#WOMEX World Music Expo in Tampere

In my thoughts…Yes in my thoughts I had been thinking already for a long time to participate in WOMEX. And from my part it finally came true in Tampere.

Me and the Mordvian band Oyme in the photo taken by Aila-Liisa Laurila/Karjalan Heimo

And you can believe that the Worldmusic Expo was worth visiting…WOW

Well a little bit of history first…

A long time ago – In the year 1994-1996 I was working in Berlin in FinD Finnland -Institut in Deutschland (Finnish Cultural Institute). At that time #PiranhaArts was organizing a festival called #Heimatklänge there. That festival Piranha Arts had organized already for many years then. And in the year 1994 they also started organizing WOMEX!

Both wonderful #Worldmusic #Festivals indeed!

WOMEX 25years:

Info from and more Info in – http://www.womex.com

WOMEX – the World Music Expo – is the most international music meeting in the world and the biggest conference of the global music scene, featuring a trade fair, talks, films and a showcase festival.

The WOMEX family has grown exponentially over the years – from hosting around 300 professionals at the House of World Cultures in Berlin, Germany in its first year, to a gathering of over 2,700 professionals including 260 performing artists from ninety-two countries now.

WOMEX is not only the number one networking platform for the world music industry, but also the most diverse music meeting worldwide.

Its musical spectrum is unparalleled in the international showcase festival scene, ranging from the most traditional to the new global local underground, embracing folk, roots, local and diaspora cultures and urban and electronic sounds from all over the globe as well as all musical juxtapositions of these. Jazz and classical are explicitly welcome!

WOMEX showcase artists 2019:

Info from and more Info in – http://www.womex.com

The Official Showcase Selection programme is created based on an annual call for proposals. Our independent, international jury – the 7 samurai – then chooses the finale programme. The Official Showcase Selection places special emphasis on newcomers to the international touring circut.

Everything began with WOMEX Opening and Finnish Folk Extreme Night.

In the official showcase selection and likewise during Expo my favorites were:

Cätlin Mägi EE – Dona Onete BR

El Cachivate Quinteto AR

The Cachivache Quintet is currently one of the most popular tango groups and is widely recognized on the world music circuit. Sometimes called ‘Tango Punk’ ‘, the group is characterized by its undeniably creative, original, and very “danceable ” style.

Elle Marja NO/sami – NST & Soul Sauce meets Kim Yulhee (KR) – Mari Kalkun EE – Mission Songs Project AU – Omiri PT

Oyme RUS/Fenno-Ugric

Translated from Mordvin “oyme” is a soul. Music of OYME is like a soul, it’s multifaceted and contradictory.

Oyme’s repertoire consists of traditional songs and laments in the Mordvin languages: Erzya, Moksha and Shoksha. At the core of the band’s music is a rare authentic Mordvinian polyphony – the “heart” of OYME. Electronic sounds underscore the uniqueness and sincerity of the “heart”, revealing integrity and spiritual richness of Mordvin people (ethnos) to the world.

Pauanne FI – Pekko Käppi FI – Suistamon Sähkö FI

TOPA-K ES

TOPA-K is the meeting of Basque folk group Korrontzi and DJ/producer/musician, DJ Makala, engendering a deep-rooted contemporary sound from the perspective of traditional instruments such as the txalaparta and alboka.

Tuuletar FI – Vildá FI/sami – Wimme&Rinne FI/sami – Duo Emilia Lajunen&Suvi OskalaFI

See you next year in WOMEX Budapest or later…

#Festival Mediaval: #Folk of #Middleages

Already long time I had thought of visiting Middleages music festival with a hint of #rock and folk in #Germany. And as they have there plenty of festivals of that kind, that is why Germany. And as I also speak German – ja ich spreche auch Deutsch.

It happened that at th the same time the Finnish-German friendship societies of my hometown #Joensuu and that of Germany #Hof had a 40 year’s of Friendship Get-Together with s small #FINtango Festival.

Up to that I had been as a student, grant from #DAAD Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst in the year 1986, at the University of #München #Munich in the year 1986.

So I thought for all of that. The Trilogy of München – Hof – Selb. Hof being the town nearby Selb where the Festival Mediaval is organized.

