Hello and welcome to the drop-in where we here at the Reykjavík Grapevine offices talk to people who drop in at the office by now, usually by request, although the other things still happen.By our request you mean?By our request, yeah. So this time around we have with us Pan Tóraðsson who organizes a music festival in Iceland called Extreme Chill which is taking place September 2nd to 6th this year and is the 17th incarnation of that festival.Pan has been running this festival since its beginning and today we would like to talk about the history of the festival a bit.And most notably who you're running the festival with, which I think is a good question.Yeah, who you're running the festival with, the lineup of 2026 and the fact that you also run a store, a label and you're also a musician.Yeah.So that's, we'll try to get through all of these things.Yeah, let's start though with the fact that you run this festival.Welcome.Sorry.Thank you.Thank you for having me.Welcome Pan.Thank you.Yeah.But you run this festival with your father.Yeah.Which I find fascinating because, you know, like usually music is such a clash between generations and this is kind of a music that I would think would clash with generations.But instead you and your father and your wife run this together, am I right?Yes, that's true.And that's been the case more or less since the beginning?From the beginning, yes.From basically 2008, me and my father, we were like recording a new album.We were in this ambient trio called Stereohypnosis.Yeah.It's me and my father and Þorgil Allarsson, the guitarist.2008, we were in Headless Hunter, in Snæfisnes, and we were recording our second album, Hypnagogia.Okay.And we stayed in a house, like a family house, so we built like a studio there inside.And we were there for some weeks recording.Okay.And I remember like one of our breaks, we went outside for a walk, and I think it was Saturday or something, it was like in the summer.And we walked by this strange, small, like a music house, like a community house in Headless Hunter.And they had like a concert there.Yeah.And we got here.And they had a music outside.So we went inside and checked it out, and it was like this crazy, cool stage.Okay.And people playing, and people in town having fun, partying.And it was really funny, like playing like old Icelandic songs on the stage.What instrumentation were they using for this?Sorry?What instruments were they using to play the old Icelandic songs?Was it the Kossi guitar?No, it was live band.Yeah, yeah, okay.You know, on the stage.And we just went inside because we were just like curious.To see what was happening inside.Yeah, not a lot of other things going on at that point.Yeah.And I think like straight away when we walked in, it was like really cool, old cinema, likereally, really cool house.So we had this idea to have our release concert there, 2009.And so 2009, we had a concert there in Headless Hunter.And it was amazing.Like a lot of people came from Reykjavík.We had Snorri Ásmundsson with us.And a lot of cool artists before we played.And then after the concert, of course, we went back to Reykjavík.I went home and we were like talking about it some weeks after.We need to do something more.It was so much fun.Maybe bigger, like maybe a small festival.And then 2010, we start, you know, the first edition in Headless Hunter.There's something special about the access.The possibility of snarfessness from Reykjavík.It makes it like the ideal escape.Yeah, like Headless Hunter is really, it's a really, I don't know, it's a strange place a little bit.You know, it's like, we always called it like zombie town.Yeah.It's nobody on the streets.No.You know, it's, you know, it's summer.It's good weather, but nobody's, everybody's inside.It's so strange.And it's not many tourists there.During that time, it was not many tourists, like 2008, 2009.Right.Because it's not a wing road, you know, you need to take like a, you know.You have to go the other direction.The other direction.And the tourists at the time, they all went the wing road.But today, of course, snarfessness is more busy, of course.Well, today, today it's a little bit busy.In a couple of days, it's going to be very busy.Yeah.Because we're speaking just before the August 12th eclipse.So it was really, I mean, it's also like snarfessness.On the north side of the peninsula, which has Hattlesandur, also has Stikisölmur and Ólafsvík.Ólafsvík, Grundafjörður.And Grundafjörður.So it has four villages, variously sort of lively, so to speak.But all sort of like old villages.Yeah, yeah, yeah.Stikisölmur being the UNESCO World Heritage Fishing Village.Yeah.Yeah.And in those places that used to be quite lively during the middle of the last centuryand into the 80s when we had the quota system arrive,they would build community halls, they would have swimming pools usually.Like these places would have infrastructure and then, as you described it,you then have a kind of a sleepy-esque town,but it still has things like that community hall you were mentioning.Yeah, like if you're talking about, like, because I heard you talk about swimming pools.Mm-hmm.Because in this area of snarfessness, it's no hot water.So that's why it's no swimming pools in snarfessness.And we say no hot water because most of the country,it has essentially free geothermal hot water that's run off.Yeah, yeah.Well, the north side is scarce on hot water.The south side has some.So there's like, well, I can't remember the name now.The Lísuhulslaug has, that's still open, I think.That's like a pool, natural pool that they have and built probably to teach kids how to swim.And then there's, is it called Hættlalaug next to Eldborg,which is kind of like, well, almost not on the peninsula.It's almost in Mýrar, but it's technically, I think, a part of the peninsula.So there's some down there, but not a lot on the north side.I think there's one indoor swimming pool in Ólafsvík.No, in Ólafsfjörður.Yeah.Oh, yeah, I mix those up all the time.Ah, yeah, yeah, me too.Is it Ólafsfjörður or Ólafsvík?It's Ólafsfjörður.It's Ólafsfjörður.No, no, it's Ólafsvík because it's Dalvík and Ólafsfjörður.That's true.So that's how I remember it.One is Vík and the other is Fjörður, so it must be the other.Yeah, yeah, it's Ólafsfjörður, yeah.The other Ólafsfjörður thing is in the north, I'm sorry.Yeah.So you did it, so you had the festival in 2009, and then...The release concert in 2009 and it becomes a festival, yeah.Yeah, sorry, in 2010.Yeah, 2009, 2010, and then, you know, yeah, it starts mainly 2010, yeah.So when did you start deciding it's going to be just nothing but drugs?No, I'm just joking, but this became a scandal later on.Yeah, yeah, yeah.Somehow it became like a culture clash.Yeah, yeah, yeah.So many key people from the city of Reykjavík came out.Yeah.It seems like we had some kind of weird incident where, you know,is this like a locals versus townies versus out-of-townieswhen one day they kind of get raided at the festival?So, yeah, that's the big, big, quote-unquote, scandal,the 2015 raid, police raid.Yeah.We should put it in quotes because nothing much was found,but a lot was raided.No, it was a lot of ransacking and a little...Not that much turned up.No, but it's almost, I don't know, let's call it what it is.It's basically police harassment in a sense.It was, yeah.Yeah, and I mean, you feel uncomfortable about that statement?Oh, I take a deep breath whenever we talk about police.Yeah, but...Well, I mean, it was, I think it was disproportionateand we were talking about it before recording that, you know,if you, if you took, like, first of all,any festival happening outside of Reykjavíkand you decided to basically frisk every single person,you would find something.And as you pointed out, if you went to a music venueas posh as our concert hall here and frisked everybody,something would come up.So it became, like, a big story at the timeand then went to the courts and it kind of, like,yeah, it didn't really go exactly the way police,the police wanted it to go.No, it was...But it kind of puts you off Snæfellsnes.Yeah.At least for the time.At least for the time being.But in the end, it was, I'm really happy now, you know, it happened.Really?Because now we're in Reykjavík, you know,and it's more fun and we have, you know, it's getting biggerand, like, everything is more easy, of course, to organize.It feels more influential maybe now that it's in Reykjavík.Is that possible?Yeah, it's, you know, now we can use the venues we have here.Yeah.And it's more easy set up, of course.And you're not going to be as influenced by, like, the weatherwhen it comes to attendance?Exactly.Everything is indoor.Yeah.And when you started, it was maybe an escape, like a vacation,but now it's, like, a part of the culture of the community.Yeah.I feel like it's, I was saying to you before we started recording,which is always smart for an interview,to do all the interview before you interview.Anyway, that looking at your lineup,this is kind of the heart of Reykjavík music now.It's like, these are actually,you mentioned that at one point this was a chance for peoplewho did a different kind of music to play,but now this is kind of a dominant form of live music.Do you feel that's true?Like, that the people you're, that are performing this yearare the more influential, active, like what we say in the business,working musicians in town?Yeah, yeah, we could say, yeah.And also, the festival now is, it's so changed.It's more like a, I call it, like, more like a concert venue festival.You know, it's, it's, it's all,always we have seated, it's, it's seated concerts all the time.Okay.And it's only up to 12 max, 11.30,so it's, you know, it's not much party anymore.It was, it was more party in the beginning, of course.Now it's more concerts.It's like, you know, amazing visuals, lights,and it's like really, you know, it's,we'll say more professional than in the beginning.Absolutely.In fact, it seems to be one of the more professional music festivals,probably running, because you've been doing it for so longand you're professional in all other regards.Yeah, the music thing is like, given the,we were looking at the grapevine and noting that we had this stupid coverageof this, this drug bust, and I'm like, you know,this is the least likely place to see drugs in the city now.But if, but if, but if you go backto 2015 with the, with the cop bust.Yeah.In the end, it was the best PR I've ever get.Okay.Yeah.You know, it was in the news for almost two weeks.I was like, I was, I was, I can't believe it.Like I was opening media like every day for two weeks.It's always something about it.Yeah.And, you know, people are calling me,interviews like endless and people