Þetta er Rúf English Radiomeð Darin AdamDaily English Language Radiofrom Iceland's national broadcasterRúfa pianist based here in the capital in Reykjavíka lecturer as well at Lísaskóli Íslandsand the artistic director of Mengithe venue where we're sitting right nowBusy man, JohnYeah, thanks for having meGood to talk to you todayLet's talk about your music first of allbecause you've had a pretty busy release scheduletwo albums just releasedand two more I think coming imminentlyYes, yesIt just kind of happens that way sometimesyou knowtheit's been kind of a sleepy few yearsof working on albumsandthen arranged with a record labeland then all of a suddenthey tell youthey're coming out all at the same timeRightAnd are these of a piece?Do they link togetheror do they just happen to be coming outat a similar sort of time?They just happen to be coming out at the same timeyou knowI think three different projectsare being released this falland then another one in the beginning of 2027HmmOkayTell me about the records thenand feel free to go through them sequentiallyif you wantTell me about those four recordsincluding the two that are coming out soonYeahThe first one that was released last monthI think the 12th of Septemberis a trio of mineof a piece called Pressure Chordswhich is a piece forcontrabass, clarinet, cello and tromboneI play contrabass, clarinetand it's a triokind of based in Berlinbecause the other two musicians are based thereand friends of mineand we worked well togetherso decided that we needed something to playso I wrote a piece for the three of usand it's based in a pre-existing solo piece of minethat I just orchestrated for the trioand it came out on LP and digital releasein the Swiss label Hallowgroundand the second one came out a week lateron a Berlin-based labelran by the great Orin Ambarcicalled Black Truffleand that is a duo project with Marja Atea Swedish-Finnish sound artistand we recordedsome of the music for thatsome of that here last yearshe came and played at Mengiand kind of workedI worked in Reykjavíkshe lives in Turku, Finlandand then we worked separatelyand then came togetherhere in Reykjavík to finish the albumand that's an interesting recordbecause I play clarinetsand recordersand Marja is a sound artistso her palette of soundsis kind of infiniteso it came together quite welland finally,I got to the pointwhere I realizedthis is the art of soundand it was so much funI thought thatit was going to be awesomeand I was likethere is something wonderfulin the world of musicYes, there isI was very nervousbecause I was in the cultureand the peopleand I had a great hard timeworking in the music worldand I thoughtI would like to do thisand I had to return to schooland so I workedI have been workingin this clubfor over a yearAnd then two more records coming out shortly.Yes, the next record is called The Long Earby a trio that I'm in called No Agewhich is also a project of Charmaine Leewho's a New York-based vocalist and artistand Lee Chin Lee who's a Paris-based Schengen playerand it's quite interesting and unique projectthat will come out in November on Co Records of New Yorkand this was a project spurred on by Charmaineand she does vocals and when we recorded ithad an array of amplifiers and a parabolic microphonewhich she then controlled feedbackwith this parabolic microphone pointing it at the different ampsand then I was in another room playing contrabass clarinetand that was a project that I was inand that was a project that I was in another room playing contrabass clarinetbut was connected to an amp that was in that roomand if I felt so I could push down a volume pedaland then my sound came into one of the ampsthat Charmaine was doing feedback throughand then it linked together where it would cause her feedbackto be in unison with whatever I was playing.Yeah, pretty interesting stuff.Yeah, some references there with Steve Reich I guessto an extent with his pendulum musicand I suppose you could even dig in as far as metal machine musicby Lou Reed there.Very interesting ideas.So the feedback was helping to drive the composition in a way.Yeah, absolutely.Sonically I would say a touchstone for that would bethe drone metal band Sun Oh.It kind of has a similar sonic similarity to thatbut what's very interesting about it isLi Chen Li is an orchestral soloist, experimental musicianand she's a virtuoso of Shen playing.So she's a virtuoso of Shen playing.So she's a virtuoso of Shen playing.So with the feedback and the contrabass clarinetoccupying kind of the low range of the sonic spectrumLi Chen is playing over the top of everythingin this very, very quick manner and it's very interesting.And as if that wasn't enoughthere's a fourth record.Yeah, and this record is a collaboration projectwith the Icelandic composer Bergrun Snægjonsdóttirand it was a commission by the G.I.B.R.M. in Parisand that's an organization that has been around since the 1960sstarting with Musique Concrette and Electronic Musicand I had worked with them before with their Accusmoniumwhich is an 80 plus speaker orchestra of different sonic qualitiesand so we were commissioned to go to Parisand spend two weeks at their studio in the Radio France buildingand create...a 20 minute piece for the Accusmoniumso it's a piece for contrabass