Shows
Talks with MusiciansPussy Riot (Diana Burkot) On Music Activism & new project Sweat and Blood | Oktaves Podcast (Ep. 12)In today’s episode, Diana Burkot of Pussy Riot joins Oktaves Podcast to discuss her journey from underground activist musician in Moscow to political exile in Iceland. With an 8-year prison sentence hanging over her head and Pussy Riot labeled an “extremist organization” by Russian authorities, Diana shares the untold story of creating art, music, and activism under authoritarian pressure.In this powerful conversation, Diana reveals the inner workings of Pussy Riot as a multi-person art collective, her new “Sweat and Blood” multimedia project, and how she continues to fight government censorship through music, exhibitions, and performance art.Diana takes us b...
2026-01-0726 minTalks with MusiciansWhy this 18-Year-Old Artist is way ahead of most Independent Musicians | BIRTA DÍS | Oktaves Podcast (Ep.12)At just 18 years old, Birta Dís is already navigating the music industry with a level of clarity, intention, and momentum that many artists only reach years later. In this episode of the Oktaves Podcast, Birta Dís talks openly about graduating high school, choosing music without a safety net, and stepping into the realities of releasing music professionally at a young age.The conversation explores songwriting as a form of self-reflection, music as emotional processing, and how Birta Dís developed her voice before feeling “ready.” She shares how her early songs came together, what it was like to reac...
2025-12-3023 minTalks with MusiciansWhat Independent Musicians Can Learn About Emotional Songwriting | SVAVAR KNÚTUR | Oktaves Podcast (Ep. 11)Svavar Knútur is one of Iceland’s most respected singer-songwriters, known for deeply human songs that explore grief, healing, love, and service. In this episode of the Oktaves Podcast – Talks with Musicians, Svavar reflects on a 15-year musical journey that began as a way to survive personal loss and gradually became a lifelong devotion to music as healing work.This conversation moves through songwriting as a cartographer’s journey through grief, why Svavar refuses to write blame-driven breakup songs, and how music can serve both the artist and the listener. He speaks openly about collaboration, ego, service over dominat...
2025-12-2334 minTalks with MusiciansGrowing 200 million Streams Without Using Social Media | PIERRE LECK | Oktaves Podcast (Ep. 10)In today's Talks with Musicians we have Pierre Leck where we dive into the hidden side of streaming success, the single-driven label economy, networking over content creation, and the tension between creative integrity and industry expectations. Pierre also talks about his deeply personal piano project named after his wife, his relationship to live performance, and how Nordic influence subtly shapes his sound.Pierre Leck is a French multi-instrumentalist, producer, and songwriter based in Iceland whose music has quietly accumulated more than 200 million streams across multiple projects. In this episode of the Oktaves Podcast – Talks wi...
2025-12-1629 minTalks with MusiciansCHENA on Metal, Mother Earth & Filming “Clouds of Sapphire” in Iceland | Oktaves Podcast (Ep. 9)In this episode, I sit down with Chena, an African metal artist whose unexpected journey has taken her from LA to the Netherlands, Iceland, and now London. We talk about growing up African in America, discovering metal through MTV and early nu-metal, and how those influences shaped her identity as a musician.Chena shares her experience performing at Jared Dines’ Musician Mansion, building her symphonic metal band, and creating her project Chenaissence, the World of Chena. She opens up about finding her own voice in metal, the unique perspectives she brings to the genre, and how her global upbringing sh...
2025-12-0931 minTalks with MusiciansMusic as Therapy: Why Artists Write Songs to Heal Trauma | ANYA SHADDOCK | Oktaves Podcast (Ep. 8)Anya returns to the Oktaves Podcast – Talks with Musicians for a second interview, and this one goes deep into what independent musicians rarely say out loud: songs are emotional survival, but releases are expensive, slow, and full of “grown-up” logistics.We talk about Anya’s breakout fan-favorite “I Need Your Love”, written in 2019 during her first real experience with dating and obsession, then left unfinished until 2022. She entered it into a songwriting competition at MÍT (Icelandic College of Music) without even performing it for anyone first, and it won first place. That moment became the re...
2025-12-0225 minTalks with MusiciansQueer Love is Holy Love - Releasing Music as a Trans Artist | GLÓEY | Oktaves Podcast (Ep. 7)Gloey is an Icelandic non-binary, trans artist whose music blends intimacy, vulnerability, and queer love stories into soft, emotionally driven pop songwriting. In this episode of the Oktaves Podcast – Talks with Musicians, Gloey shares how they went from working full-time at Pink Iceland to releasing their first single and stepping onto major stages in a matter of months.We talk about their debut song “Away”, written as a voice-note-style love letter during a long-distance relationship, and how it unexpectedly became a queer love anthem embraced by the LGBTQIA+ community. Gloey opens up about confidence, identi...
2025-11-2520 minTalks with MusiciansNever Released His First Album. Ten Years Later, He Tried Again | SAEFARI | Oktaves Podcast (Ep. 6)Sæfari is the solo project of Atli, an Icelandic songwriter who returned to music after a 10-year break and released his debut album only a few months ago. In this episode of the Oktaves Podcast – Talks with Musicians, Atli shares the real story behind coming back, finishing what you started, and refusing to quit on yourself again.We talk about his early years as a guitarist in bands, stepping away from music in his early 20s, and how life took over: kids, a full-time career in software engineering, and years of silence. But the...
