Back in November 2018, KEXP took our annual trip to Reykjavik for the Iceland Airwaves Music Festival. Over the span of four days, we broadcasted live from the renowned KEX Hostel, streaming live video of performances from Icelandic artists and other acts from the festival lineup. We’ll be rolling out these videos over the weeks to follow. Today’s feature is of renowned Icelandic artists Bára Gísladóttir and Skúli Sverrisson. Writer Dusty Henry reported:
Recordings of Gísladóttir and Sverrisson’s collaborative works have yet to materialize, making their performance at KEX a special treat. Their set was completely improvisational, creating their cacophonous sounds right before our eyes. The two hardly ever connected their eyes while they played, but never did they feel out of sync. What's even more astounding is how the two blended so well while taking drastically different approaches with their instruments. Gísladóttir's playing is immensely physical, gripping her double bass with icy intensity. In her hands, the instrument screeches, twists, and contorts and fills the room with its powerful bombast. Her eyebrows flicker when she hits a particularly gnarly note. Or notes, as is often the case. The chords she'd manifest are harsh and unfamiliar, a delightfully alien sound. Her movements with the bow felt like a saw, grinding against the strings as if to cut through the strings.
Read the full report here.
Recorded November 6, 2018.
Hosts: Kevin Cole & Cheryl Waters
Audio Engineers: Kevin Suggs & Eyvindur Þorsteinsson
Cameras: Jim Beckmann, Alaia D'Alessandro, Scott Holpainen & Matt Ogaz
Director & Editor: Justin Wilmore
