Denmark - Aarhus & Funen

We're taking the long journey back from Greenland via Iceland and the Faroes to continue our journey through Denmark.  Next stop here is the second largest city of Denmark, Aarhus, in the east of the Jutland peninsula.  There are a few acts active here.  Let's start with something soothing and gentle from folk/jazz trio Hvalfugl.  They combine light jazz with Nordic folk to create moods often associated with the seasons.  Here is an atmospheric tune from their 2021 EP En Dag I Oktober called Stilhed før Stormen:

Folktronica band Sorten Muld (Black soil or dark ground) formed in Aarhus in 1995.  They interweave Nordic Medieval ballads with trip hop and techno to create a unique Scandinavian sound.  Here's the opening track from their 2021 album Mark IV - Lånt Tid called Hillelil:

The 3 members of Turkish psych band Ipek Yolu got together for a spontaneous jam session at the 2018 Aarhus Roots & Hybrid Festival.  They blend Electro-tinged Cumbia with Turkish folk and 60's Psychedelia.  Their name is the Turkish for Silk Road.  They released their debut album Tropical Anatatolia in 2021 and this track is called Ayvaz:

Next stop is the small town of Gelsted on the island of Funen, where folk singer Helene Blum was born in 1979.  Gelsted is in the delightfully named municipality of Middelfart.  Starting off as a classical pianist, Helene graduated from the folk music department of the Carl Nielsen Academy of Music in Odense.  She sings mostly own compositions inspired by Nordic folk, but also dabbles in opera and other genres.  Her 2013 debut album Men med åbne øjne gained her immediate critical acclaim from the Daily Telegraph, as did her 2017 album Dråber af Tid (Droplets of time).  This is the opening track of the latter album called En lille dråbe blod (A little drop of blood):

Helene Blum often performs together with her fiddler husband Harald Haugaard, who is also from the island of Funen.  Here they are together as the Helene Blum & Harald Haugaard Band playing a song called Stranden from their 2020 album Strømmen:

Moving on to Odense, the largest city on Funen we meet folk musician Rune Barslund (whistle and accordion) who is part of the Celtic folk trio Inver, the other parts being Kevin Lees (fiddle) and Matthew Jones (guitar) from Newcastle in England.  Rune studied at Limerick University where he picked up some traditional Irish folk tunes.  Here is a set of tunes called The Mouse in the Cupboard / The Cat's Meow / Dick Sherlock's from their 2019 debut album Heading Out 

Also from Odense are Nordic folk band Basco, who combine various Scandinavian influences  with some Anglo-Saxon folk leanings. On their latest 2021 album Raek Mig Faklen they collaborate with folk singer Jullie Hjetland, who was born in Svendborg on Funen of Norwegian and Danish heritage, and has lived all over Scandinavia and Greenland, therefore having had a thorough immersion in various Nordic traditions and speaking the different languages fluently. Here's the opening track from the album called Sortøjet Dreng:

That's it for today, next we are heading to the island of Zealand, where the capital Copenhagen is located.  Until then you can follow my virtual travels on my Tripline map.