Finland - Pirkanmaa

 Next we are heading to the city of Tampere, the capital of the Pirkanmaa region of Finland.  It was once an industrial powerhouse due to its availability of water generated electricity from the Tamerkoski rapids connecting 2 lakes either side of the city.  It is also known as a cultural city ranking 26th in the list of hipster cities of the world (top is Brighton apparently, since you asked) and as the world's sauna capital.

Photo credit: By Leo-setä - TampereUploaded by A333, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12378791

We find quite a varied music scene here starting with a folk quartet reviving the fortunes of an ancient instrument the Johiorkesteri, the horse hair orchestra.  They were formed in the early noughties playing the jouhikko, a horsehair strung bowed lyre, which has a history dating back to the early Middle Ages.  The instrument fell out of fashion by the early 20th century, but is now being revived by the likes of this band.  The sound has been likened to a swarm of huskily raspy fiddles, but with a slithery, edgy pitching.  The jouhikko typically has 3 strings and the strings are stopped with the backs of the fingers.  Here is the title track of the bands 2008 debut album Nikodemus:

Another proponent of the jouhikko, born in 1976 in Tampere, is musician and ethno-musicologist Pekko Käppi.  His style is quite different though, being originally inspired by the Grateful Dead, he decided to delve into the folk music of his own country.  Combined with the jouhikko which he amplified he developed his own style of Finnish folk rock, sometimes with inflections of the blues or psychedelic influences.  Since 2015 he has played and recorded with his band K:H:H:L, which apparently stands for the Finnish for The Bones of Dead Horses Out of Control.  Here is an acoustic version of the opening track of his 2019 album V​ä​ä​rä laulu called Ikoni:

Also born in 1976 in Tampere is composer and 'trance-folk' accordionist Anne-Mari Kivimäki.  Her unique style of music combines a hypnotic pulse, rasping archival recordings and the sound of a wistful Soviet-made Notka accordion.  Here's a track from her 2019 album Ilja called Kaivos (The Mine), performed in a mine and also featuring a jouhikko:

Anne-Mari Kivimäki is also part of the ethno-electro foursome Suistamon Säkhö.  They are made up of 4 non-binary individuals (could be two guys and two gals, or maybe not - who cares), who have drifted quite far from their folk music roots ("Some of us just have a degree in that music").  Their performances are energetic, colourful and just slightly mad.  Their lyrics tackle contemporary issues of life and death and the tunes are eminently danceable.  Here is a song from their 2021 album Varokaa! Hengenvaara (Watch Out! Danger of Death) called Kutsu:

Experimental musician Pelkkä Poutanen (actually Petra Poutanen, Pelkkä meaning 'just') is also from Tampere.  She doesn't like to be pinned down to a genre, mixing different folk traditions with electronics, art pop, noise and vocal music.  Her voice has been described as acrobatic which includes techniques from Scandinavian and Finno-Ugrian folk-singing to throat singing.  She plays completely solo with an electronic mixing station, a loop station and a Finnish kantele made from an old skateboard.  Here is a track which demonstrates that from her 2022 debut album Pyhä Veri Vuotaa (Sacred Blood Will Spill) called Manobuddhyahamkar:

Finally we head a bit south to the town of Viiala, where accordionist Kimmo Pohjonen was born in 1964.  He is known for his avant-garde experimental work with his custom-made electrified and modified button accordion.  He performs both solo and as part of many collaborations.  Here he talks about the making of his 2015 album Sensitive Skin:

That's it from the region of Pirkanmaa for today, next we are heading towards the southwest of Finland.  Until then, as usual, you can follow my virtual ramblings on my tripline map.

 

Finland - Ostrobothnia, South Ostrobothnia & Central Finland

The next stop on our tour of Finland is the coastal town of Vaasa in the Ostrobothnia region.  Now Vaasa is a bilingual city with a third of the population speaking Swedish as their native language.  Hence some of the traditional music is more influenced by the Scandinavian neighbour.  

The folk band Gjallarhorn (named after a horn associated with the Norse God Heimdallr) is one such example.  Their style is influenced by New Age sounds, mostly acoustic, but accompanied by drums and bass and led by the lead vocals of Jenny Wilhelms singing in Swedish.  They were established in 1994, but sadly their website appears to be dormant right now and their music is not easy to obtain.  Here's a song from their last album to date the 2006 Rimfaxe.  The track is simply called Hymn:

Next up we're visiting the region of South Ostrobothnia.  All female folk quartet Enkel are from the town of Alavus (at least 2 of their members are).  They exude just loads of fun generally with 2 melodeons, a viola and the Finnish national instrument the Kantele, which is exemplified in this song Babes in the Water:

And here is the opening track to their 2018 album We Are Enkel called Lempi-Ihmisille (Girl Gang Quadrille):

