Quarashi Turns 30 — Morgunverkin on Rás 2

ANDRI FREYR

This is the group Quarashi and a song called "Do It Again", and that is exactly what they are doing — they're doing it again, and here they are now for a visit. We have Ómar, Sölvi and Steini — hello and welcome!

ALL THREE

Yes, thank you…

ANDRI FREYR

So, I've threatened to go deep into the history of the band, and since there's a show coming up — a huge show in Laugardalshöllin — and I heard just this morning that you've even got a band with you to accompany on some of the tracks, and it's no small band, it's Vintage Caravan.

STEINI

Exactly, it's the best of the best, you know.

ANDRI FREYR

Of course, you've used actual instruments all the time and Tarfur played guitar with you for instance, and now you've got THE band.

SÖLVI

Yes.

ÓMAR

Yes.

SÖLVI

We've spared no expense, you know, it's our 30th anniversary and it's a big milestone. I was just thinking about it recently — 30… it's a good age, you're not fully young and dumb anymore, but you haven't become old and grumpy yet either.

ANDRI FREYR

(laughing) That's the age you are…

SÖLVI

So yeah, we wanted those kinds of sputniks with us for guitar and bass…

ANDRI FREYR

Yes, of course… so is it, when you guys call… when Quarashi picks up the phone and calls… ring ring, and asks "Hey, can you play a show with us?" Doesn't everyone just say yes?

ALL THREE

Yeah.

SÖLVI

That's kind of the trend… unless you're in hospital or something…

ANDRI FREYR

Yes, so it's a very short list of people that say no?

ÓMAR

I don't think it's anyone…

SÖLVI

I don't think that exists, honestly… we've worked with a whole lot of good people and it's always gone well and just been an amazing journey. But yeah, no one's really said no.

ANDRI FREYR

Exactly. So, I feel like you, Ómar, and you Steini… have a bit of a strong hip-hop background, that's how I feel… and now I'm getting a look from Ómar and I'm thinking, shit… what am I saying? Sölvi… Sölvi has been in all sorts of bands before Quarashi existed, and Ómar, of course, joined Quarashi a bit later… but… am I wrong, Ómar? What is that look?

STEINI

We discussed this yesterday, Ómar!

ÓMAR

Yes — no, you see, my background is from Breiðholt, back when I went to school in FÁ, that's when I fell into joining bands, just for the kick, and the first ever band I joined was a death metal band called Den Danske Død — we performed once… and after that there was no more. Later I fell into a hip-hop friend group with Trausti Skúla, and then I met Kalli and Maggi and Brynjar, Erpur and Eyjó and all these dudes and we started messing around with it. We were pretty tight as a group, and Addi Intro was in there too, DJ-ing, and we just built something from that and we were just… keeping it real and being real gangsters and… that sort of bullshit…

ANDRI FREYR

Of course, of course… And Steini, you… didn't you just get a mic thrown at you and you just liked it so much that you started rapping?

STEINI

Yeah, more or less. Of course I listened to a lot of rap and dance music and that sort of thing, and the first thing that came out that I was a part of was a band called Plan-B on Ice-rave. Then I wrote a song for Veggfóður at sixteen. And then, yes… just rap and hip-hop, and I lived in the US, was writing lyrics and stuff. That's my background. And this blend, of course… like you said before, Sölvi came from a lot of rock and rap and all kinds of stuff really, so when our paths crossed it all mixed together.

ANDRI FREYR

Sölvi, you're a drummer, foundationally, and you were in all kinds of bands. You were drumming in Stjónukisi, SSSpan, and Jónsson og Grjóna — isn't that right?

SÖLVI

Nah, well… their predecessor.

ANDRI FREYR

Of course, of course…

SÖLVI

Púff.

ANDRI FREYR

Púff… and then there was a band that was pretty spectacular, called 2001…

SÖLVI

Yes… perhaps the most boring band in the history of Icelandic music (laughs).

ANDRI FREYR

No! That is just incorrect… I was digging up old 2001 songs this week and—

SÖLVI

Wait, really?

ANDRI FREYR

Yeah, I had to check it out… and there's one song you guys played in the talk show Dagsljósið.

SÖLVI

Yeah (laughs).

