Nordic Playlist Magazine #2

LINKS & ACCESS
“Discover Nordic Music with the Nordic Playlist”
www.nordicplaylist.com
Tune in to the Nordic Playlist on
Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer and TIDAL

INTRODUCTION FROM
THE EDITOR
Hei, Hej, Moi, Hæ, Hello!
It feels like mere minutes ago that the first
edition of the Nordic Playlist magazine was
released, but here we are with a second
edition, wrapping up the phenomenal year
that we’ve had!
2016 has been a hugely exciting year for
the Nordic Playlist, which continues to be
the ultimate online outlet through which
to explore the vast and unique musical landscape
of the Nordics.
Nordic artists are topping charts and breaking
records all over the world right now, as
the region’s songwriters become more and
more prominent in the global pop scene. To
mirror this fantastic time for Nordic music,
we’ve redesigned and expanded the Nordic
Playlist website to be able to share more of
the finest music from the north than ever
before!
More than 100 artists have curated their
very own editions of the Nordic Playlist,
including Swedish pop sensation Zara
Larsson, international chart smasher MØ,
award-winning Icelandic composer Jóhann
Jóhannsson and many more.
Over a quarter of a million users have explored
the ever-growing archive of playlists,
mixtapes, features and news pieces found
on the Nordic Playlist website, and another
quarter of a million of have tuned in to the
sessions, interviews and pop quizzes that
can be found on the Nordic Playlist YouTube
Channel! Ensuring that the Nordic Playlist’s
content is as widely available to hear as
possible, we also added Apple Music to our
streaming options in 2016, meaning that
each of our playlists can now be heard and
enjoyed around the world on Spotify, Apple
Music, Tidal and Deezer.
The past year has also been one in which
the Nordic Playlist Caravan has travelled
further than ever before, becoming a voyaging
venue in which live sessions, interviews
and all sorts of dance parties have taken
place! We kicked off the year by heading to
Where’s The Music? Festival in Nörrkoping,
before moving to by:Larm Festival in
Oslo, SPOT Festival in Aarhus and Roskilde
Festival, rounding off the year at Iceland
Airwaves and making a debut appearance
at SLUSH in Helsinki.
To find out more about all of the Nordic
Playlist’s past (and future) adventures, we
invite you to delve in to the Nordic Playlist
magazine! Read on to find out more about
our curators, playlists, sessions, features
and live events. And with more exciting
news and events set to take place in 2017,
we highly recommend that you keep tuning
in to the Nordic Playlist!
Francine Gorman
Editor of the Nordic Playlist
3

CURATORS
www.nordicplaylist.com/curators
MØ [Denmark]
“My fave thing is no doubt to look my fans in the eyes. To share that
moment and the music with them. To be in that room with them and
feel connected to these strangers who somehow aren’t strangers.
It’s amazing.”
Miriam Bryant [Sweden]
“Up and coming Swedish artists… I think that we are all up and
coming the whole time. I think you just try to elbow yourself through
… because there is so much new, so much good stuff there.”
Sin Fang [Iceland]
“I’ve always used lots of samples and synths and stuff in my music
but it has never really been the backbone of any tracks I’ve made.
Turns out making electronic music is harder than I thought, kind of
like learning a new language. I feel like I’ve become a much better
producer and arranger after getting so deep into the mixing and
soundscaping part of my music.”
4

QUOTES
Ingrid Helene Håvik – Highasakite [Norway]
“My favourite part of the [music making] process is sitting alone and
writing the songs and lyrics. When I’m in that mood and just take in
everything of the world and try to create my own space.”
LCMDF [Finland]
“When we started writing new material we wanted the songs to
be suited for listening to in the company of your friends. They’re
supposed to be played at parties, something to dance to together.
We’ve got a lot of comments from fans about how empowering our
music has been to them, and that’s something ‘bout LCMDF that will
never change.”
Zara Larsson [Sweden]
“In 20 years I would like to do a sold out stadium world tour, have a
couple of multi-platinum album, a couple of Grammys. Ya know...”
5