My favourite bands in the Festival Mediaval were:

Canzonetta Tedesca (DE)

Könix (CH)

And of course Eluveitie (CH), as well as Duo Thalamus (DE)

In the festival you will find up to lots of music everything on Middle Ages. That is Literature – Food – Beverages – Archery – Clothes – Living-Chess and so on.

Well…I think I will visit the festival also next year when they have as a  theme Middle Ages&Metal. You can easily visit the festival travelling from Hof by local train, if there are not enough possibilities to overnight in Selb. Or if you do not want to camp.

Do you know that we have in Finland our own tango – FINtango Festival Hamburg

It is a cultural achievement indeed, to bring also the World of Finnish Tango Art to the wide world too. Or what do you think?

If you do not know what the Finnish tango is, you can explain it that the Finnish tango is a rural phenomenon whereas its Argentinian counterpart is a urban one.  Look at the film “Tango Suomi” of Gabriela Aparaci , so you know more.

Thanks for having the possibility to advertise Finnish tango also this way, Gabriela.

FINtango Festival has been organized from the year 2013 on thanks to Timo Valtonen in Hamburg, and elsewhere in the German speaking countries. Depending on cooperation partners and possibilities. And of course in various festivals performing a huge amount of modern Finnish #Tango artists and bands, and likewise.

Bands like Johanna Juhola Reaktori, MA Numminen Neorustikales Orchester, Jaakko Laitinen&Väärä Raha, Tango-orkesteri Unto, Vallilan Tango, Mustat Silmät and so on. It is worth listening to hem in Internet, and also other artists who have performed in the festivals. Here you can find a list of all the artists who have performed in the festival. And by the way, Timo Valtonen has also his own band called Tangon Taikaa.

Up to that those travelling around Finland at the end of August there has been from the last year on the possibility to take a part in Holiday Week of Finnish Tango, Nature and #Sauna in Uukuniemi. Uukuniemi is situated in the eastern part of Finland in the Finnish-Russian border. Near Joensuu you could even say.

In the beginning of June I took a look at the Finnish Tango #Festival in “Planten un Blomen” in Hamburg produced by Stefan Klinker. The place to organize this kind of event was perfect. This year the band “Uusikuu” was performing there .

There were “lavatanssi” #dancing. That is according to thisisFINLAND: “Somewhere, maybe in the middle of nowhere, in a village or beside a lake, people find each other and dance tango and other even more mysterious dances. They get dressed up, go out, and dance the summer evenings away, moving counterclockwise around a dance pavilion as the band plays old favourites and new.”

Take a look to one of the #Finlandemoji of #lavatanssi ! Yes we have our own national emojis of course.

In the Festival there were Finnish tango teachers. There were DJ Benjamin Wild playing Finnish Tango in the electronic form at the end of the evening. And there were of course Finnish drinks and food. One of the Finnish drinks’ stands were taken care of Mino, Sabrina and Stefan the producer of the festival.

And we must of course not forget Sauna when we are talking about Finland. Yes there was a Sauna in the festival too! Maybe it is for you interesting to look how our Saunas can look like nowadays?

In Finland we have 5,5 million inhabitants and 3 million Saunas. In the Sauna you use very often “vasta”. Vasta is a Sauna whisk to get the circulation going on. It is also an important part of Finnish culture, Finland being the country of 1 000 woods and lakes. And we have of course and even an emoji about “vasta”.

One more tip for you, may be an experience – ein Erlebnis – Aikamoinen Kokemus… If you are in #Berlin in August, take a part in dancing Finnish tango in the main railway station of Berlin “. That is in “Berlin Hauptbahnhof”…

Or if you are in Finland in mid September take a look of the “Worldtangofestival” in Tampere  (under the link my article in Finnish). I have in my blog “AdventuresinsideMusic” a story about it too.

And if you still do not know what there is all about in the Finnish tango, look at the film “Mittsommernachtstango” by Viviane Blumeschein…. So couple of Argentinians looking for the Soul of Finnish tango…

Thanks for having the possibility to advertise Finnish tango also this way!

