Bjarki’s bbbbbb records welcomes its first-ever non-electronic project as Icelandic rock band Skrattar joins the label to unveil their thirteen-track album, ‘Hellraiser IV’. Four-piece outfit Skrattar can be described as cigarette rock with an electronic vibe that makes your upper lip sweat. Having already developed a loyal fanbase in Iceland as a powerful live act with an energetic and provocative stage presence, the band now look further afield to global horizons as they reveal their latest album, ‘Hellraiser IV’. With the release of ‘Hellraiser IV’, bbbbbb broadens its catalogue beyond dance and electronic music. While the label’s primary focus will remain electronic, several other genres will also feature - the connecting factor being that the music is Icelandic, experimental and fresh... the best that grassroots has to offer. ‘Good music should be heard, and this is my take on delivering probably the best music coming from Iceland at the moment. It’s an honest, wild love story of true friendship and creativity coming together in one album’ - Bjarki ‘Hellraiser IV’ contains thirteen tracks written over three years, with the oldest songs composed the year the band was founded, 2016. In 2019, when a good foundation for an LP had been laid as the band gained followers and honed its sound, they locked themselves in the studio until they completed the album. With many of the tracks composed in the dead of night, containing both lyrics written over a long period as well as improvisation, the final product is a record made by them from A to Z, in line with the band’s endearing DIY ethos. ‘Skrattar’ is Icelandic for a specific type of demon that you can’t control, but in Swedish, it means ‘to laugh’ - with laughter involved across many of the tracks on ‘Hellraiser IV’ as if to mock the dualism of seriousness. Their subject matter is chaos and anarchism - but their humour and satire are never far away. The music is an ode to the eternal void, while at the same time laughing in its face. In addition, a remix album will be released digitally alongside Hellraiser IV, reimagined and reworked by a host of fellow musicians, producers, and artists. Among them, label regular Kuldaboli, bbbbbb boss Bjarki, DJ Flugvél og Geimskip, russian.girls, KGB and Anton Newcombe - the founder of The Brian Jonestown Massacre. More

Kuldaboli returns to bbbbbb records, this time with a 6-track EP on which his idiosyncratic sound of icy, cryptic electro fully emerges. BBB015 being the second release of Kuldaboli on bbbbbb records is destined to be a historical release for the Icelandic dance music scene and a very important one for Kuldaboli’s legacy. The EP title ‘Ekkert nema ískaldur veruleikinn’ roughly translates to “nothing but the ice cold reality” and that is exactly what is delivered across the six tracks laden with poetic lyrics and spoken word. In the opening track ‘Ég er bara ég’ Kuldaboli’s signature sound of uncompromising electro is overlaid with haunting vocals recited in Icelandic saying “I am only me and you are only you, people exchange words measuring each other out, trying their best at discerning life’s riddles’’. It is easy to say that Kuldaboli knows how to capture the listeners with deep reflections on subjects that most people are aware of but hardly ever speak of. A2 ‘Ískaldur veruleikinn’ or ‘the ice cold reality’ is the most bouncy dancefloor track of the EP with the openings lyrics saying ‘’Are you telling me the truth? If I were to guess you are lying cold to my face’. The power of word play in this release is by far the most interesting poetic turn for Kuldaboli to date, where he shows great insight to the subconscious and human behaviour. The smooth sounds of possessed Italo disco on A3 ‘Finn innri frið’, along with the funky bassline and trance like synths has perhaps the most positive vibe to it if you are not familiar to Kuldaboli, along with the playful opener of B-side ‘Afi kenndi mér íslensku’. Following B2 no-bullshit-electro-track ‘Kuklari’, the final track B3 ‘Fönix úr ösku’ shows the haunting dark depth of depressurisation that vocal and electronics can create, where melancholic lyrics convey images of lost dreams of former lives. TRACK LISTING: A1. Eg er bara eg, A2. Iskaldur veruleikinn, A3. Finn innri frid, B1. Afi kenndi mer islensku, B2. Kuklari, B3. Fonix ur osku More

EOD returns to bbbbbb with a fresh EP entitled ‘Zone’, perfectly demonstrating the producers buzzing and lush signature sound. On Zone EOD debuts brand new material, continuing to blur the lines between genres with a hard-hitting five-track release complete with complex drum arrangements, ethereal soundscapes, enchanting melodies and dystopian brushed sequences. More

