The Collector

Swiss-based Icelander Sunna Margrét is a rising force in experimental pop. Having begun her career as a teenager touring with electro-pop ensemble Bloodgroup, she is about to release her debut full-length solo LP, Finger on Tongue.

- Sunna Margrét

Influenced by krautrock legends CAN and Neu!, alongside outsider synth-pop artist The Space Lady and electronic music pioneers Suzanne Ciani and Eliane Radigue, her work touches on crosscutting synth-pop, reinvented trip-hop, krautrock, and experimental inspirations. She is also an accomplished visual artist, co-founding No Salad Records as a platform for avant-garde, electronic, and post-punk expression worldwide.

What do you collect, and why?

I collect what I know I will actually listen to, what sparks my interest, records that inspire me to make music. I often buy records when I go to concerts – it’s nice to support the artists directly. I enjoy a whole range of styles: experimental, psychedelic rock, punk rock, post-punk, ambient, world music, electronic, krautrock, pop, sometimes jazz, blues, folk… all sorts of directions. But preferably something I don’t already know. Yesterday I bought a new release: Vanishing Twin – Afternoon X. It had a quote from [leftfield music mag] The Wire so I gave it a listen. Now, since I began running a record label, when I’ve been personally distributing records to local stores, it’s hard to resist grabbing a record or two on the way out.

How big is your collection?

It’s tiny! Well, it depends who you ask, but for collectors, it’s tiny. Maybe 700 records ranging from 6” to 12”.

What do you think it is worth?

Probably not much… I’ve never really thought about it. I’m constantly listening to my records, day in, day out, and I know I’m probably going to listen to them until they are ruined. Some of those records are already in bad shape, a lot of them I bought for just two euros. But then, streaming music just isn’t my thing.