0043 // Exos

It might not be the first place you think of, but on consideration Iceland has had a pretty rich history where electronic music is concerned. Of course it’s been responsible for titanic names such as Bjork or Sigur Ros, however the scene extends far beyond that. Arnvidur Snorrason, aka Exos is one who has witnessed its evolution, pushing a broad spectrum of techno since the late 90s. When we caught up with him ahead of his performance at Fabric on the 11th, he was optimistic about the current state of the Icelandic scene.

“Techno in Iceland is like the weather - it changes very fast” he considers. “Sometimes I can get away with playing really banging techno in our local clubs and people love it - other times they are not so ready for it. But I think techno has risen in popularity all over the world over the last few years - you don't have to feel like an outsider, like it used to be. We have a lot of very talented DJs and artists in Iceland and a very open-minded electronic music scene in general.”

In his own career, Snorrason has come to be one of the most respected figures on the Nordic techno circuit, mixing rugged analogue jams and glacial dub-techno with the kind of skill that can only be obtained by years of obsessive practise. Although this might suggest he was to some extent born to do it, Snorrason insists his career path wasn’t actually so straight forward. “I never decided to become a DJ” he states when asked about his formative years. “I’ve been a music freak since I was a child - my father was responsible for that. He showed me everything from African music to bebob jazz, and by the age of four, I was translating lyrics by Grandmaster Flash. I began to DJ at my school at the age of 12, and it's continued ever since... I began producing when I was 16, when my dad bought me some gear back in 1996. We made some really deep sounds - before that I was a drummer. Then after a few years of making music I began releasing on Thule Records and Mosaic.”

Having recently put out a remix for Allen Saei, aka Aubrey, 2015 looks to be a busy year for Snorrason. Alongside a reissue of his ‘Q-Box’ EP on Thule, his LP My Home Is Sonic is set to be re-released on Delsin, and a track written with Nina Kraviz entitled ‘No Criminals’ will also be released through Kraviz’s label Trip in the coming months.

Despite his regularly touring, April’s visit will be the first time Snorrason has visited London’s Fabric nightclub, however it certainly sounds like he’s planning on making the most of the trip. "I have heard it has one of the best sound-systems on the planet and I am definitely going to test that out. I’ll be playing a mix of vinyl and CDs - old and new music and a lot of unreleased stuff from my homeboys in Iceland - Thor, Introbeats, Oculus and myself.”

His mix for us provides a taster of what can be expected at the Fabric appearance, covering an hour and 40 minutes of house and techno, becoming progressively more wild and untamed as the mix progresses.

No tracklist available.

0043 // Exos by Stray Landings on Mixcloud

• Published
• Apr 3, 2015

• Credits
• Words by Straylandings