Hello again, old friend

| 03-Nov-2022 | What is this craziness? Where am I? Did I really get on a plane and fly seven hours to Europe? Yes, yes I did. Hello again, Reykjavik, good to see you!

We’re back in what is arguably our “home away from home” for Iceland Airwaves 2022.

After a pleasant flight with great views of the northern lights, we’re settled into a spacious and unique flat only a few doors down from our usual haunt. It’s just Jeff and me this trip (and Pleepleus, of course), and only four days, but we’re ready to rejoin our extended Airwaves family and experience live music again!
The flat we rented is an eclectic collection of art, furniture, and books, and tons of natural light.  Easily 4x the size of our usual RVK abode – it’s an amazing find. The upstairs bedrooms feature huge skylight windows with views of the cathedral, downtown, and the bay.
Met up with our friend “Calculon” Rob, of the sleazy, dirty, funkatronic band Revenge of Calculon, and had a greasy, fortifying breakfast at The Laundromat Cafe.

Kicked off the music portion of the  day’s programming at Lucky Records, with an electronic set by Andartak. Good head bobbing music to get the body back into the groove.

We learned our friend and KEXP DJ Kevin Cole would be doing a little warm-up set for the surprise appearance of the Icelandic collective, Apparat Organ Quartet, at Bad Taste Records’ new location in the former skate park.  We rolled across town to see what was up.  AOQ had all the electronics two banquet tables could handle and the subterranean room was packed. AOQ is celebrating the long-awaited vinyl release of their 1999 debut album. Quirky little 5 song set  with snarky, self-depricating commentary.

Grabbed a quick hotdog for dinner on the way to Gaukurinn to catch a couple of sets, including Faroese artist Janus Rasmussen. We’ve seen a number of his projects including Bloodgroup and Kiasmos. Tonight he was dropping sticky smooth beats, accompanied by a live violinist and a black and white video backdrop. The small room quickly became a single, moving organism, bobbing and bouncing to the music. So much joy and appreciation between artist and audience. Love this talented musician.