Old Man River is the solo project for Ohad Rein. Born in Australia, raised in the middle east and Europe, and finding inspiration through time spent living in India, the US and Israel, Old Man River fuses eastern influences with a western pop sensibility.
Battles / Atlas It’s very rare when you go and see a band and go, ‘this is something I have never ever seen in my life!’ But that was the case when I saw these guys. They absolutely blew me away. So I don’t know what it is they do, or how to describe it, it but it’s awesome. Our kids would probably think it’s mainstream music in about ten years from now.
Waist deep in singles, The Acid Cowgirl Audio Trade is 100 percent a one-woman show. Self-written and self-produced, Salme Dahlstrom wrote and recorded the entire album in her studio in New York City. A hands-on producer, Salme does all her own programming, editing and mixing. While she invited a couple of friends to perform on a few of the tracks, she played most of the instruments herself as well. Hello California is the third single off the album.
Paul Oakenfold / Starry Eyed Surprise This one never gets old for me. As soon as summer rolls around, this song finds its way onto my iPod. Crazy Town singers best work for sure, a perfect match to Oakenfold’s track. And who can forget the soap bubbles and roller bladers in the Diet Coke commercial.
Singer-songwriter Hafdis Huld was born in Reykjavik, Iceland and now divides her time between the UK and Iceland. From the age of 15 she sang and toured the world with iconic Icelandic collective Gus Gus. When they weren’t touring, Hafdis took time out to star in several Icelandic films. In between writing and performing, her recordings have been used for several TV ad campaigns and she appeared in a viral video campaign for Reyka Vodka. She is also a featured vocalist on Tricky’s 2008 album Knowle West Boy. She has a new single coming out called Kongulo (Icelandic for ‘spider’) which is about Frenchman Alain Robert, who climbs skyscrapers without any supporting equipment.
Dolly Parton / Jolene If I had to choose my all-time favorite song, I think it would be this one. It is just one of these songs I wish I had written every time I hear it. I have many memories of singing along with it in the car in Reykjavik with my mum and my sister.
My Secret Playlist is a music discovery website and weekly email publication. We invite our favourite bands and musicians to give us the rundown on their eight favourite songs right now. These are their words on the music that inspires them.