talking about it on Facebook.And, and it was so good PR.And, you know, now people in Grafóður and like in some strange places in Iceland.I'm, I'm, I'm not saying Grafóður is a strange place.Right.But like all these suburbs and like also small villages all over,like people that didn't know about electronic music.Now everybody knows.I feel chill.Yeah, yeah, yeah.You know, I'm meeting people like randomly on the streets,like just, you know, normal people.You know, don't understand ambient music or something.But they, but they know what actually chill is.Ah, the corpus.Yeah, yeah, you know.Proving the, the saying all publicity is good publicity.That's the thing.I guess.Yeah, because, because when it happened,I was so scared because, because this is our, our baby,you know, in our festival.And I was, I was really scared.Like they're going to ruin it.Yeah.And then in the end, like, I don't know, it's, it's,it's great.I think I want to touch upon a point,which has to do with how a lot of creative projectsin this country are essentially not financially feasible,but are still done.We're going to refer to your life's work now.And ours.And ours, yeah, yeah.And I think, I think it's worth framing it as, as what it is.And with regards to a lot of different things,we're not going to mention, like, you know, culturally.Yeah.That the fact they take place is not because you can make moneyout of them very much, but because people want to,to make them happen or do the thing,whether it's music, art, festivals, a magazine or whatever else.I think it's important to like,for an international audience to understand that withinthat tiny economic system,that Iceland is, that is usually the, that's, that's how it happens.Yeah, this is, this is something,this is something we talk, we talk about itaround our mocha master coffee maker.Yeah.That sounds more expensive than it is.We, we do get a lot of questions from foreign journaliststhat frame the discussion in an awkward way where they say,how can there be so much talent in a small countryto have produced so many musicians?And,you know,I grew up in a music community in Wisconsinand we all played probably at the same levelthat you see around here.However, do you bother putting it out?Do you bother showing up?Do you bother running a festival every day?Do you have the, I wouldn't say it's not work ethic.It's, but it's something similar to work ethic.It is an ethic, like a social ethic.Do you have the ability to force people to come and participate?And then that might be,that's something that is lacking elsewhere.And that is those, those muscles are kept up here.I mean, through people like you,and I think our social ethic of running a newspaperwhen obviously we're taking a huge pay cut to run a newspaperinstead of going, doing legal decisions like Yondiand I did when we weren't doing this.Yeah, paid a lot better.Yeah.Yeah, but it's, it's, you know,you are a good example of, of exactly this.I mean, because you're not only do you run this festival,out of sheer love, you also run a store downtownand you run a label.Yeah, me and my, my wife Guðrún,we are running Space Odyssey together.Yes, which is across the street from Café Barri.Our, our best bar, Café Barri.Or, or, or not.Wow, that's, well Café Barri.But it's my favorite bar.It is your favorite.Yeah, it's, it's, it is, it is an institution.It's been there for 30, whatever, how many years at this point?It is, it is our old bar, it is our old habitand, and it, it is famously featured in,it's, it's in one on one Reykjavík movie.Yes, yes.What other movies?Yeah, it's probably in some other movies.And I know, I know Space Odyssey wellbecause I was shopping at, at Reykjavík record shopand Yondi, who's a fantastic record store ownerand releases music, demanded I walk across the streetto your record shop.Yeah.Which I think says a lot.It says a lot again about the community here.They're like, oh, if you like this record store,you'll love that one.I was like, what?You're sending me out of your shop to go shop somewhere else?This is, this is a typical Reykjavík.I love it.Yeah.We're all friends, you know, having fun, you know.Yeah.You know what I mean, there's no competition.There's not.And Yondi, Reykjavík record shop is a great place for mewhen I'm looking for, I believe I was picking up a,a Muddy Waters record.Yep.Because I am,sometimes slightly a dad in my tastes.But, and he reminded me that I should take,check out something more.Yeah, with the Muddy Waters music taste,it means you like, you have a dad stat.Yeah, I'm like a boomer dad sometimes.Yeah, yeah.Yeah, kind of.It's a great album, though.Anyway, this got a bit sidetracked, but.But Space Odyssey is, is this more cutting edgestore with, with custom selectionsthat everybody in town knows aboutand everybody in town goes to.And if you're coming to Reykjavík and you get,because the Reykjavík record shop, they have their,their picture was on Finn Wolfhard's live performance.He was wearing, he was wearing this.Yeah, the t-shirt, yeah.Yeah, and, and that's one thing, you know,like you want something that says Reykjavík,but when you're in Reykjavík, you want to do Space Odysseyfor actually like some final pressingsthat you really are going to have trouble accessing.Even, I moved here from Seattle,it'd be hard to get in Seattle.Yeah, like, like we do, like, you know,how many record shops is Reykjavík?It's like five shops, right?Five record shops?No, no, five or six, like downtown.Yeah.Plus the new one coming in Vestibar.Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.Which is exciting.I mean, I guess you count Alta being another one.Yeah, yeah, yeah.And then you have Speklesa.It's many.It's not, it's still relatively few.Yeah, but, but like tourists that come to,you know, to Reykjavík, they're in shockhow many record shops is Reykjavík, you know what I mean?Yeah.And it's true, you know, I was like,yeah, that's true, it's, it's good.Well, I think it's the direction things will goin the future and the rest of the, any,in the rest of the world where they're moving awayfrom kind of disposable culture.Yeah.I think physical media is clearly making a comebackand the record shop is the, is the first embodiment of it.I mean, you can, an example of a similar thing is,you know, we had,more bookstores traditionally than we have hadin the past two years.Yeah, yeah, yeah.But just in the past three or four years,I think three or four small bookstores opened up.Yeah.In and around 101 Reykjavík.Certainly.Which is kind of in that vein in a sense.Yeah, yeah.So that's, that, that, that, that would agree with that,Yeah.with that, the same sort of thing.And one thing that record stores remind me of thoughis what they used to say about Icelandic music isthe reason there's so many good Icelandic musiciansand nobody wants to sound like the other person.Yeah.They used to say that.Yeah.And the record stores are not mirror images of each other.There's not, there's not, you know,it's night and day difference in each, well.No, that, it's, it's a thing I love about this record shopwe have downtown Reykjavík now.Like, nobody is, it's, everybody has their, like,their speciality, like, you know what I mean?It, and, like, special to say, you know,we are more focusing on, like, I don't know, like,experimental, ambient, electronica, jazz, world music,really limited editions, hard to get, lot of Japanese music,and then you have, you know, Reykjavík record shopand Toltona and all these shops, you know.You know, it's, it's, it's beautiful and, and, like,and also that we do, like, if somebody come to my shopand they are looking for some music I don't have,I just tell them to go to Joni or, you know,Laures and Toltona or, or Schmecklisau,you know what I mean?Yeah.You know, I'm, I'm just pushing them.Yeah, you're going to find your favorite record shopin the world is going to be here.It's going to be one of them.Yeah, and they, and they do the same, you know.Yeah.If people walk to Toltona or something,and I'm looking for this ambient record,yeah, go to special to see.Come to think of it, I mean, it's a relatively easy,Yeah.quick walk to hit each of those four.It's an article.Yeah, like, like these four.Yeah.It's a, you know, it's based on Toltona.Yeah.Lucky Records and Schmecklisau, it's like,it's a circle.Yeah, wow.And then, of course, Lucky Records is a little bit,little bit uptown.Lucky Records is a little bit less,God bless them, but it's more of, like,quantity over quality.It's less specific, I would say, yeah.It's less specific in their selection.Less curated.Yeah, less curated.And, like, I probably shouldn't be bringingthe major label into this, but I did want to pick upa very specific rock album from the 80s that I got there.In Lucky?No, Alta.In Alta?Yeah.Oh, okay.It's a major label thing that's, you know,that I wanted and, yeah, they had two copies of it.But you could probably also find it in Lucky Records, probably.I tried.You tried?Yep.So, you know, sometimes you get lucky that way.Of course.So, I mean, if you're looking for major label stuff that is kind of off the beatenmajor label track kind of, if that makes sense.Yeah, yeah, yeah.You know, niche major label stuff.Yeah.But while running this festival now for the 17th time, so it starts by you and yourfather recording an album out in Headless Hunter.Yeah.You have been a recording artist for quite some time.Yeah.And we should, like, let's get a bit into that.I feel like if memory serves me right, you've been doing this as a recording artistlonger than this magazine has existed and therefore my personal presence in this town.Yeah.So you've been around for a while.A while, yeah.A long, long time.Yeah.In many projects and under many names.Yeah.It's like, yeah, like with Iceland Airways, I always look, you know, when you think, like,how many years I've been doing music, then you always think about Iceland Airways.It's so funny, you know.Oh.Like, you know, when you first played Iceland Airways, what year was it?For me, it was 2004.Yeah.Also 2004, I think.Okay.Or five.Or five.Maybe five for me.So it's all like, okay, then I was that old.It's like, oh, okay.So it's really, I don't know.It's good to…Those were good years.It's good to see it through the timeframe of Iceland Airways sometimes.Yeah.Because it's…And, like, you know, Iceland Airways, 2004, it was amazing.2004, 5, 6, these were really good years.Amazing.It was.I mean, you mentioned…And also 7 and 8 and 9.Yeah.I mean, it was really good.Yeah.Oh, I think we were…We had a…Ended up with an interesting role in the Airwaves.The Reykjavík Rapevine did with our daily papers.And then…But I also felt like we kind of made it into almost a fishbowl.Like, even for me, performing, it was a number…A level