6

TRENDA
www.nordicplaylist.com/trenda
TRENDA – Tune in to a hit filled playlist, compiling all of the Top 10 Nordic songs from Denmark,
Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden...
The Trenda: Nordic Charts are updated on a weekly basis, to let our listeners know who the
best selling and most streamed Nordic artists, producers and songwriters are in each of
the Nordic countries. We then gather each of these tracks together in one fantastic playlist,
helping Nordic Playlist’s fans and followers to find out which artists are breaking through
into neighbouring countries, and which songs are capturing the attention of the whole of the
Nordic region.
Alongside the Trenda Nordic Chart, you can discover the newest releases from the region’s
biggest stars in our Trenda: New Nordic Pop playlist, as well as tuning in to special edition
playlists featuring the best pop sounds from the North!
7

NORDIC PLAYLIST
CARAVAN
Where’s The Music?, by:Larm and SPOT Festival
2016 saw the Nordic Playlist caravan head out on the road, making its way to a number
of festivals throughout the Nordics including Where’s The Music? In Nörrkoping, by:Larm
Festival in Oslo and SPOT Festival in Aarhus!
Each occasion saw the Caravan provide a cosy and enticing setting in which music lovers
could come to meet the team behind the Nordic Playlist, while listening to specially curated
playlists, and entering exclusive competitions. The Caravan also became a distinctive hub,
where the Nordic Playlist invited artists to perform intimate live sessions of their tracks
and to take part in exclusive interviews, all of which are available to watch on the Nordic
Playlist YouTube channel!
8

NORDIC PLAYLIST
at Roskilde Festival 2016
The Nordic Playlist caravan celebrated its first birthday at Roskilde Festival 2016, as we
partnered up with the iconic Danish event for the second year in a row!
After debuting the Nordic Playlist caravan at Roskilde in 2015, we were thrilled to re-join
the festival once again, so over the course of the festival week, the Nordic Playlist invited
artists set to play on the festival’s main stages to come by the caravan, and to perform
stripped down, exclusive sessions of their songs.
While we were there, we caught up with Norway’s Aurora and Ivan Ave, Silvana Imam from
Sweden, Shy Shy Shy and Palace Winter from Denmark, Have You Ever Seen The Jane
Fonda Aerobic VHS? From Finland and Iceland’s Reykjavíkurdætur and Júníus Meyvant.
Live sessions, exclusive interviews and special pop quizzes took place as the cameras
rolled, and each of the videos can be viewed at the Nordic Playlist YouTube channel now!
www.youtube.com/NordicPlaylist
9

FEATURES
www.nordicplaylist.com/features
A newly introduced Features section was added to the Nordic Playlist website in 2016,
creating a setting for in depth interviews, overviews and presentations of artists, creators
and legends from the Nordic region.
Film and music video directors Johan Renck and Jonas Bang, Icelandic visual artist Ragnar
Kjartansson and famed Danish jazz musician Mikkel Hess were among the first faces to
feature in the section, which also reveled in the excitement surrounding a distinctly
Swedish edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, as well as delving into the varied and
flourishing live music scene of the region in a dedicated Nordic Festival Guide…
Valgeir Sigurðsson [Iceland]
“As an artist I think that any label that encourages and enables you to
create your best work, and helps in creating opportunities for the work
to be heard, is a good label.
As someone running one I think that a label should be a gallery of
ideas, artists and music that you or me as music lovers should be able
to walk into, so to speak, and be presented with something that speaks
to us but we might not have come across otherwise.”
Johan Renck [Sweden]
“[David Bowie] saw this album as his ‘swan song’, and I think he wanted
this to somehow permeate the video… after getting to know him, I
know that things were never banal with him, and never simple – there
were many layers, in an only positive way. He was a very complex,
amazing, beautiful and actually brilliant person, so I just felt that to
some extent he wanted this to be a part of the whole thing. ”
– Johan Renck, Director of David Bowie’s final ‘Black Star’
and ‘Lazarus’ videos.
Ragnar Kjartansson [Iceland]
“Visual art opens up everything and you can do whatever you want to.
Total freedom. And it’s so much fun to work with that attitude and do
music, it’s total freedom. It just has to be like an artwork, it has to be
interesting, it doesn’t matter what the format is – it just has to have
this tension and layers, so that it’s not just completely useless.”
10