OiOiOiOIAiAiAiIAiÆÆÆÆÆÆIIIIII!!!! The new Cucum45 EP dares to speed off from the endpoint of the two previous outputs Something Weirdcore and Cyclops í poka and off the edge of the record at 1000km/h. With a hardcore opening track titled “IIIiiiIIiiiiiiiiiiiiiIIIIIIIiiiiiiiIIIIIiiiiiiiiIIIIIIIiiiiiii” (I added several more I’s in there for dramatic effect) that clocks with everything it needs to say at under 2 minutes, it’s safe to say that Cucumb45 aka Bjarki in this EP is WIDE AWAKE, YES! Take “OpxThermin” – it’s straight up full-bore hardcore cartoon-pyrotechnics in overload, skipping and skedaddling over the turntables. Flipping out in a wild cocktail rush of hardcore ruffidge and smudged breaks that’s all smacked out on sugar frosted meth, listeners are gonna need some surgery to remove the smiley gurns from their faces. “Get Slothered 6even2” effectively can’t keep still as a track. From the collapsing rhythms and the pinging sound effects, it then decides what’s needed is a little bit of hip-hop flow in the background. Many hardcore rave re-treads (sorry, “deconstructed rave music”) often forget what this track seems to do at ease, and that is get you goddamn moving. "Rathakrem" might have glitchy ambient Nintendo 90s vibe checks, but it is VERY un-chill. Stressed out hard drives grind to dust and distressed sounds of arcade dynamics mean that what you hear is the sound of Mario bricking it through all those haunted castle sections. Ironically the last track, “Crying Indian and Laser Horse” is the EP chill out tune, aiming instead for a nice, soothing, bottoms out disco-fister oompa-loompa warehouse techno track with auto-tuned cats, gunfire, orgasms, and
horses. A fine soundtrack for the morning commute! More

HELLCAT is a new series from bbbbbb records focusing on club-ready dance floor driven tunes. The first edition, HELLCAT VOL.1 welcomes VTSS and Cadency on the A side, juxtapositioned by the Icelanders Bjarki and Kuldaboli on the B side. Berlin-based Polish producer, DJ and live act VTSS is a regular at Warsaw-based club Jasna1 and her visceral productions and energetic performances join the dots between hard techno, acid, rave and EBM. 'Sober Raving' sees her once again in her finest form with rumbling bass, mean melodies and a cacophony of percussion. Cadency is the moniker of OAKS and KAOS founder Héctor Oaks. He is one of the most exciting names in today's thriving techno scene and is a regular at the likes of Berlin's infamous Herrensauna and Tbilisi's nightclub institution Bassiani. 'Eating Steel' is an example of how twisted Oaks can get, combining reverberating kicks with oscillating atmospherics and murky vocal samples. Bjarki needs little introduction as the founder of bbbbbb and one of the most versatile electronic music producers and live acts out there, creating high quality techno, electro, IDM and even ambient. Meanwhile, Kuldaboli is another Icelandic electronic music producer based in Berlin who specialises in stone cold electro. Together they team up for 'Hrái Hötturin': a fast paced and mesmerising cut with sci-fi stabs and intricate warps before the blistering solo outing from Kuldaboli entitled 'Hefurðu einhvern tímann hugsað um það' warps listeners through outer space at 160 bpm. More

As the darkest month of the year draws upon the northern hemisphere, bbbbbb records introduces another Icelandic artist; the elusive electro producer Kuldaboli. With roots in hardcore-punk, metal-core and heavy-metal, Kuldaboli’s electro bangers are as dark and grimy as they come. “Ancient civilisations, 20th century history, the possibility of the existence of other dimensions along with the unbearable emptiness of human existence” are amongst the most prominent subjects of Kuldaboli’s creations.
‘Ég elska þig eilífa stríð’ consists of five hypnotic tracks, some of which are overlaid with cryptic texts; ominous poetry recited in Icelandic. Icelandic is a dying language in many ways, only spoken by around 350.000 people and constantly giving in from outwards influences. Who knows, perhaps it will be wiped out all together in the near future. But then again, humanity might not persist for much longer either. Only time will tell. More