of attention that I wasn't comfortable with.Because you would be a small band.Yeah.But you'd be in a huge stage and you'd be surrounded by, like, music journalists.And everybody knew everything you did.Yeah, yeah.Suddenly.And it was more than I could tolerate as a young person.But it was so cool, you know.Iceland Airways at the time, in the beginning, and with the Grapevine, it was so close, you know.You know, they worked so close together, you know.Yeah, we did.And Grapevine, they wrote articles for each day, you know.Yeah, yeah.And it was my favorite, you know.Thank you.After, you know, after I played or my friends, you know, to find the paper and read…Yeah.How did they like it?Which band were you in?And it was so exciting, like, you know, to read it.And sometimes they were like, ah, it was shit.It was amazing.You know what I mean?I do.It was just fun to read.I think it was an interesting moment, also, because it was literally for those years,it was, whatever it's called, like a discovery festival or whatever you call these things, where…Nobody knew anybody.Showcase festival?Ah, yeah, yeah.It was a showcase festival.It was a showcase festival.It was the first time that random, quote-unquote, bands that had never played outside of Iceland…Yeah.…were kind of exposed to basically journalism, both local and international.Yeah, and the audience was really eager and there was not the same ability to even consume the music before you got there.You literally had no idea…Yeah, you would have to just show up.…what you're going to get.Yeah.There was, yeah, you couldn't Spotify your way through it at that time.No.Exactly, Spotify, yeah.So you wouldn't know much.So you kind of had to take this on, well, you would just have to decide whether or not you liked the name of the band or the short description somebody wrote on the band.Or check out the line in front and see if the line of the people…Yeah, if the line was……you want to go into a concert with.Exactly.And then you had, like, you know, everybody who had gotten off stage would then rush off to the next show.Yeah.So you would be playing for other bands.It was like an amazing period of time in terms of…It was amazing.And we had so many cool venues…Oh, yes.…that is now closed down.Yeah.What was…So what was the first band you played Airwaves with?I think it was under my solo project, Beatmaker and Trooper.Yeah.That makes sense.Yeah.2005, I think.Nice.My first album came 2005 with that project.Yeah.And what venue did you play at Airwaves that first year?It was maybe 2004 with my hip-hop band, Twisted Minds.Okay.Yeah.Okay.I'm not sure about that.That's quite a twist.But I think it was 2005 when I played with Beatmaker and Trooper.Okay.But then, you know, with different projects with Jonas Palmosson and then, of course, with my father.Yeah.We played there…I think we played first Airwaves together 2007 until… every year until 2016.And you stopped at that point?Because Grímur quit.Oh, okay.We went…And I was like, now it's over.Now it's over.You know, for me.Yeah.You know what I mean.And it was true.You know, for me.Yeah.You know, music-wise.Yeah.I think…But they're a little bit… I think they're a little bit getting there again.Getting there again.I was going to say, we were really surprised this year with the quality.Yeah.2025 was pretty good.Yeah.So, because I had gone in 2023.And disliked it enough not to go back in 2024.And I felt in 2025 that there had been a seismic shift in how they were…Well, what bands they were booking and what that produced.So, it was a lot better, I thought, sort of an experience than it had been two years earlier.So, I think they've upped their game a bit.They are.But…I have…I have some questions about how they organized the lineups.And stuff like that.Yeah.But at least there was a lot of good stuff there.I thought it was fascinating.I think the festivals get fascinating as we spend so much time working with them as amagazine and then as a performer.I've been at a lot of festivals.For me, in general, a showcase festival like Airwaves would be unpleasant.Whereas Extreme Chill, where it's a curated experience, is more of a… I mean, obviouslyit's not my genre.No, it's totally different.It's totally different.But for what you're doing…You mentioned, like, people said, you know, they don't know Elektronika, but they knowExtreme Chill.Because it's not exactly Elektronika.It's like a…It's a subtype.It's a little bit…What you're doing is…A little bit obscure.Like, I don't know…Mixed…You know…A lot of underground music, of course.Yeah.But…But, like, last year's…Our headline is…It's more…In the beginning, it was all about to have one or two huge…Huge names in Elektronika.Like, you know, we had Tangent Dream.We had, like, Roger Eno.We played The Orb.Like, so many people have played here.Like, through Extreme Chill.Rodelius.Like, endless names.And then, I think, 2000 and…Just…Yeah.When we opened Space Odyssey three years ago, we changed a little bit the curation of it.Right.Because I wanted more to represent artists that I'm selling in the shop also.So, it was a little bit connected.Right.And…Like, upcoming artists a little bit, you know.A little bit like that…Islet Dervish was in the beginning, you know.They had bands playing.And then, one year later, they were, like, super famous.Yeah.You know what I mean?That was a sweet spot.So, they