A NORDIC PLAYLIST FOR
ANY SITUATION…
Are you struggling to get moving as the cold winter mornings stretch on? Is it afternoon
coffee and cake time? Do you have friends coming around for dinner? Are you getting ready
to party all night long? Whatever the scenario, we have a tailor-made Nordic Playlist at the
ready to provide a seamless, Nordic infused soundtrack!
Head to the Nordic Playlist now to tune in to our ‘Fika’, ‘Hygge’ and ‘Morgenfrisk’ playlists,
which we update continually throughout the year! And keep a close eye on www.nordicplaylist.com
as we release more mood playlists in the future…
Photos by: Emmy Danielsson
11

12

MAGMA
www.nordicplaylist.com/magma
MAGMA - An introduction to the intriguing
landscape of sounds found in the Nordic
contemporary Music scene.
Explore the inspirations, influences and
work of some of the Nordic region’s most
innovative contemporary creators, composers
and musicians at Magma, where we
invite the scene’s most exciting minds to
share their creations and recommendations.
Alongside profiles and recommendations
from some of the most prominent composers
and musicians in the Nordics – including
Anna Thorvaldsdottír, Sofia Jernberg and
Simon Steen-Andersen – Magma also produced
a pilot series for a reimagined series
of the classic TV quiz show Kontrapunkt.
The participants faced a range of questions
from differently themed categories. The
hosts of the show, Icelandic curator Arnbjörg
Maria Danielsen [ICE] and Norwegian
composer and author Eivind Buene [NOR],
presented questions via audio, video and
text while the eagle eyes and ears of music
critics and editors Andreas Engström [SWE]
and Sanne Krogh Groth [DEN] observed the
quiz from the judges seats.
Magma’s Kontrapunkt Tribute deviated substantially
from the original in tone and by
focusing solely on contemporary music, but
it stayed true to the show’s essence – and
each episode from the pilot series can be
streamed at Magma now!
On November 28th 2015, Magma presented
the Kontrapukt Tribute show, which was
filmed live on location at the Nordic Embassies
in Berlin. Teams from Iceland, Norway,
Sweden, Finland and Denmark were present,
as in the original, but we heightened
the level of suspense by inviting our host
country, Germany this time, to take part in
the challenge.
13

CURATORS
Junius Meyvant [Iceland]
on Casiokids’ ‘Fot i hose’
“If Röyksopp had a baby with a techno song from Bratislava, this
would be the outcome.”
Anne Lainto - YleX Radio [Finland]
“Like in all the Nordic countries, it’s quite cold, dark and miserable
here in Finland most of the year. But there’s lots of beauty in it all
and that’s what the Finns usually combine in the music. Finns are
also honest with the music, especially when the lyrics are in Finnish.
It’s very easy to notice if the artist is trying to be someone who
he/she is not.”
Matoma [Norway]
“I’m inspired by so many different things with a collaborator but I
think the big thing for me is just the vibe you get from someone’s
voice, the way it reaches you in your heart when you listen.”
Trentemøller [Denmark]
“Even if it’s cloudy or the sun isn’t out, there’s something about the
Scandinavian light… I don’t know if I can say that it’s inspired me
directly on this or that song, but it’s definitely something that lies
in you all the time, this melancholic vibe, but in a very good way. So
it’s not about me feeling depressed in the dark, it’s about embracing
the special Scandinavian vibe that is in our nature.”
14

QUOTES
Elliphant [Sweden]
“That is the coolest part of doin’ this music thing. That I am out
there touching people – or even better, shakin’ ’em up! Putting my
voice in to the world… It’s a hard thing to get a grip of but sometimes
that’s the most blissed feeling…”
Amason [Sweden]
“We are fortunate to have a very broad music scene in Sweden
where you can move to another genre if you get bored so in that
sense I think it can keep being exciting over time.”
Kevin Cole, KEXP [US]
“I’d personally had a long running fascination with Iceland—both
with the music scene and the allure and mystique of the country
itself. I loved The Sugarcubes when they hit the scene in the ‘80s,
and GusGus and Múm in the ‘90s. Hearing Sigur Rós’ Ágætis byrjun
in 1999 really flipped the switch for me though – I had never heard
anything like that before – so much beauty and emotion in the music,
it floored me and I felt compelled to visit the country where the
music was made.”
Nico & Vinz [Norway]
“We’re still growing and learning so much and a lot comes with
success. We want to thrive to be better versions of ourselves!”
15