ANDRI FREYR

And I remember when I saw it, I lived out in the country and I was like "Okay shit, so everyone is that cool in Reykjavík?! Okay!" And the band 2001 was in a bit of like… an existential crisis, didn't quite know if it was a kind of "Killing Joke" type of deal or some kind of indie-new-wave-cold-something? And it was Hössi, Gaukur and you, so that's kind of the base of Quarashi — 2001?

SÖLVI

A little bit, yeah… Definitely. I was coming from the garage band scene in Reykjavík and the fringe scene. We kind of just thought the world was just us. We didn't really realize that we were just a tiny fringe scene and were playing for like twenty or maybe two people… mom and dad or something, you know? And I had never experienced success the like of what I experienced later with Quarashi. But with these two that are here with me, Ómar and Steini… when I met Steini and then later Ómar, you know, at that time I really wanted to experience the dance and rave scene — I'd gotten deathly bored of the garage scene I'd been in. And it wasn't really anything… but of course it was a great time, you understand, but I'd just had enough of it, so when I met Steini and then Ómar I really longed to be part of the rap, dance, and rave scene.

ANDRI FREYR

Yeah — yeah, see, Hössi was also in a band that took part in Músíktilraunir (an Icelandic competition for young new music artists) and they got second place, and that reached all the way to the east of Iceland because you'd watch Músíktilraunir on TV. The band was called Wool, and he was like, when I saw him I was like, okay, that's an Icelandic Jim Morrison — with the long hair and leather jacket with a fur collar and wearing bell-bottom pants, very thought out. He was also in the band 2001, which… I'm going to play the song… you know, since "Do It Again" has a bit of a disco feeling to it, I'm going to play 2001's rendition of "Get Down Tonight" from a hit collection album that's called Há (Spenna), and… listen to this a little — there's Sölvi on the drums and it's a very Sölvi-like break… I remember you guys at Tunglið, you would always stand up while drumming just like in this song!

SÖLVI

Oh lord…

ANDRI FREYR

That was completely nuts… Sölvi is losing it over here… Þetta er alveg sturlað sko… Sölvi er alveg í kasti hérna.

ANDRI FREYR

The rest of us are telling you… it's awesome!

SÖLVI

I had so totally forgotten this song existed…

ANDRI FREYR

The internet forgets nothing!

ÓMAR

No, no, no…

ANDRI FREYR

And as I said, that was from a collection album — it came out in '95, called Há (Spenna) — and it's very descriptive of the spirit of the times: you have Páll Óskar on Unun, Ástin dugir, Poison with Prodigy is on there, 2001 and all sorts of good stuff, it's a little bit of everything in one package. Just when Quarashi was being born and Ómar was in Breiðholt… rapping, and Steini had just come back from the USA.

STEINI

Yeah…

ANDRI FREYR

And you know, the record stores and just the whole Laugavegur (shopping street in downtown Reykjavík)… it was nothing to sniff at.

ALL THREE

No.

ANDRI FREYR

You know, there were a lot more stores than you'd think there…

SÖLVI

Just huge record stores…

ANDRI FREYR

Two-story ones! You'd start in Brautarholt, in JAPIS, stroll down, there were two Skífan stores, one higher up, then you'd stop at the bookstore at Hlemmur, check out the music magazines, it was a whole round, right? Then further down to Hljómalind… and Plötubúðin itself. It was a bit like a different time.

STEINI

Completely different, it doesn't exist anymore, not like that…

ANDRI FREYR

And not to forget Þruman.

STEINI

Yeah, Þruman, man…

ANDRI FREYR

That's not allowed… Where did you get your music from at that time? Do you remember?

STEINI

So, I've always skated a lot and I got to know most music through skateboarding videos. You'd wait for the credits and see what songs they were, and then you'd look for a catalog somewhere and you had to order the albums and have them sent home — you'd get them like a month later… or you just listened to the skate videos, you know. Then, of course, you'd go to Hljómalind and Þruman.

SÖLVI

Hljómalind was sort of my spot, I got to know a lot of music there, they were just like "Yeah, you dig this and you dig that and now you buy this, you're welcome."

ÓMAR

I remember I bought Nirvana's first album in Hljómalind back when it was still situated in the Kolaport— and yeah, it was a pretty big masterpiece one listened to a lot. And then there was also… what was it called again, the record store that was in the alley where Jónas á milli used to be?

ANDRI FREYR

Yes… is it Grammið?

ÓMAR

Grammið… I remember that's where I bought the first Faith No More album.

