Taktfakt was an otherworldly techno experience - Features - Mixmag
Features

Taktfakt was an otherworldly techno experience

The cream of the Icelandic underground all in one breathtaking location

  • Words: Patrick Hinton | Photography: Brynjar Snær
  • 31 August 2016
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Considering its size, Iceland produces a staggering amount of artistic talent. The likes of Björk and Sigur Rós are international superstars, but bubbling away under the surface there’s a healthy underground gradually gaining momentum as interest in dance music rises across Europe. Taktfakt aims to shine a spotlight on it. A focus on local talent underpins the line-up, with only one foreign act invited to fill the headline slot.

“Icelandic DJs are among the best in the world. They work hard and usually they need to keep the crowd going for 6 hour long sets, in most cases for shit money,” says Carmen, adding “their pure love for music shines through. They deserve the world's attention and I intend to make that happen.”

The small-size but healthy state of the music community becomes apparent as I tour Reykjavík with Carmen’s partner Daníel Ágúst Haraldsson, frontman of longstanding electronica group GusGus who have released on labels such as 4AD and Kompakt in their acclaimed career. He knows everyone, and we constantly stop to talk to various people involved in the city’s scene, from event photographers to buskers, including a teenager producing some impressive sounds on a streetside synthesizer.

“Iceland is one of the harshest places to live. We have to lock ourselves away and be creative,” Daníel tells me. It’s bright today, but I become aware I’ve come at a lucky time. There was only ten sunny days in total last year he reveals, and art provides a much-needed escape from a dark reality for the residents of the island.

 
 
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