DJ MIXES
www.nordicplaylist.com/dj-mixes
DJ MIXES – Discover exclusive 60 minute mixes created especially for the Nordic Playlist by
the region’s most innovative and exciting DJs...
Twice a month, the Nordic Playlist invites a prominent Nordic DJ to create an hour long
mix, as we find out about the artist’s latest projects, releases and recommendations in an
exclusive accompanying interview.
Head to the Nordic Playlist now to hear mixes from the likes of
Samuli Kemppi [FIN], Uyarakq [GR], Nadja Chatti [SWE], Prins Thomas [NOR],
Kasper Bjørke [DEN] and Yamaho [ICE]!
16

NORDIC PLAYLIST
ON YOUTUBE
Explore the Nordic Playlist’s entire archive of videos, featuring interviews and live sessions
recorded at Iceland Airwaves, Roskilde Festival and further afield…
www.youtube.com/nordicplaylist
17

18

PREVIOUSLY, AT THE
NORDIC PLAYLIST…
Since 2014, the Nordic Playlist has been presenting audiences around the world with the
finest Nordic music through a series of hand-made playlists from trusted tastemakers. As
well as creating these playlists, we’ve also hosted live-streamed Radio Bars, pop up shows,
sessions and interviews at events such as Iceland Airwaves Festival, by:Larm and Berlin
Festival!
Whenever we take the Nordic Playlist on the road, we take cameras along for the ride, so
that we can share each of these special, exclusive events with our audience at home too. So,
if you want to see GusGus perform to a crowd of 30 people in a packed out café-bar, or to
witness Beatrice Eli bring Oslo to a stand-still with her arresting live show, then head to the
Nordic Playlist where you can find a full archive of all of our footage from these
special events!
www.nordicplaylist.com/videos
19

ICELAND AIRWAVES
AND SLUSH HELSINKI
Wrapping up 2016 in the best way possible, the Nordic Playlist is hosting a cosy lounge in
the middle of the action at Iceland Airwaves festival, as well as presenting our first Finnish
Radio Bar at the infamous SLUSH Conference in Helsinki!
Bringing live music, live streams and a perfect setting in which to relax and discover the
best of Nordic music to each location, both attendees of the events and fans at home will be
able to follow all of the action as it unfolds. Just head to www.nordicplaylist.com
to find out more...
20

NORDIC PLAYLIST AT A
CROSSROADS
It takes time to establish new concepts and develop them in tune with a fast changing technology
and media environment. The original idea behind the Nordic Playlist was to create
a pan-Nordic music website in English that would help audiences discover Nordic music
within streaming platforms and the digital space.
Almost three years after going live with the experiment we can look back and be proud
of the impact it is making on key taste makers whether they are bookers of festivals such
as Roskilde, senior editors of big playlists or programme directors of successful US radio
stations such as KEXP and KCRW.
The development was possible due to the funding we received from the Nordic Council of
Ministers and the Icelandic Chairmanship Programme in 2014. We can be grateful to many
forward thinking politicians and officials for paving the way for our vision of creating a new
Nordic music discovery tool. That funding period has now come to an end.
It is time to look for a new structure for the Nordic Playlist and take it into its second phase
of development. And like any new developments and journeys it will have unknown factors.
What we do know is that the culture of Nordic collaboration has been strengthened in
many ways over the last five years. The Nordic Playlist has been part of putting a focus
on cross-border collaboration in the region. At the same time the appetite for discovering
Nordic music, festivals and events has never been bigger than it is now. Nordic Playlist can
play an important role in channelling that interest into the future.
Anna Hildur Hildibrandsdóttir
Head of development of the Nordic Playlist
Programme Director of NOMEX
21