SÖLVI

Now I feel like you're 60… you're not 60.

ÓMAR

And then you'd also go down to Lækjartorg, which had… Steinar. I remember I bought the Black Album by Metallica there… for my summer job money.

ANDRI FREYR

Glory days…

STEINI

I remember when I was 16 I so wanted to work at Hljómalind, bad enough that I went and talked to Kiddi (the owner) and told him "Hey, I know a whole lot about music and I would be a really good employee here…" He said: "Forget it"… and threw me out.

ALL

(Laugh.)

ANDRI FREYR

Funny you should say that, because when I was in the tenth grade we had one of those "where do you want to work" career introduction days, and I said I wanted to work at Hljómalind, or just any record store, but preferably Hljómalind, and they set it up for me that I got to work there for a day. I was so excited — Kiddi kanína in his overalls, with dried coffee in the corners of his mouth, Kári…

STEINI

Kári with the dreds…

ANDRI FREYR

Yeah, Kári with the dreds working, and I was so excited, I was like: "Okay, this is my big break here, I'm in the building." The only thing I got to do was sit and pluck old price labels off the albums and stick new ones on. When I got home I practically didn't have nails left…

STEINI

Fully satisfied…

ANDRI FREYR

Completely satisfied, it was stupidly fun — got to stay there a whole day, check out the inventory and stuff, it was really nice. But hey, you mentioned Jónas á milli… it was also the clothing stores…

ÓMAR

Exactly…

ANDRI FREYR

There were a bit more of them than there are now — it wasn't just Kringlan…

STEINI

No, no, no, no… There was Týndi Hlekkurinn, man, Jónas á milli, Extra, Undirgöngin, Elf 19 — it was endless, you know, and like… the skate scene and streetwear scene… and the music scene, it was all flourishing.

ANDRI FREYR

Did you guys shop in any of those stores Steini mentioned?

ÓMAR

Yes, yes, yes…

SÖLVI

I didn't have money…

STEINI

I had a sponsorship deal…

ÓMAR

It was the group I was in, we'd hang out at Jónas á milli… we were just always there, buying clothes that smelled like incense… it's a particular… when I smell that basic smell of incense I'm just like… ahhh… hey, Jónas á milli. I totally get into a vibe where I have no worries…

ANDRI FREYR

Oh, and then we got… wasn't it called Exodus? It had spray paint, baseball hats and very loose clothes.

ÓMAR

Exactly… exactly…

STEINI

I was more on the skate side of fashion. I didn't shop much at Jónas á milli, but of course I knew everyone there and… I was more in skateboarding shops and stuff at the time, Extra and stuff like that, but it was really cool and it was a growing scene at the time.

SÖLVI

Reykjavík… Reykjavík was magnificent in the '90s. Of course these are our roots, what we grew from…

ANDRI FREYR

Yes, yes, exactly, and now the kids have roots that we maybe don't quite understand…

SÖLVI

No… no.

ANDRI FREYR

That's just the way it is and we just have to deal with that. But we are going to celebrate in Laugardalshöll… it is the 30th anniversary of the band Quarashi, that's why I'm here talking to Steini, Sölvi and Ómar about the good old days.

SÖLVI

Yes!

ANDRI FREYR

And Ómar in Breiðholt who was, of course, in the death metal band… Den Danske Død… I love it, it's awesome stuff.

ÓMAR

We even made t-shirts…

ANDRI FREYR

Is that really so?

ÓMAR

Yes, yes, yes… I still have some.

STEINI

Really? Wow! Andri, you must get one!

ANDRI FREYR

Will it be available on the merch table at Laugardalshöll?

ÓMAR

That's a good question… that might be possible…

ANDRI FREYR

But I saw that you do have new merch…

SÖLVI

Yeah, it's absolutely sick.

ANDRI FREYR

Yeah, nuts… so, Blossi — that was a movie that came out around this time period we've been talking about… and Quarashi has a song they collaborated on with Botnleðja for it, a really cool track that flew pretty high, and there's a lot of good music on there. It's one of those movies where people talked about the music being better than the movie, a bit… but it seems time has been oddly kind to it, treated it well, and it's become a cult movie. And there's a song with Subterranean, and it's not the only song where you, Ómar, rapped with Subterranean.

