From Denmark to Iceland, producer and underground champion knackered is delivering ice-cold immersion of the highest echelon. Ahead of her performance at this year’s Iceland Airwaves, she talks about fatigue, favourites, and festivals.
You may think of Iceland as a secluded nation of harsh weather, long stretches of darkness, and niche communities. But beneath the ice sits one of the most unique, eclectic and undiscovered underground scenes in Europe. The vast array of talent coming out of the country is highlighted during Iceland Airwaves Festival, which was founded in 1999 and takes place in Reykjavik every year.
A dazzling merging of international artists – from Ireland’s Dove Ellis to Sweden’s Cobrah, UK’s Adult DVD to Canada’s Piss, Japan’s bed to Belgium’s Warhaus – and its home nation’s finest – Ólafur Arnalds to Inspector Spacetime, Cell7 to Sycamore Tree – this year’s bill boasts a mind-blowing range of talent making the wintery trip from 4th-8th November.
One of the most compelling local artists playing the festival this year is knackered, a Danish producer and creative force who moved to Reykjavik from Northern Jutland, Denmark, at age 21, and rooted herself at the core of the bustling underground scene. Energetic, immersive and playful, her distinctive sound pulls from a plethora of sub-styles, potent in its presence and whimsically elusive in its ability to be defined or refined.
Dropping a debut EP, “fyi”, last year, knackered went on to play alongside the likes of Björk and Arca at August’s eclipse rave, Echolalia, and was named Live Act of the Year this year at The Reykjavik Grapevine. Ahead of being a must-see at this year’s festival, she talks about what tires her out and why Iceland revives her.
Read the interview…
I’m also knackered. But why are you?
We’re all knackered <3 I don’t think I’ve felt truly well-rested a day in my life since childhood. But techno-fascism in particular makes me incredibly knackered.
Why did you decide to move to Iceland at the age of 21?
In order to find a space for the music I was interested in making I knew I had to move away from my hometown in Denmark anyway. I wasn’t really interested in going to Copenhagen like everyone else, so when a friend of mine got into a photography school in Reykjavik, I thought “yeah, why not?”. I liked how it’s a really small capital with an open and tight-knit music scene where the culture for grassroots music is really strong. And even more importantly, it feels like people believe that you have something to offer. I at least became part of the scene quickly, and my very first gig in Iceland was an off-venue show at Iceland Airwaves in 2015, back when there were shows happening all over town, every nook and cranny. I maybe had three finished tracks at the time and I filled out the rest of the set with some poetry. I believe that’s how you grow and learn as a musician. Just get out there. Your music doesn’t have to be perfect from the get-go. Mine sure wasn’t and still isn’t I suppose. But it requires a community that supports you, and that’s what I found in Reykjavik.
What’s your favourite thing about Reykjavík?
You can make things happen with really short notice: events, shows, projects. People have the mentality that “it’s gonna work out so let’s go!”, and because people offer their time and skills it’s possible to pull off really cool things. I needed an outfit for the events surrounding Echolalia this summer so I asked the clothing brand Vecct if they wanted to collaborate, and the next day I was set. So wholesome.
But yeah it’s a blessing and maybe also a bit of a curse. Every summer is definitely swamp season: we play endless shows, start 60 new bands, release 800 albums (not really but you get the picture), and start labels. It’s relentless, and I believe it’s so active and creative because of the constant brightness outside. We need to make everything happen RIGHT NOW before winter. So you barely ever catch a break. And then winter is the season where things slow down and we pretty much hibernate. Or that’s what we tell ourselves. There’s always something going on though. I literally think I go to this venue called Mengi every week to see friends play all year round. But least it’s a season for digesting and incubating before next summer. I like that cycle.
You recently supported Queen Björk. How was the evening?
It was my first time meeting Arca and Kaitlyn Aurelia, but otherwise the event felt like any informal night downtown. We all know each other and support each other. I thought it was incredibly special to have the opportunity to play my music for such a large audience in Iceland alongside my friends, which was made possible by Björk’s trust in and appreciation for our scene. I think that’s so precious.
How is the Iceland scene for underground electronic music? Do you think more people should be paying attention?
The music scene in general is great and the current scene that my friends and I are part of is really vibrant and exciting. People are truly creatively courageous and the quality of the output is, in my humble opinion, really high. There’s very little industry in Iceland for what we do, so we just make things happen together. I recently co-founded a label called ‘plata’ with friends from the scene. We’ve spent 10 years making collectives, hosting shows, and releasing music already, so it felt like the logical thing to establish a label that can platform what we do here, electronic music and otherwise. We released a compilation called ‘safn’ in collaboration with Smekkleysa that I highly recommend, and almost everyone from our scene who played Echolalia happened to be on it too.
What in the world are you most addicted to?
I just can’t stop listening to the same small handful of songs on repeat. Often just one track. There’s no genre requirement or anything, it’s simply about tiny production and mixing choices that I can’t get out of my head. Like, “Yoo this shaker sounds like a sneeze and it moves from one ear to the other, REPEAT”. Sometimes they’re humorous details, other times they just slap. I wouldn’t reveal what all the individual tracks are though, haha. But yeah, it calms me down when I’m busy. Otherwise I’m just deep in pebbling, rabbit holes, and admiring outfits from small clothing brands that I can’t afford.
Describe your production style as a colour, an emotion, and a culinary dish.
I can’t pick a general production colour but my first EP “fyi” is definitely light blue and I think of my music as sonically rude. I can get very socially overwhelmed in crowds but somehow when I perform my music I feel quite shameless and mischievous. And damn. I wouldn’t know what dish I should pick but my music is pretty tactile so it could definitely be something crunchy. Or maybe a plate with pink wobbly jelly in the middle and vitamins arranged around it?
You’re playing Iceland Airwaves this year. Why is the event so important for the growth of the country’s music scene?
I think what a showcase festival can and should do is to connect musicians with international audiences and industry people, while celebrating the creative drive within the domestic music scene. Iceland Airwaves is sort of the only festival that systematically brings industry people over to experience a wider range of genres and musicians from the scene. I think that’s a valuable effort that can help local musicians connect with international audiences and industries. Very few people from my scene are on the official lineup though so you’ll have to keep your eyes peeled for events around town in general too. The easiest way to find live music events is to visit @setlist.is or @icebreakerapp.is on Instagram. Our label ‘plata’ will also host a show at Mengi sometime during Airwaves week.
What can punters expect from your live set?
What’s a punter? I love playing for and connecting with people so if the audience is up for either dancing or just listening in from the dark corners of the venue, it’s gonna be so much fun. My music blends contemporary club music with pop structures and focuses heavily on texture and rhythm. There are even vocal lines sometimes. And I personally have a hard time not moving!
What other artists on the line-up are you excited about seeing?
Two artists I’ve never seen live are Shygirl and Cobrah, so I’m really excited for that. And I wanna shout out all my friends playing the festival, but the list would never end.
What’s coming up for you next year?
I just want to make so much more music, for myself and in collaboration with others. I’m currently working on a full-length album that will be released next year through ‘plata’, and I’ll spend some time abroad while working on it. Otherwise, we’ll be working on releasing a lot of music at the label, and I just hope to book way more gigs for myself (and everyone else) abroad as well. I’m crossing my fingers some booker will stumble on my gig during Airwaves. Next year may even end up bringing way more than I bargained for, you never know. So yeah dm me if you need weird beats and wild sound design. If I don’t reply, I’m just overwhelmed.
Find out more information on Iceland Airwaves here.
