Apparat Organ Quartet with Kevin Cole
photo by Victoria Holt (view set)
Even in their Icelandic homeland, a performance by Apparat Organ Quartet is rare, so for the band to perform live in Seattle was nearly unthinkable... that is until we invited them to perform the third annual Reykjavik Calling showcase earlier this month. A true organ quartet, with additional drummer, Apparat Organ Quartet has come a long way from its minamalist origins and now creates complex layers of hand-played vintage analog keyboards. Their 2010 release, Pólýfónía, their second overall and first in eight years, is a mind-blowing mix of dance music, old school electronica and high-octane rock and roll. As our Afternoon Show host, Kevin Cole, says, “if Kraftwerk were to make a great album in 2011 or 2012, this is what it would sound like.”
photo by Andy Bokanev
While each member has his own projects, the group came together -- minus founder Jóhann Jóhannsson, who had difficulty getting into the country -- to perform their first ever show on the West Coast just two weeks ago at Neumos. (Ryan, you can stop holding your breath now.) We were fortunate to grab the band for a less formal session live in the KEXP studio earlier that day, and we will host the full band live on air from the KEX Hostel in Reykjavik next week during our broadcast at Iceland Airwaves. Tune in at 8AM PST on Thursday, November 1st, to hear them live and watch the in-studio videos now:
Listen to the full performance:
