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.