Swedish Folk Music

I came to Sweden because I fell in love with its fantastic contemporary folk music. (I would prefer calling it folk music to traditional music because it is indeed "folks' music" in all ages.)

I often went to folk music festivals ("folkmusikfestival" in one word in Swedish) in summer and autumn, where people joined workshops, practiced and enjoyed dancing, and listened to their favorite bands' music.

This page is intended to give you some vibes of Swedish contemporary folk music. Feel their groove. Enjoy!

  • I abruptly met this album in a small record store in Kyoto. I was completely shocked when I listened to their music for the first time. Strange rhythm with ethnic percussion. High pitched sounds with comfortable harmonic overtone backed up by drone sounds. Somehow North Europeanish, but mostly stateless, melody. Wait, what about this really cool groove? Their music came as a bolt out of the blue. This incident has finally brought me to Sweden. Had they not created such an ambitious masterpiece, I wouldn't have met Sweden (perhaps). No one can imitate Väsen's groove. They are undoubtedly gods of Swedish contemporary folk music. I pick this album because this is a monumental one for me, but I love all of their albums.
  • Sample1 Sample2 Sample3 Sample4 Sample5 (The fourth and fifth ones are not included in this album.)
  • Michael League, ringleader of Snarky Puppy (Sample), which is my another favorite band (though not a Swedish folk band), has listed Väsen's Whirled as one of the five albums that have changed his life.

  • Nice twin vocals with contrast voices, unique melody and rhythms, and groovy nyckelharpa (a Swedish traditional music instrument) and guitar. I feel that their music is somehow warm. Ulrika also has solo albums, which I like. I like Sofia's solo album too. Although I choose this album, I like all of their albums.
  • Sample1 Sample2 Sample3 (The third one is not included in this album.)

  • Grooving, grooving, grooving! When I listen to their Peer Reel, I often imagine typical high and azure sky in Scandinavia, which I love.
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  • Garmarna is a legendary band. They reunioned in a folk music festival in Umeå few years ago, which I also joined (yeah, of course). Their concert was indeed unforgettable and fantastic. That was also my first experience of headbanging with folk tunes. Emma was a singer of Triakel until the band had broken up.
  • Sample1 Sample2 (The second one is not included in this album.)

  • I met their music for the first time in a folk music festival in Linköping before the band had become famous. My ears vibrated comfortably with their beautiful harmony. I listened to this album almost everyday when I was an exchange student in Lund. Listening to their arranged version of "I denna ljuva sommartid (In This Lovely Summertime)" often reminds me a typical pastoral scenery of Skåne in Southern Sweden (although Kraja is from Northern Sweden).
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  • Hamabe no Uta (1916) Cover (A Japanese old song was nicely covered by them. This tune is not included in the album.)

  • Frifot consists of gods of Swedish folk music - Alle, Lena, and Per - all of them are big and super talented musicians. I cannot forget the moment I listened to their music in a folk music festival in Umeå for the first time. I learned that the same music instrument can make completely different sounds when it is played by a great musician!
  • Sample1

Göran Månsson

  • A digest video, which was taken when Göran Månsson had a tour in Japan in 2012.

Gjallarhorn

Bazar Blå

Hedningarna: Hippjokk

Hoven Droven

Sofia Karlsson

Triakel

Treva

Filarfolket: Hönsafötter & Gulerötter

  • Filarfolket from Skåne is one of the founders of contemporary Swedish folk music. We notice Alle Möller's early attempts to mix several elements of world music with Swedish traditional melody, which has made a great influence on its successors.
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Alle Möller Band

Lena Willemark

Klacklek

Groupa

Jul i Folkton

Alva

N.H.O.

Raun

Lure

Draupner

Boot

Den Fule

Hurdy-Gurdy

Gunnfjauns Kapell: Volund


Danish Folk Music

Haugaard & Hoirup: Feast

  • Grooving fiddle and guitar with relatively continental melody. The band has broken up, unfortunately. Harald is also a fiddle teacher. Morten's father is a famous Danish folk musician too. I visited Copenhagen to join their concert just before they broke up. I really miss them.
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Sorten Muld: Mark II

Valravn


Finnish Folk Music

  • Maria Kalaniemi is probably one of the best accordion players in the world. Apart from her amazing techniques, I like the melody of her music. Sometimes passionate, and often pastoral melody (maybe partly because of the influence of Timo) often brings me to Finland, the country of forests, lakes, ice, and northern lights. She often collaborates with Timo Alakotila, another big folk musician in Finland, and a main member of JPP. Although I choose this album, I like all of her albums.
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Timo Alakotila

  • A god of Finnish folk music.

Frigg

Sofia Jannok

Värttinä

Tuumi Sound System