Folk It!

mon 12 dec 2022 18:00 hour

Nordic Sounds

2015 saw the release of Turmio, the debut of a new, young Finnish folk group. An unusual six-person formation based on classic rock backing drums, percussion and electric bass guitar, alongside more conventional instruments used in folk such as accordion and violin, as well as specific, authentic Finnish instruments, including the kantele and the bowed lyre. The music, often their work, influenced by rock, but equally, film music and a solid link to traditional songs and melodies are larded with snatches of electronics from distortion equipment as well as samplers and synthesisers—the vocals reference ancient singing techniques from various regions of Finland. The compositions are both stirring and solid, with a hefty dose of dynamics in the songs. Two years later, Rautasuu is released, a CD single, and then a second disc Ääneni Yli Vesien. Meanwhile, two purveyors of compositions for Okra Playground make a solo CD. In 2017, Maija Kauhanen released the CD Raivopyörä, on which she plays the kantele -a 23-string, 15-string and 35-string concert kantele-, sings with rural technique and accompanies herself with tribal percussion. A year after Kauhanen, Päivi Hirvonen’s debut album Alku appeared. She plays the violin conventionally but also eccentrically by not strumming the strings but plucking them with her fingers. And then two pieces simultaneously. This creates a cadence, with Hirvonen singing an entirely different melody line. Besides the violin, she also plays the bowed lyre. This autumn, both Kauhanen (Menneet) and Hirvonen (Kallio) simultaneously released a second solo product, and on the upside, they released a third CD, Itku with Okra Playground. Time to introduce this three-song hit to you in Nordic Sounds.

Reviews of the CDs by Kauhanen, Hirvonen and Okra Playground can be found here: