Good morning campers. The sun is shining bright and clear here in Reykjavik. We will admit we had actually forgotten what blue skies looked like. It turns out it is absolutely beautiful in this chilly city! The golden sun bouncing off a calmer sea and kissing snow covered mountains in the distance …
Holy hell, what an epic finish! Legendary Icelandic band HAM took over Kex Hostel for our final show of the day from Iceland Airwaves. And when we say took over, we really mean it. These heavy rockers formed in 1984, but it was a series of opening gigs for The Sugarcubes in 1988 that began to garne…
It's gusting something fierce out in the dark Reykjavik night. But it's warm and cozy here in Kex Hostel as our live broadcast continues. Our fourth Iceland Airwaves act of the day was rock trio Kimono, heavy, loud, and a bit dark. They formed in 2001 as an instrumental post-rock band, but have evo…
For a song that was supposed to be a joke, Alt-J are really running with the track "Left Hand Free." The UK trio have made yet another video for the single, this time portraying a debaucherous lifestyle, with quite the twist ending. Check it out below, and watch them perform the track LIVE in the …
Our third act at our awesome off venue stage at Kex Hostel show of the day live from Iceland Airwaves in Reykjavik was Prins Póló (this also happens to be the name of a Polish chocolate bar here in Iceland, but we assure you it was the artist, not the candy, that we broadcast live). Svavar Pétur Ey…
Check out some of the KEXP DJ’s favorite artists from the Pacific Northwest and around the world on-the-go. KEXP’s Music That Matters weekly podcast brings you an exclusive mix of new music from the world’s best independent artists.
Our second Iceland Airwaves band of the day live from Kex Hostel in downtown Reykjavik was Icelandic trip hop and electro pop group Young Karin, played Bumbershoot in Seattle this year. They are a new band, having formed just last year. But they are already garnering attention at home and abroad. T…
Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. This week, we’re presenting songs …

In 2018, KEXP celebrated the 30th anniversary of local record label Sub Pop with a four-month retrospective, "counting up" every catalog number in their vast discography of over 1,200 releases. Dig into the archives of our catalog coverage, featuring in-depth coverage on the history of their releases.