Next we're heading to the region of Central Finland and we're stopping in the town of Jyväskylä, where bluegrass / metal band Steve 'n' Seagulls hail from.  They shot to fame when their popular and humorous videos started appearing on YouTube in 2015.  They do covers of hard rock and heavy metal classics and giving them the bluegrass treatment (or bluegrassifying them, which according to Tabetha Tozer of of Northern Ireland's Cup O'Joe is a word).  Here are a couple of songs from their 2015 debut album Farm Machine.  First up is Thunderstruck by AC/DC:

...and another AC/DC number You Shook Me All Night Long featuring the Finland women's national ice hockey team and a pony:

Last stop in Central Finland is the municipality of Korpilahti, where composer, jazz pianist and moog player (the moog is a form of early synthesizer) Kari Ikonen was born in 1973.  He has released numerous albums as a solo artist as well as part of the Kari Ikonen Trio and as a leader of his band Karikko.  Here is a track from an album with the latter called The Helsinki Suite from 2011.  The track is called Circular:

That's it for today, next we're heading for Tampere in the Pirkanmaa region.  Until then you can follow my virtual journey on my Tripline map.

Finland - North & Central Ostrobothnia

Next on our virtual tour through Finland we're heading for the regions of Ostrobothnia, of which there are four, North, Central, South and just Ostrobothnia.  First stop is the municipality of Lumijoki  on the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia in North Ostrobothnia, where violinist and lead singer of the progressive folk band Auri Johanna Kurkela was born in 1985.  Johanna once represented Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest and the music of Auri could easily feature in the schmalz fest as one of the better performances.  Here is the opening track to their 2018 self-titled debut album called The Space Between:    

Next we are heading inland to the town of Haapavesi, still in the North Ostrobothnia region, where accordionist and composer Teija Niku was born in 1982.  She is known for her expertise in both Nordic and Balkan folk music on her diatonic button accordion. In her latest critically acclaimed album Hetkessä she plays completely solo and develops her own unique style.  The title of the album translates as either 'in the moment' or 'happening in seconds'.  Here is a track from the album called Salakavala:

Now Helsinki might be the administrative and political capital of Finland, however there is only one undisputed music capital in Finland and that is the town Kaustinen in Central Ostrobothnia.  It's a town of just 4,300 souls built on a crossroad by a river and seems unremarkable.  However, once a year for a week in July the population swells to 60,000+ as musicians and music fans alike descend on the town for the biggest folk festival in the Nordic countries, the Kaustinen Folk Festival.  It started in 1968, initially to celebrate the local fiddle-based folk music tradition, which is said to go back some 250 years.  The festival soon became nicknamed the Woodstock of the North.  So if you want to attend this year, it will be held between the 10th-16th July (which of course clashes with the Riddu Riddu festival I recommended in the last post).

The Kaustinen fiddle tradition has now been given UN Heritage protected status, so it goes without saying that the local music scene is alive and well.  We start with traditional folk band Tallari who have been going since 1986 with various changes in personnel and have released 18 full length albums since then.  Theirs is the typical fiddle-led uplifting balfolk of the region accompanied by harmonium and guitar. Here is a tune from their latest 2021 album Luontua (Natural) called Markkinamassi:

Also formed in the early 1980's in Kaustinen are the fiddle band JPP, which is short for Järvelän pikkupelimannit, which means little fiddlers from the village of Järvelä, which boasts several members of the Järvelä family.  They are also grounded in the Kaustinen folk style, but often add elements of Americana, Jazz and classical music.  They haven't recorded anything new in some time, their albums are somewhat tricky to get hold of now.  Their website sadly is also inactive now.  This is a tune that appeared on the 2000 Rough Guide to Scandinavia compilation, and it's called Antin Mikko:

Another band in the same vein and with some of the same members is Troka, who were formed in 1993 in Kaustinen.  Here is a tune from their 1994 self-titled debut album called Klockar Aleksanteri:

Also featuring members of the Järvelä family is fiddle band Frigg.  They incorporate Hardanger fiddle and mandolin amongst other instruments to their sets with occasional hints of bluegrass, leading to their style being described as Nordgrass.  Here is a tune from their 2020 album Frixx called Early Bird:

Fiddler and composer Ville Kangas (his website is currently under construction) comes from an eminent musical family in Kaustinen.  He was classically trained and he blends many international genres and electronic elements into his compositions.  Here's a track from his 2017 album Plastic Fiddle Band called 100 kg:

Ville Kangas is also a member of the Prusikoukku Sound System, who produce mostly a more poppy sound in their instrumental arrangements.  Here is a more serene tune from their 1999 album Mahtava:

There are numerous other acts in and around Kaustinen such as the Kaustinen Potpourri Players and the  Kaustisen Purppuripelimannit, or folk-pop band Folkarit, but I think this is where we leave Kaustinen and continue our virtual journey around Finland with South Ostrobothnia and Central Finland next.  In the meantime you can follow my virtual ramblings on my Tripline map.