clarinet, soprano recorder and tapeand we performed it in the Radio France concert halland recorded itand now it will come out throughG.I.B. R.M. and Shelter Press on LP in January of 2027.I must admit I didn't realize that G.I.B. R.M. still existedI sort of think of it as that 60s organizationand what a lineage to be part ofgoing right back to Xenakisand all of those incredible musiciansand all of those incredible musiciansYeah, yeahand I mean, you know, the founder, Francois Baleis still alive, he's in his 90syou know, when I was there, he was at the concertso it's this really, really interesting lineagethat's still happeningand the first time I worked with them in Stockholm in 2024I got to witness the Xenakis piece Concrette PHwhich he wrote for the G.I.B. R.M.they performed it through the AccusmoniumOkay, and this is the one where he burns charcoal, doesn't he?to make incredible soundsYour instrument then is the contrabass clarinetWhat's the appeal of that instrument to you?Well, as a classically trained clarinetistwho also comes from, you know, starting in punk bandsand jazz and, you know, contemporary classical musicand all these thingsyou know, I play all the clarinets and I have them allbut it was just when I was doing my bachelor's degreethis instrument was kind of sitting aroundand nobody was paying attention to itmuch attentionand I found it very interestingand I just haven't put it down sinceI like the idea that you approached itbecause you sort of felt sorry for itit was kind of lonelybut has it rewarded you?Oh, absolutelyIt's not a very well-researched instrumentso that was very exciting for methat there were all these kind ofundocumented possibilities with itand so I've spent the past, I thinkprobably about 15 yearsplaying the instrumentand have arrived at my own personal language on itNow, tomorrow you are performing with Skúli Svæðarssonright here in Mengitell me about thatYeah, so Skúli and I are good friendsand Skúli is one of the founders of Mengiand kind of, you know, director emeritusand so, you know, we have a lot of similaritiesin our musicin our musical interestsand have just kind of played in different circumstancesand then over the past yearhave decided to pursue playing duoand this is kind of the premiere of this duoOkayYeahLet's go for a wander if we canaround Mengibecause I want to talk to you about the other hat that you wearwhich as we said, you're the artistic director of this venuewhich is right in the center of ReykjavíkFor anyone who's not familiar with Mengiwhat can they expect to hear and see in this venue?Well, what you expect to hearreally differs from night to nightI mean, Mengi has kind of a long lasting reputationas a venue for experimental music in 101and it's been around since 2013but, you know, as much as we're known for experimental musicI think our kind of curatorial attitudeis just to represent the grassroots and DIY scenein Reykjavíkso it could vary from night to nightOne night you could see a classical music recitalor an up and coming pop musicianand the next night you can seepeople improvising on electronicsYou know, it's just we're here to serve the communityAnd do you have that community?Do you have that crowd?Do you also find that there are people who just drop inand want to sample what might be taking place?Yeah, it variesYou know, we've had concerts whereI've been kind of mind blownwhere it seems 75% of the audience is touristsand I'll be like, ohyou know, and it'll be some artist that they listened towhen they were younger, you knowand, yeah, totally, totally variesbut, you know, we have a good amount of volunteerswho help out with the spaceand so we get a really interesting cross-sectionand, like, I played a concert here a few weeks agoand I didn't recognize a single personOkaySo it's totally up in the air what can happenYeah, that must be pleasing as an artistto see a new audience developing in front of youYeah, well, it makes me want to kind of go up to peopleand be like, what are you doing here?Who are you?Yeah, yeahSo, your gig then with Gulli tomorrow, when is that?Doors are at 19.30, shows at 20and we will be performing with a US-based artistZosia Warpehawho is a Hardanger d'Amore playerwhich is, you know, the Norwegian Hardanger fiddlewhich is a violin with sympathetic stringsAnd what can you tell us about the seasonbeyond that gig tomorrow here at Mengi?October and November are fully bookedYou know, there is somethe new Icelandic record label, Platawhich is ran by, you know, a group of youngkind of prolific electronic musiciansPlata will have a showcase here during airwavesIn November, we have a two-nightMoses Hightower residencyA lot of young up-and-coming artistsreleasing albums and doing their release shows hereSo, yeah, a whole mixed bag of stuff over the next two monthsThanks very much indeedHey, thanks, DarrenDetails of your gig are on the page accompanying the showfrom Rúf English Radioand details of Mengi as wellif you wish to come and check this place outIt's Rúf English RadioMy name is Darren Adamand you can get in touch anytimewe're english at ruv.isThere is more from Rúf Englishwith all the news from Iceland in Englishat ruv.is slash englishRúf English Radio is a daily English language radiofrom Iceland's national broadcasterRúf