ÓMAR

No, I had done, at that time, I think two or three other songs with them… and you know, to be honest, I have… NO recollection of what this song sounds like, I don't even remember what it's called — except I'm looking at the screen right now and it says… Crazy. I have absolutely no memory of this, so I'm hearing this song for the first time…

ANDRI FREYR

Great!

SÖLVI

I heard Ómar in this song and I thought, damn… we gotta have this dude, because you know… Steini has the middle-range voice, Hössi has the high range, and Ómar… completes it.

ANDRI FREYR

Exactly, Ómar has a killer verse in this song. You don't remember this song at all, Ómar?

ÓMAR

I recall nothing and I'm preparing for the worst.

ANDRI FREYR

No, no, no… this is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of, it's awesome!

SÖLVI

I called you because of this!

ANDRI FREYR

Exactly, you are here because of this song!

ÓMAR

Yes, yes, yes… exactly.

ANDRI FREYR

You can't forget… here is Subterranean and Ómar with the last verse of the song, and this song is crazy and it is called Crazy — let's hear it.

ANDRI FREYR

Well done!

STEINI AND SÖLVI

Yeah!

ANDRI FREYR

This is crazy cool!

STEINI AND SÖLVI

Yes!

ANDRI FREYR

Subterranean… and Ómar from Quarashi just finished his verse — the verse that resulted in him sitting here today and about to celebrate Quarashi's 30th anniversary in Laugardalshöll. It's a great song. But Ómar, you had a different stage name before you…

ÓMAR

Yes.

ANDRI FREYR

Tell us about it a little… it got reused?

ÓMAR

Yes, well… at this time my stage name was Móri… and I think it's been causing some misunderstandings when later on the rapper Móri took up the moniker as his own. I was Móri for a time around that period and up until Super Syndical, then after that I changed it to Ómar Swarez, and that's when Móri the rapper pops up later on…

ANDRI FREYR

Have you spoken to the rapper, have you dared take a swipe at Móri and…

ÓMAR

No, I have never talked about it with him, I've never met the man. I did speak on the phone with him one time, but that wasn't about this…

STEINI

Móri and I were childhood friends, we were always playing Gizmo.

ANDRI FREYR

Yes, good input…

STEINI

Yes, thanks…

ANDRI FREYR

Boys, Quarashi's first release — Ómar, you aren't on it, but you've probably heard it?

ÓMAR

Yes, I became aware of it when it came out. I remember, at the time there were certain factions — it was a bit like Wham and Duran Duran factions in relation to hip-hop and music. I was very much in the "keeping it real", true hip-hop, no sellouts, and then Quarashi came out and instantly blew up and became huge. Became commercial, became mainstream, and when I heard Switchstance for the first time… I remember where I was — downstairs in the basement in my room in Breiðholt — and what captivated me most was Hössi's entrance into the song, because, much like Bó Hall said, rest in peace king, it was very "foreign"… the sound was so well produced and right away it was like… hey, this is incredibly well made. All my friends stuck up their nose at it, but I was like… hmmm… I've never been the kind of guy to put myself into a faction. If I dig something, I dig it.

ANDRI FREYR

Yeah, it's so weird… you guys in Breiðholt, almost like a sort of jealousy — not you Ómar, you liked it — but you talk about sellouts… they released their own CD and EP… was that the sellout?

ÓMAR

As I touched on, there was this mentality and it was really exaggerated in Icelandic art at the time — all art — not to be a sellout. You were supposed to survive on the art, it was supposed to be your job, but you weren't allowed to sell yourself, and if you sold you were a loser and not true to the art. It's a bit like… since the hip-hop that was popular at the time was a bit underground, a bit New York rap, and everyone was keeping it real, you know.

ANDRI FREYR

Exactly, exactly. Well, speaking of the spirit of the times and Switchstance, Quarashi came out and stuff. We can't — we just cannot… we will be spanked by so many people if we leave here without mentioning the radio show Chronic. You know, it would be ridiculous not to.

ALL

Yes, yes — Robbi, Robbi.

ANDRI FREYR

Wasn't he feeding hip-hop-thirsty Icelanders around this time?

ALL

Yes, very — yes, yes, totally… great show.

ANDRI FREYR

Did you ever call in and freestyle?

ÓMAR

Yes, yes, yes…

STEINI

No…

ANDRI FREYR

You didn't?

STEINI

No, no.

ANDRI FREYR

Ómar, you did?

