Seems like music related festivals in Iceland have become monthly occurrences this year. July saw LungA take Seyðisfjörður by storm, in August Innipúkinn showed his face for the 8th time in Reykjavik and in October Iceland Airwaves will come out of hibernation with a packed lineup. September will also see its share of events involving music, movies and the future of digital businesses and online music and media.
It all kicks of on the 17th with RIFF or Reykjavik International Film Festival which takes place over a teen day period for the 6th time and will host hundreds of premiers in 12 categories from all corners of the world, including one dedicated to the work of Milos Forman.
Coinciding with RIFF this year will be the four day music series Réttir or Round-Up which will see the likes of Mugison, Hjálmar, Megas, FM Belfast, Ólöf Arnalds and Retro Stefson to name a few take the stage at the three venues in downtown Reykavik. Some 20 bands are set to play the series, most from Iceland but the UK and Denmark have managed to sneak in a few acts to. One of the highlights will surly be the long awaited comeback of Apparat Organ Quartet a must see for anyone who has ever wondered what a stage full of organs and one drum kit looks like. Check them out here appearing in the music doc Screaming Masterpiece.
To top things of You are in Control will take place for the 3rd time this year. YAIC is an international panel and workshop conference attracting panelists and participants from around the world. This year’s main topic is “The Digital Revolution Shakes the Creative Industries- What’s to be Gained, Lost and Learned?” So looks like there will be some interesting questions raised, hopefully resulting in some interesting answers on what the future holds for music, media and arts in our online era.
Looks like Reykjavik will be hosting a nice little scaled down version of SXSW in the North Atlantic this year and Icecreamman will be there so be on the look out for a full on review later this month.
