quarashi - jinx

.:: "We're the band that comes from nowhere but listens to the whole world and then produces a record," says Sölvi Blondal, the songwriter/producer behind Iceland's Quarashi (pronounced "kwa-ra'-she"). "We're not from America, we're not from Europe, we're from Reykjavik, a small city in the North Atlantic. It's probably a good anthropology study: the rappers from Iceland."

But Quarashi is not only geographically unique, the group's music is an eclectic blend of rap, punk, and hard rock that displays an incredibly wide array of influences. "Our goal is to mix hip-hop and industrial, but always with a live feel," says Sölvi. "To make people think this is a live band, though most of it is programmed and sequenced."

On Jinx the beats range from straight-up hip-hop to murky industrial, sometimes provided by a drum machine, other times by a live drummer. Turntable scratches give way to fat bass lines and screeching guitars. Background vocals blend with the flows of two or three rappers at a time. Horns, voices, and piano rolls are sampled and distorted.

The state of the art production is as impressive as anything coming from either side of the Atlantic. "The original point of the band was mixing British break beats and American hip-hop together," says Hössi. "It's as if Chemical Brothers and the Prodigy rumbled with Cypress Hill and Public Enemy."

The group has a loyal following, especially in their native Iceland. Each of their records (Switchstance, Quarashi, Xeneizes, Kristnihald undir Jökli, Jinx, Guerilla Disco) have sold well in their homeland. Quarashi was a rap group, but they combined elements of rock, techno, and funk into their songs, lending an air of unpredictability to their music.

Comparisons to Rage Against the Machine, Eminem, and The Beastie Boys are often heard when discussing Quarashi, but the group had their own unique style that distinguished them from other famous rap/rock groups. Their influences ranged from Public Enemy (Blöndal says that P.E.'s Fear Of A Black Planet is what inspired him to make music) to Led Zeppelin, and that can be heard in their songs.


download: quarashi - jinx

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