ÓMAR

I went a few times down to X-ið with Kalli and Maggi and stuff. I don't know if I… yeah, I'm sure I probably… don't know if I freestyled, but I rapped some lyrics I had. But Robbi was such a huge part of the hip-hop culture and all, but if you think back, you know, he was really against rapping in Icelandic — he thought it was the cringiest thing on Earth… so he and Erpur always had a little bit of beef… cause Erpur always wanted to rap in Icelandic… but then everything changed.

ANDRI FREYR

For people who don't know what we're talking about — there was a radio show called Chronic on X-ið, and Robbi Chronic only played hip-hop, apparently only foreign, but part of the show was a segment where listeners could call in and rap live — he had a beat ready, and it was such an experience when you'd hear of it the next day at school like: "Hey, Siggi called in and rapped." "Are you kidding?" "I have it on cassette tape!" And then all of a sudden your school buddy, in your own mind, just became huge.

STEINI

I was fifteen when Aggi — Aggzilla — and Robbi and these guys sort of took me under their wing. That's when he had the store Undirgöngin and I was all dressed in Stussy and all that, and they'd let me in the backdoor at this club called Rósenberg — I was 16 and getting to experience the rave scene there, you see? And that's where I'd be. I knew that… but I was very… you know… I listened to rap a lot, but also dance music, and it all sort of… mixed together.

ANDRI FREYR

Yeah, and it does that in Quarashi, too. You know, Switchstance is one of the most expensive CDs in Icelandic history today? It's a collectible and it has gone for a hundred dollars.

ÓMAR

That's something I'd like to add — since we were talking about record stores, the last thing I bought from Hljómalind before it closed was a Switchstance CD… the guy had taken out some boxes from the inventory and there was one copy… and I bought it for a thousand Icelandic krónur.

SÖLVI

I don't own one.

STEINI

Me neither…

ANDRI FREYR

But woah, was that at the closing sale?

ÓMAR

Yeah, when they were closing down.

ANDRI FREYR

I remember that, too… I had started looking through a pile that he owned himself… he was not happy with that. I had a twelve-inch Primal Scream in my hands, he was like no, that's MINE! I was like, okay… sorry man, why are you keeping your private collection on the floor?

STEINI

But now Switchstance is available on vinyl…

ANDRI FREYR

Really?!

SÖLVI

Yes…

ÓMAR

Yes sir…

ANDRI FREYR

Will it be available at the merch table?

SÖLVI

Definitely…

ANDRI FREYR

Is it really on vinyl…

SÖLVI

Yes.

ANDRI FREYR

Awesome.

ÓMAR

It's more or less all on vinyl now.

ANDRI FREYR

Is Lax records also releasing this?

SÖLVI

No… Lax records…

STEINI

It's mostly just in salmon…

ANDRI FREYR

Switchstance — that is the beginning of everything, and that's where the youth of Iceland heard something, like Ómar said, that was very "foreign". Before I throw Switchstance on and say goodbye to you Quarashi guys, will you tell us a little bit more about the show — like when, where, how to get tickets, and how it's all going to work?

SÖLVI

This is Quarashi's 30th anniversary concert, and we've spared no expense, and we'll be going a bit over the history. We're going to do things at this concert that haven't been done before in Iceland, both when it comes to lights and sound and other stuff, but mostly we're going to have an amazing party night with our fans, which I think is the whole point. We're going to celebrate the story, the music, celebrate these releases. I mean, there were highs and lows in this whole thing, but you know… we can laugh at it all now, and it was incredibly fun, and I would never have wanted to miss having this time with these guys here. But first and foremost it's about the music, of course. I actually think the concert is close to selling out — there's a few tickets left. So… if you would have told me 30 years ago: "Hey, you're going to be in Laugardalshöll in thirty years' time, playing for five thousand people" — I think I would have told you you're fucking crazy.

ANDRI FREYR

Exactly, wonderful, that's time for you. So, bottom line, no one is going to leave the concert at Laugardalshöllin grumpy.

ÓMAR

No, definitely not…

ANDRI FREYR

Congratulations with the milestone, guys.

STEINI

Thanks.

ANDRI FREYR

I can't wait to see what you'll do for the 40th anniversary concert.

ALL

(Laughing) It will be something… it will be something.

ANDRI FREYR

Here's the song Switchstance — the song that changed everything here in Iceland..