BeatRoute Magazine ON Edition - October 2019

TRAVEL
ICELAND
AIRWAVES
Exploring Reykjavík:
The Land of Fire and Ice
By GLENN ALDERSON
GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO
F
or a music celebration that takes place on an
island infamous for getting only three hours
of darkness during the summer months, Iceland
Airwaves knows a thing or two about
making a lot of noise when the sun goes down.
Located in the Nordic island country’s capital
of Reykjavík, Iceland Airwaves is a hot bed
for local and international talent who gather once a year
for the ultimate music festival experience. The multi-day,
multi-venue celebration started 20 years ago as a talent
show held in an airport hangar for foreign record execs
hoping to catch a glimpse of the next BjÖrk or Sigur Ros.
Airwaves has since grown to become an internationally
recognized event for everyone, shining a light on the country’s
vast music scene with tons of live shows, all night
parties and general debauchery crammed into four days.
“Iceland has consistently punched well above its weight
with quality music,” says Iceland Airwaves’ managing director,
Will Larnach-Jones. “It’s an island, it’s remote, and
yes it’s expensive, but creatively our musical output stands
on the shoulders of giants.”
Larnach-Jones isn’t just talking about Of Monsters And
Men — arguably the country’s largest musical export next
to the Sugarcubes — Although, they are closing out the
festival this year on the Saturday night.
“The festival will always showcase Icelandic music
firstly and foremostly, but we want to also build on the
B2B side of the festival. So many great talent buyers,
agents, festival and musicians come into town, we want
to give them more opportunities to do business with Iceland,
collaborate, and learn.”
This year will see acts like Mac DeMarco, Shame, Booka
Shade, Orville Peck, Whitney and much more, performing
alongside a fantastic curation of Icelandic acts.
Matthildur is a stand out singer-songwriter and producer
based in Reykjavík. Her music is inspired by late 90s
R&B with elements of modern day soul. Emotive and bold
as hell, she is known for wearing her heart on her sleeve
and has been on an upward trajectory since her breakout
performance at Iceland Airwaves in 2018.
Whether you’re looking to sample the sights and
sounds of Reykjavík, party with the locals or find easy
ways to stretch your dollar in one of the most notoriously
expensive but equally as beautiful countries in the world,
songwriter/producer, Matthildur, offers some tips on how
to maximize your experience when visiting the land of fire
and ice.
Iceland Airwaves runs Wednesday, Nov. 6 to Saturday Nov. 9
ICELANDIC
SINGER SÓLVEIG
MATTHILDUR'S
ESSENTIAL
REYKJAVÍK
Punk
Museum's
Black Elf
"When the night is over and I’m
feeling a little bit peckish, I head
to Mandí on Veltusund 3b for latenight
eats. The service is such a
treat and you’ll definitely end up
having memorable conversations
with some locals, possibly in a
questionable state haha! "
32 BEATROUTE OCTOBER 2019