got them on right time.Yeah.That was their philosophy back then and they were kind of doing it.Yeah.So, that's the thing we have to know.We are getting artists on a perfect time because we know they are getting huge in one month.But I think the whole art of knowing that is the deeply difficult and hard thing to do.Yeah, yeah.You need to be, like, dive, like, really deep in.You have to really be into it.Yeah.And, like, you know, when we had Callum Malone playing, you know, she's huge now.Yeah.And, you know, of course, it's all about money, you know.You need to pay a fee.And, you know, when we got her, we got her on a perfect time.Yeah.Now she is super expensive.Yeah.But if you, like, being able to identify almost with precision what is going to blow up is very hard.Yeah.And requires a lot of, well, how shall I put this?Insights.Yeah, yeah, yeah.And you can't.That is something you can't.No.That is, yeah, you can't buy that.No, no, no, no.It's just.Well, it helps if you run a record store.Yeah, yeah, yeah.That also helps.It's just so much, so much work.But it's a lot of, but we are also, it's one thing also that changed 2000, like, four years ago.We started to work with, like, two network, networking projects.Oh.And all Nordic festivals, we have, like, a network.Okay.Like, all the experimental festivals in Norway, Sweden, you know, Finland, Denmark, and us in Iceland.And I think that helps also because then we can curate all the festivals, like, have ideas.Right.Who's playing.So we try to not make the same lineup.You know, we can have, it's.Yeah.Others to have idea about what we are going to book.And it's also a project that we can, we have budgets for send artists between the festivals.Okay.So I can get artists from Denmark over Sweden to my festival.And I will, and I can send Icelanders, Icelandic artists to the, to other festivals, like.And that have been, like, a crazy adventure.And I have been sending, like, so many Icelandic artists to these festivals.And a lot of connection I've had, you know, last years.That's, that sounds, sounds pretty perfect.So it's a really, it's amazing network.And we also visit every month in, in these countries, you know.Oh, really?I'm meeting, yeah, like, like, big meetings.And, you know, so I can go and check out the festivals and, you know, see what they are doing.And they come to my, our festival.This is just the direction we're going as a newspaper as well.Yeah, yeah, yeah.Because we've been communicating with the Nordic countries.So it's a huge, like, Nordic, you know, you know, Nordic project.Yeah.And now we start another one, another network called Nerds.I saw that was a sponsor on the festival.Yeah, yeah, yeah.Okay.So now we are including also festivals from, from Baltic, from, from Latvia and Lithuania.And Germany also.So it's, it's, it's getting bigger, the, the network.And, you know, and we're getting more money in, you know, for, for traveling and, and, and stuff.So it's, it's, it's really...So you can't just use Spotify?I don't understand.I thought Spotify would just curate everything and you could just...No?Spotify?Oh, I guess.What?What are you talking about?Wait, this is all online?I'm really trying to, you know, stop using Spotify, you know.Oh, yeah.But, but it, it's...It doesn't take much effort of mine.It's hard.You never really did use it, did you?No.No.But...Unless you're just listening to a podcast on it, then it's amazing.Yes.Unless you're listening to this podcast, this is Spotify is amazing.If you're not, torch it.So, I think we should end by discussing the lineup and where you can get tickets for 2016.Yeah.And since it's limited seating, yeah, there's a priority to kind of hurry up and book thetickets, right?Because this isn't like Airwaves where they can't...It's like five days.It's getting...Look, it's going to be...I'm going to be tired after this.It's a long festival.Yeah.It's a long festival and it's...Well, that's longer than Iceland Airwaves is right now.Yeah, it is.Yeah, Iceland Airwaves is, what, three days, maybe?Yeah.At this point.It used to be five, but I think it's just three.Well, I mean, it's fascinating.Yeah.I mean, we're certainly talking about other festivals and Iceland Airwaves in context,but they have different goals, I feel like.Significant different goals, these festivals.Yeah, so yeah, it's possible Iceland Airwaves is shorter, but I really...Iceland Airwaves, it played a huge role in all of our lives and it's still going on,but it's...I think they did a smart thing in contracting that and making it more of a showcase forthe city.Yeah, that's true.But for a true music nerd, I think music nerds actually can have a great time in IcelandAirwaves, but there's other things.This might be more something that an aficionado might have and the timing is great becauseit's a slightly smaller festival than Airwaves.I think you're able to get this kind of more optimal time because September 2nd through6th is, if you were telling somebody an ideal time to visit Reykjavík, that would be it,right?Yeah.Because you don't have to deal with the permanent sun, you get enough sleep, you still get thegood weather.And you're not coming out in November, which might be...You're not coming out in November.It's sketchy at best.I have so many good feelings for November in Iceland, but if it's your first time orif you just want to see some