For the next five days, DiS will be once more exploring Reykjavik and its famous Iceland Airwaves festival. Now in its thirteenth year, Airwaves is known the world over for its remarkable setting and amazing lineups, showcasing the best in new international and Icelandic music. Sigur Ros and Dirty Projectors are among the big names performing at this year's event but, with our knitwear ready, thermos's packed and passports checked, here's a rundown of some of the lesser known acts we're itching to see out there...

Oyama

Reykjavik locals Oyama don't make music particularly fitting of their blustery-but-picturesque surroundings but then again neither did Dubliners My Bloody Valentine, whose screeching guitars and bruising shoegaze they take definite cues from. 'Dinosaur' has a jerky Dischord Records-ish malevolence we like a lot. Original? Not particularly. Good? You betcha.

Amsterdam, Thursday (1 Nov) - 20:00

DIIV

June's Oshin, the debut album from spectral Brooklynites DIIV, delivered on the promise of the band's early singles with style and flair. Like a more cerebral Real Estate, there's flickers of post-rock and Joy Division-esque new wave to their sound, best evidenced on 'Doused', three minutes of rumbling, reverb-stained bliss.

Iðnó, Saturday (3 Nov) - 00:20

Valgeir Sigurðsson

The man behind the curtain on some of Bjork's finest work, Bedroom Community composer Valgeir Sigurðsson has also collaborated with the likes of Thom Yorke, Nico Muhly (also performing at Airwaves), Feist and fellow Icelandics mum. His frosty cinematic soundscapes are bound to provide the festival one of its most chilling and memorable performances. 'Big Reveal' is full of coruscating strings and firecracker electronics, and will burrow its way into your psyche.

Iðnó, Friday (2 Nov) - 21:20

Mikael Lind

If you liked Rachel's, the chamber music project led by Rodan guitarist Jason Nobles who sadly died earlier this year, Sweden-born songwriter Mikael Lind shows a similar knack for glowering piano-violin dialogues.

Faktorý Downstairs, Wednesday (31 Oct) - 20:50

Samaris

Minimalist and magical, there's a ghostly spark to Samaris' trip-hop experiments and hushed melodies that makes them one of our most anticipated bands of the festival. What they specialise in are gorgeous, haunting nocturnes like the one above, spiralling out from underneath its delicate central vocal into spacey, atmospheric terrain.

Faktorý Upstairs, Wednesday (31 Oct) - 00:10 Reykjavík Art Museum, Thursday (1 Nov) - 20:00