2025-11-1825 minTalks with MusiciansHow this DIY Rock n Roller musician explores two Nordic homes | LADIELEX | Oktaves Podcast (Ep. 5)LadieLex is an Icelandic-born, Stockholm-based artist blending alternative rock and pop with vulnerability, big emotions, and a strong sense of identity. In this episode of the Oktaves Podcast – Talks with Musicians, LadieLex talks openly about building a solo career between two countries, doing everything herself, and learning to trust her voice after leaving a long-term band.We dive into her journey from touring with her former band Halvar to starting over as an independent artist, navigating the pandemic as a solo musician, and finding creative momentum during lockdown. She reflects on how her extroverted pe...
2025-11-1126 minTalks with MusiciansCreating Music After Losing Home to a Volcano | GÍSLI GUNNARSSON | Oktaves Podcast (Ep.4)Gísli Gunnarsson is an Icelandic composer and artist whose sound lives between modern classical, post-rock, cinematic orchestration, and metal-adjacent storytelling. In this episode of the Oktaves Podcast – Talks with Musicians, Gísli breaks down how he builds songs like films, why dynamics matter (fragile to crushing), and how his metal roots shaped his taste without limiting his writing.We talk about his recent shift into sync work and trailer remixes, sparked by an Iceland Airwaves masterclass with Iceland Music and a sync consultant who immediately pointed him toward trailer music. Gísli explains the r...
2025-11-0424 min
Once and Always a FanboyEly Buendia on Combo On The Run, proudest Eraserheads moment, and what he hates about modern music | EP. 18Hello everyone, and welcome to another episode of Once and Always a Fanboy. To call this episode iconic would be an understatement. I wouldn’t be the musician I am now without the influence of this person. He has created incredible music with his bands like Pupil, The Mongols, The Oktaves, and of course Eraserheads. He just released his second solo album called Method Adaptor last year, and their brand new documentary titled Combo on the Run will be in theaters this March. And of course, he is also a fellow Star Wars fan. Fangirls and Fanboys, Ely Buendia!...
2025-03-1725 minTalks with MusiciansFrom Cult of Lilith to Solo, Mario Infantes never stopped his devotion | Oktaves Podcast (Ep. 3)Mario Infantes is an Iceland-based musician best known as the former vocalist of the death metal band Cult of Lilith, signed to Metal Blade Records. After burnout, a cancelled U.S. tour, and losing his voice after COVID, Mario rebuilt his creative life from the ground up and created a solo project that blends progressive metal, folk instruments, Middle Eastern and Indian influences, ambient textures, and cinematic storytelling.In this episode of the Oktaves Podcast – Talks with Musicians, Mario talks about the real work behind reinvention: learning to write full songs (not just vocals), producing alone, protecting th...
2024-12-1155 minTalks with MusiciansAnthe on Björk, Iceland, and Writing Dream Worlds | Oktaves Podcast (Ep. 2)Anthe is a Belgian singer-songwriter, pianist, and composer with roots in Italy, now based in Iceland. In this episode of the Oktaves Podcast – Talks with Musicians, Anthe opens up about her lifelong relationship with music, her deep connection to Iceland and Nordic soundscapes, and her desire to create music that feels like stepping into a dream world.From playing piano and singing on stage at four years old to studying music at university, Anthe shares how classical piano, experimental techniques, and songwriting shaped her voice. She talks about Björk as a lifelong influence, why Iceland felt lik...
2024-12-0426 minTalks with MusiciansSinger songwriter Atli on his journey from Sauðárkrókur to TV Shows | Oktaves Podcast (Ep. 1)In this first episode of Oktaves Podcast – Talks with Musicians, I sit down with Atli, a soulful Icelandic singer songwriter whose journey has taken him from a small town in the north of Iceland to London, and soon to New York. His music lives somewhere between Bon Iver and Ed Sheeran, blending intimate indie folk textures with strong, emotional pop songwriting.We talk about how growing up in a town of 3,000 people shaped his view of music, why he moved countries just to stay close to his producer, and how his song "Gone Halo" ended up on the NBC se...
2024-11-2626 min
Paco's PlaceEly Buendia EPISODE # 188 The Paco Arespacochaga PodcastOPM icon, Ely Buendia, shares insights on the upcoming Eraserheads tour, songwriting and motorcycles. This man needs no further introduction. Enjoy!
#elybuendia #eraserheads #OPM #oktaves #pupil #apartel #pacosplace #pacosplacelive #liveatpacosplace
Special Thanks to:
Leo Bato & Associates - http://www.LeoBato.Realtor
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©2023 The Paco Arespacochaga podcast. All rights reserved.
2023-05-0249 min
On The Rocks with Jamie WilsonThe OktavesThis is the last episode before On The Rocks with Jamie Wilson goes on a 1 month break, for re-formatting. This is a rare online appearance of the legendary Nitoy Adriano, and despite the technical mishaps, it's still a fun episode to tune in to!
2021-05-251h 46