of the countryside at the same time as the festival, if you'redoing a week, probably the September is more ideal.It's good weather, you know, mild.It's milder, it's definitely less blizzardy.Yeah, I don't know if you get the hotel discounts at that point yet.Well...I think the problem with September...Yeah.To be organizing a festival in September, it's getting more tough because it's still high season.Yes, high season is...Yeah.So that's the cost.And hotels are crazy expensive.Yeah.And we have been having...We had a meeting like two weeks ago and we were talking about to maybe move the festival...Into October?Into the winter.Into the winter, yeah.Early winter.Okay.Maybe February.There is nothing happening.And it's my dream to have it in February.I mean, that is...A long time.I mean, if people are coming for the music and maybe for the countryside if the weather...Yeah, like Northern Lights and stuff.Yeah, why not? Because...You can see Northern Lights, but be careful driving in February.Yeah.Yeah.February is...I mean, there's nothing going on.No.And also because I'm looking about all our, you know, this network with all these festivals.Yeah.We have ten festivals networking and everybody have the festival in September, you know, in the same time.Yeah.It's nothing...It's one festival in January, CTM festival in Berlin.So it would be perfect to have it in February.But we will see.Yeah, that's...I think that could be worked with.Yeah.So maybe we will have two festivals in...No, in September and another one in February.That's going to be something.Yeah.But we will see.But line up.Yeah, line up, sorry.Line up.Yeah.Line up this year, it's going to be...I'm really excited about it.It's a lot of young upcoming artists.If we talk about the Headliners, it's been a dream for a long time to have him.DJ Crush is from Japan.He is one of my heroes when I was...Started making music when I was a teenager.Okay.And yeah, I think he's turning 60 something.Sixty five.He's a kid.He's not...He's not a teenager anymore.But he's amazing.He's like...He's like my...One of my heroes in the trip up scene.Like I remember when I was 20 something.I don't know.Young.Young producer.It was always this question.Are you DJ Seattle or DJ Crush guy?Oh, right, right.The two main directions.You know what I mean?It was like...Yeah.And I was always the Crush guy.That's the Stones or Beatles.Exactly.It was the same.So...By the way, I'm Stones.So I'm looking really forward to have him.And I think people are like...It's...Yeah.I think people need to buy a ticket really fast.And he's playing in Camelot View on the 3rd.So you also have Youth.Oh my god.Let's talk about that.Let's talk about Youth.Yeah.Are you familiar with Youth?No.So Killing Joke.Yeah.He's the bass player I think.He's the bass player in Killing Joke.Okay.And speaking of people who don't like the Beatles...Martin Glover.He did three albums...With Paul McCartney.With Paul McCartney called Fireman.Fireman.He's in that project.Like...Sorry.You know...You know...You know when I announced him...Yeah.I got like missed calls from random people.Yeah.In Reykjavík.Yeah.I mean it's...What the hell is going on?It's Youth coming.It's like...He's one of the...No joke.He's one of the...Best...One of the most famous like...Studio guy.Like you know...Okay.He had been recording album with...With Lee...Lee...Lee...Lee...Scott Perry.Lee...Lee Scott Perry.And of course...Lee Scott Perry.Yeah.Yeah.And...And of course with...Paul McCartney.The Fireman.This thing.And...Killin' Joke.He had been working with Orb.Rodger...Like everybody.He's the...Yeah.Okay.And...And he's running the studio called Space Mountain.In Spain.Oh.And...That's a legendary studio.Like a lot of people are recording there.Okay.In the 70s and 80s.And...He's also running a music festival there.Okay.Called Space Mountain Festival.And...Yeah.It's really crazy.Like...This is one of the...This...Crazy things that happen with Axiom Till.Like...Sometimes...Things come to you.You know.He...He just texts me an email.You know.Can I come please?Oh.Well that's a really difficult procedure.Yeah.And it's...And it's...And it's same with last year.You know.When Mark Black came.Yeah.The other part of...You know.He...Cold Cut.And...The founder of Ninja Tune Records.In...In UK.Okay.Wow.He also...He just called...Just phone called me.And like...Can I come?I'm at Mixmaster Morris house.Because...Because this is all through Mixmaster Morris.Oh.If you talk about Morris.Mixmaster Morris.He's the...He's our...We can say like resident DJ.He's been coming every year for Axiom Till.Okay.And...And play Mixmaster Morris.And is he coming this year?Of course.And...And he's the...The most legendary ambient lounge DJ all time.Okay.And...And...Of course he's friends with Mart.And...And youth.And everybody.So...So it's like we're all getting friends.You know.Me and Morris.Yeah.We are great friends.And now we have...We have a new friend coming.Youth.Yeah.And...And...And always new people coming in.So it's like...That's the thing about Axiom Till.It's...And play.And chill.You know.We talk.We talk about the future.What can we get?Can we make some collab?Can we make music?You know.It's not...It's not about just come and play and go home.You know?Like...You know what I mean?Like in big festivals you...You...Have...It's about...It's a community.It's about community.It's really...Yeah.It's a community.And like...It's amazing.a have a time to talk, you know, just relax, you know, and that's the beautiful thing about it and I think, you know, like Gary Jensen came here first time 2012 and play, you know, Biosphere from Norway and then he came back 2015 because he really wanted to come back.Yeah. So, you know, people want to come back, you know, they ask me, can I come, can I come, can I come again? So it's, it's, it's a, that's so beautiful thing about it.I would love to continue this, but this is also such a perfect note to end on. Okay. I think, like, I think this, this aspect like, oh, you, you know, we, we like similar music, you come, you come and play, we've become a community, it's a communal thing, we chill together, we plan other projects together.So I guess.Well, I think that feeling of collaboration, though, comes across in, in your other endeavors.Yeah.And I'm curious, yeah, I'm thinking more of my background of more the singer-songwriter and obviously rock and roll, which can be competitive and less collaborative. I wonder if, do you feel that, like, the certain genres may encourage more collaboration?I think these things can happen with small festivals in or me.Yeah.It's more easy to do things like this.I can also see how it's.It's partly personal, because you're really nice to hang out with.Yeah, it's, it's, it's, it's no stress. And, and also, of course, it's Iceland, it's Reykjavík, you know.Yeah.Like you guys know, like everybody loves Iceland still.Yeah.And want to come here anytime.Yeah.And so that's, of course, also helps.But I think.But so many festivals have come up and disappeared.Yeah.Of course, that's true.And yours is.And yours has lasted.Yeah.And yours has formed lasting collaborations.So there's a difference.Yeah.Of course.Yeah, yeah.It, it, that's true.Of course, it's a difference.Yeah.And like.Yeah.We, like, like our band, Stereo Hypnosis, you know, we, we, I think we have probably madelike three or four albums just through Iceland Chill, you know, with Artists at Pleasure.You know, we made albums with Rodelius.It was recorded in a week in a church.And also with Christopher Chaplin, we made another album, we had like a concert in Fríkirkjaðanand Erdo Bernucci, the Italian guitarist.So it's like a lot of, it's not only they come and play, we also meet in studio and workand, and, and play live concert together with the artist.And, and so it's, it's a lot of, a lot of cool things we can do and, and also I think youcame for the festival.You came for the festival in, in, in Faroe Island.Oh yeah.G festival.No, no, G, that, the, the Scraft one.I didn't go, I didn't go for that.No, you did not go, but, but, but two, I think two people came from, from Grapevine.From the Grapevine.From the Grapevine, yeah.Yeah.Yeah.Because we also doing a, edition in, in, in Faroe Island.Oh, yeah, yeah.Yeah, Scraft.Yeah, yeah.You as in this.Yeah, yeah.Got it, got it.Yeah, yeah, yeah.Yeah, yeah, yeah.And.She's lovely.And it's another.It's another festival in, in November.Oh, great.And, and it's gonna be more like, it's been more like, eclectic, no, like, mixed of alot of genres like rock, electronic, but now it's gonna be more electronic this year.Okay.And I will tell you about, more later about that.But I.I told you something.Like, I, I, I like, I like this community, sort of, like, core of this.I think, like, for people who are interested in music and community and want to come hereand attend this festival in September, it's extremechill.org for tickets and informationabout the lineup.We haven't, we just kind of nippled at the lineup.It's.Yeah.Quite extensive.So please check that out.And check out Space.Space Odyssey.Yeah.Sorry.Let's check out the Space Odyssey record store.Yeah.On Bergstadstræði.Across the street from Kaffebarri.Kaffebarri.Yeah.Check out your label.Yeah.Check out your body of work.Yeah.And we're also doing, that's the thing I sometimes forgot to tell about.We have live concerts in Space Odyssey every Thursday.Yeah.Six o'clock.There you go.We have been doing that for two years.So that's, that's really, really special.So if you can't make it for the festival, you can, you can make it every Thursday.Well, yeah.If you're in Reykjavík on a Thursday, come to Space Odyssey.Yeah.Come to Space Odyssey at 6pm and maybe start your day by going to the other record shopson the way.Yeah.And put your circle at 6pm.Yeah.It's really perfect.It's only like 30 minute sessions.Like it's, it's not long.And of course everything recorded, also YouTube channel.Oh, nice.And also everybody that play, they have a tape release, like cassette release.So it's also recorded on cassette.Oh, beautiful.Every, every performance.Just record these podcasts on cassette.Yeah.Let's do, let's do, let's make a cassette.I am also, I'm a huge devotee of physical media.I'm trying to convince Jónni to do the same.But that's maybe a cool idea.Make a cassette series of podcasts.I'm trying to improve as a human being in so many ways.Thank you Pan for, for dropping in.Thank you.This has been fascinating.Again, for tickets and more information on the line-up for Extreme Chill, go to ExtremeChill.org.It takes place September 2nd through 6th this year.And it's the 17th festival, 17th festival in a row, annual.So yeah, thank you and goodbye.Thanks for listening and watching.Thank you.