CURATORS
Curators
Adam Olenius, Shout Out Louds [SWE]
Amason [SWE]
Ane Brun [NOR]
Anne Lainto, YLeX Radio [FIN]
Anssi Neuvonen, Neøv [FIN]
Ásgeir [ICE]
AURORA [NOR]
Bjørn Pfarr, Reeperbahn Festival [GER]
Brian Batz, Sleep Party People [DEN]
Broken Twin [DEN]
Brynjar Leifsson, Of Monsters And Men [ICE]
Casper Bach Hegstrup, DR P6 Beat [DEN]
Claes Olsen, Øya Festival [NOR]
Daníel Ágúst Haraldsson, GusGus [ICE]
Drippin [NOR]
Eivør [FO]
Elliphant [SWE]
Emilíana Torrini [ICE]
Erlend Øye [NOR]
Esben Marcher, SPOT Festival [DEN]
First Aid Kit [SWE]
Francine Gorman [UK]
Highasakite [NOR]
Högni Egilsson, GusGus [ICE]
Icona Pop [SWE]
Iisa [FIN]
Ingrid Helene Håvik, Highasakite [NOR]
Jaakko Eino Kalevi [FIN]
Jaga Jazzist [NOR]
Janove Ottesen, Kaizers Orchestra [NOR]
Jenny Wilson [SWE]
Jeppe Kjellberg, Whomadewho [DEN]
Joakim Haugland, by:Larm [NOR]
Johan Wohlert, Mew [DEN]
Jóhann Jóhannsson [ICE]
John Grant [US/ICE]
Jonas Alaska [NOR]
Jonas Bjerre, Mew [DEN]
José González [SWE]
Jori Hulkkonen [FIN]
Júníus Meyvant [ICE]
Kakkmaddafakka [NOR]
Kamilla Ingibergsdóttir, Iceland Airwaves [ICE]
Kasper Bjørke [DEN]
Kevin Cole, KEXP Radio [US]
Kiasmos [ICE]
Lars Horntvedt, Jaga Jazzist [NOR]
Lay Low [ICE]
LCMDF [FIN]
Liima [DEN/FIN]
Lindstrøm [NOR]
Little Dragon [SWE]
Lykke Li [SWE]
Mads Damsgaard Kristiansen, Reptile Youth [DEN]
Mads Drogsås Hagen, Team Me [NOR]
Marko Heikkinen, Satellite Stories [FIN]
Matoma [NOR]
Matthías Már Magnússon, Rás 2 Radio [ICE]
Mikko Von Hertzen, Von Hertzen Brothers [FIN]
Miriam Bryant [SWE]
Moddi [NOR]
múm [ICE]
MØ [DEN]
Nico & Vinz [NOR]
Niki & The Dove [SWE]
Lordi [FIN]
Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir, Of Monsters And Men [ICE]
Nanna Øland Fabricius, Oh Land [DEN]
Neneh Cherry [SWE]
Nive Nielsen And The Deer Children [GR]
Noah Kin [FIN]
Ólafur Arnalds [ICE]
Ólöf Arnalds [ICE]
Peter Bjorn and John [SWE]
Rangleklods [DEN]
Rasmus Stolberg & Kasper Vang, The Lake Radio [DEN]
Redrama [FIN]
Rich Thane, The Line of Best Fit [UK]
Say Lou Lou [SWE]
Samaris [ICE]
Sigvör Laksá, G! Festival [FO]
Sin Fang [ICE]
Sóley [ICE]
Sondre Lerche [NOR]
Stefan Gejsing, Roskilde Festival [DEN]
Stian Andersen, Nordic Music Video Awards [NOR]
Sune Rose Wagner, The Raveonettes [DEN]
Teitur [FO]
Timo Kaukolampi, K-X-P [FIN]
Thomas Dybdahl [NOR]
Tomas Barfod [DEN]
Tuomas Kallio, FLOW Festival [FIN]
Trentemøller [DEN]
Ulrik Denizou Lund, Lemaitre [NOR]
Veronica Maggio [SWE]
Zara Larsson [SWE]
Zhala [SWE]
DJs
Apeiron Crew [DEN]
Baba Stiltz [SWE]
Boska [NOR]
Brynjolfur [FO]
Canvas [SWE]
DJ Margeir [ICE]
Eloq [DEN]
Hasta [NOR]
Introbeats [ICE]
Jesse [FIN]
Johanna Knutsson [SWE]
Kasper Bjørke [DEN]
Katerina [FIN]
Maya Lourenço [SWE]
Nadja Chatti [SWE]
Olle Abstract [NOR]
Pieces Of Juno [NOR]
Prins Thomas [NOR]
Rytmeklubben [NOR]
Sandra Mosh [SWE]
Samuli Kemppi [FIN]
Sexy Lazer [ICE]
Skatebård [NOR]
Taragana Pyjarama [DEN]
Trevor Deep Jr [FIN]
Unkwon [DEN]
Uyarakq [GL]
Yamaho [ICE]
Magma Curators
Anna Thorvaldsdottir [ICE]
Anne Hilde Nesset, Only Connect [NOR]
David Brynjar Franzon [ICE]
Eivind Buene [NOR]
Else Marie Pade [DEN]
Jüri Reinvere [ES/FIN]
Lars Petter Hagen [NOR]
Malin Bång [SWE]
Petri Kuljuntausta [FIN]
Peter Meanwell, Borealis Festival [NOR]
Þórunn Gréta Sigurðardóttir, Myrkir Músíkdagar [ICE]
Sanne Krogh Groth [DEN]
Simon Steen-Andersen [DEN]
Sofia Jernberg [SWE]
22

COLLABORATORS
Contributing editors
Justin Barker [UK]
Arnbjörg María Daníelsen [ICE]
Contributors
Dani Charlton [UK]
Linus Lassus [FIN]
Anna Sørensen [NOR]
Carolin Becke [GER]
Online Marketing
Hjalti Rögnvaldsson [UK]
Designers
Alli Metall [ICE]
Slobodan Zivic [SWE]
Developers
Bleeps & Blops [UK]
Film Teams
Tjarnargatan [ICE]
Studio Vestnes [NOR]
Carl Bigum [DEN]
Nikolaj Christensen [DEN]
Anders Mortensen (Sound) [DEN]
Photographers
Alísa Kalyanova [ICE]
Marie Hald [DEN]
Mikko Rikala [FIN]
Emmy Danielsson [SWE]
Live Photographers
Susanne Erler [GER]
Lára Björg Gunnarsdóttir [ICE]
Torleif Pettersen [NOR]
Cover photo: Aurora – by Knut Aaserud
Project Co-Ordinators
Jan-Henrik Stecker [FIN]
Stine Eikefet [NOR]
Natalie Mortensen [DEN]
Radio Stations
NRK P3 [NOR]
Sveriges Radio -P3 [SWE]
RÚV [ICE]
DR P6 Beat [DEN]
YleX [FIN]
Radio Helsinki [FIN]
X977 [ICE]
Amazing Radio [UK]
BBC Radio 1 [UK]
Flux FM [GER]
Ego FM [GER]
XFM [UK]
K103 [SWE]
KEXP [US]
KCRW [US]
Festivals
Iceland Airwaves, Reykjavík
By:Larm Festival, Oslo
Berlin Festival
Roskilde Festival
Øya Festival, Oslo
Reeperbahn Festival, Hamburg
Way Out West, Gothenburg
Flow Festival, Helsinki
SPOT Festival, Århus
Music & Media, Tampere
Play Nordic, Nordic Embassies in Berlin
Where’s The Music? Festival, Nörrkoping
Set Designer
Sara Hjördís Blöndal
Partners
66 North
Genelec
The Nordic Playlist is produced by NOMEX
Programme Director: Anna Hildur Hildibrandsdóttir
NOMEX is a Nordic Music Export Programme owned by Music Export Denmark, Music Finland, Iceland Music Export, Music Norway and Export Music Sweden.
It is set up to facilitate growth and development in the Nordic music sector and supported by the Nordic Council of Ministers.
©Nordic Playlist - Magazine 2nd edition published October 2016
23

DISCOVER
NORDIC MUSIC
NORDICPLAYLIST.COM