Rephlex producer EOD drops a mind-bending fifteen track debut album on Bjarki’s bbbbbb this June. Born in Trondheim, Norway, Stian Gjevik is a rarity amongst electronic music producers. Possibly the most interesting musician representing the braindance and IDM sounds of today, EOD’s productions have landed on labels like We´Me` Records, sleepers, cpu, 030303 and Aphex Twin’s highly respected Rephlex. Dropping on bbbbbb last year, his ‘Swurlk EP’ sold out within a month and received support from Aphex Twin, Bicep, Bjarki, Nina Kraviz and many more. “It's the album I've wanted to do since I started making music - feels like a dream come true. Inspired by what got me into electronic music in the first place; jungle and early ‘00s Warp/Rephlex "drill & bass"-type stuff, but shifted through my own EOD-style lens. Oh yeah and loads of lovecraft references because I love those.” - EOD A must-listen for fans of sublime synth-driven cuts, otherworldly beatless affairs and frenetic, machine- driven jams, EOD’s ‘Named’ is a refreshing and highly anticipated debut long player from a true master of his craft. More

Fresh off the back of his debut as Cucumb45, Bjarki presents another outstanding release. ‘Slysó EP5 Cyclops í poka’ is a 5-track, vinyl only EP on bbbbbb records, the label he runs alongside Johnny Chrome Silver. Whilst the recent ‘Something Weirdcore’ challenged our understanding of genre, the latest release takes things further, playing with our perception of acousticspace. Immersive textures are introduced without warning, just as quickly as they are withdrawn, never to be heard again. From the nostalgic harmonies of ‘Cyxlobblobs5’ to the unnerving glitches of the title track, high velocity drums of ‘Aqua Elba’ and mangled juke patterns of ‘CATpitchd5’, the EP darts its way through a range of new territories without hesitation. Never one to conform, Cucumb45 rejects familiar structures, rapidly jumping between ideas whilst manipulating the physical properties of his sound. More

The fourth release on Bjarki and Johnny Chrome Silver’s bbbbbb Records, comes hot on the heels of the first. Two and three are limited run, vinyl only, hand stamped releases to be sought out from your local dealer. Bjarki returns as Cucumb45 with the 5-track EP ‘Something Weirdcore’. On the surface there are elements of jungle, breakbeat, techno and rave, but to say this spans genres would be an understatement – it defies them. The title track instantly commands attention with breaks samples offset against indecipherable robotic groans and melancholic chords, but a sudden change of drum pattern shows this is more than a reprieve of known territory – it’s a voyage away from the limits of tempo and genre. This theme is explored throughout the EP by way of unnerving stripped back techno (Akureyri), electro with subtle inflections of dancehall (Comatack) and even a big beat/dub influenced jam (Music for Advertising). As Cucumb45 plays with genres as we know them, so he does with the emotional resonance of the release. Frequently switching from euphoric to anxious, each track is a testament to his incredible attention to detail. Simply put, this is music for those who hate to be labelled. More

Bjarki’s not a fan of boxes - in fact, if you try putting him in one and he’ll gleefully jump out and stamp all over it. In 2015 you probably had him pegged as a techno artist, but in 2016 he confounded everyone’s expectations of his musical path (surprise breakout hit of the year followed by big room appearances playing the aforementioned hit at every set..). And instead he released three widely praised LPs ‘? | Lefhanded Fuqs | Æ' that mapped out a broad musical landscape for him - one that runs from ice cold ambient soundscapes, through melodic techno, exuberant breakbeat and on toclassic rave. His final release of 2016 ‘Fresh Jive’ placed him firmly leading the pack of artists who in the past few years have set about re-moulding the scent of breakbeat, rave, jungle and IDM into sounds that are entirely their own.
In 2017 Bjarki opens up a record label with his childhood friend Johnny ChromeSilver, bbbbbb Records. ‘My Inspiration’ is a classic breakbeat jungle track, written by Floyd Dice and Acen as X-Static, originally released in1992 on Production House Records. For the new release, the B-side includes an additional version by Bjarki that was mouth-wateringly teased to the general public on last years. Trip 2 Iceland video. Bjarki's ‘Sweetest Thing’ Version revs up the pads, melody and vocal of the original into a spine tingling, brooding and insanely addictive bass heavy breakbeat roller. More