the show, honestly,” he says. We sit in a clean and unusually […]

Drum Solo B1 at Gallery KlinK & Bank

Lortur, a collective of filmmakers and other artists, will open their biennial show, Trommusóló B1, this Friday, August 6th at 5pm in Gallery KlinK & Bank, Brauturholt 1. Du

BEERMAN GETS ROMANTIC

But who are they kidding anyway? People don´t fall in love with each other. They fall in love with themselves. A guy falls in love with a girl who laughs […]

DON´T BOOTLEG IT: DÓRI DNA PREPARES TO REWRITE HIP HOP

So what does he have to say for himself? First of all, how old is he? Dóri: Write down that I’m 20. I think it sounds better. All the rappers […]

While the Headbangers Are Away, the Homebodies Will Play: INNIPÚKINN 2004

The line-up was unexpectedly diverse with big names like Singapore Sling and Trabant, as well as some old names like the rabel-rousing sexagenarian, Ómar Ragnarsson. On the schedu

July 23, 2004

Singapor Sling

The room is stripped down. On the walls, one poster of a centerfold with an unusually well-groomed pubic region, one poster for Bonnie “Prince” Billie, two for Slowblow, and a

July 23, 2004