To finnish this tango-story of mine, the tango “Fata Morgana” of Reijo Taipale . Honoring Reijo Taipale being one of the the greatest Finnish tango artists.

Not reading Plato but playing #Saxophone

All the same…The #Saxo is equally capable of letting us glimpse another world, said once Emil Michel Cioran. “Autre monde” indeed!

I finally fulfilled one of my dreams! The dream I had had already for 20 years of more. Well…I am now in Dinant Wallonia, so in the french speaking Belgium. You may ask, why I am here. It is because of Adolphe Sax, of course. So in his hometown. The Adolphe Sax House. I extra paid a visit from Germany here. Even if it took me 4,5hours and 140Euros to get here. But it does not matter. It does not count time and money, as far as I feel very “saxo” now. Maybe I should finally begin playing saxophone?

If you are coming by train or bus, it is only couple of hundred meters to walk to the city center to the Adolphe Sax Street. On the way to the center you’ll already notice that you are in the city of Adolphe Sax. All along the bridge saxophone statues welcoming visitors from Europe and from elsewhere.

And saxophone statues you will see also elsewhere in the city. Also some saxo-cookies to take with you. I mean, if you are a friend of sweet things. I bought 6 of them to take to Finland. But where on earth are the Saxo T-shirts? No way to “refill” my collection of rare T-shirts from all over the world.

The museum I see from the window of my accommodation. The museum itself is not a very big one and maybe also for that there is no admission fee. But when entering you can find out many interesting facts about Adolphe Sax and about Saxophone.

And if you are as lucky as me, they organize in the nearby gallery a saxophone concert. To me happened such a thing in both evenings of my stay. The professors of the Conservatory of Adolphe Sax gave us a wonderful time with every possible kind of saxo-music. #Music everywhere. Saxos everywhere. That way it should be indeed.

And visiting Belgium is nothing without tasting the wonderful Belgian beers. Or what do you think?

PS. I saw from the train window that there is a Belgium #Beer Museum on the way to Dinant, in Lustin near Namur. (Sorry for the bad quality of the photo. I took it rapidly from the train window.)

PS2. By the way…I heard from a friend of mine that there is a large collection of saxophones in the musical instrument museum of Brussels.

 

It happened in #Switzerland well #Punk

Who had thought that there could be in Zürich such an interesting exhibition about punk. Punk is for me not a wholly new genre as I am interested in many kinds of #music. So from Folk to Punk you could say…

Actually the most interesting part of the exhibition was the one with the free entrance. So the punk in #China – #Indonesia – #Russia – #Germany. Some records I have at home too.

The exhibition was organized in Photobastei where there is a nice bar too. That night it had also a short punk concert which suited well for the theme of the evening.

 

 

It happened in #Switzerland well #Folk

I came from Bern to #Zürich I did not have any plans for musical experiences. I did not found anything interesting in advance. But luckily I continued studying through internet, on basis of some interesting looking web addresses I found in the Züri-Info.

And then I run into the web page of the FolkClubZüri . Actually I know it already for a long time but somehow it had dropped out from my mind. First I thought for sure there are no concert just in the days I am here in Zürich but indeed there were! So in the evening I took a tram from Zürich Central and headed to Buchegg and the community center there (It was raining heavily …)

And thinking about the concert what was even nicer – at least when I think of my biggest interests – they had a women trio #Tanxugueiras from #Galicia Northern #Spain performing there. Nice atmosphere in the club!

And for those interested in Swiss Folk and #WorldMusic here one tip for you namely the label Narrenschiff. The tip I got from Bernhard, one of the organizers of the Folk Club. Thanks – Danke – Bernhard!

And for those interested in Galician music I must put out, I have various stories about it in this series of blogs of mine! And do not forget to visit FolkClubZüri when in Switzerland!

PS. In Basel there is an interesting Music Museum where you can find the largest collection of musical instruments in Switzerland

I think for the next time I come to Switzerland for the Festival #StubeteamSee  as it will be organized in Zürich once again in the year 2020 I guess.

In the mean time it had been nice to having had the possibility to participate in the Yodelling in #ElLokal (organized once a month)…Or in watching when the Giigestubete taking place there…

But me soon leaving for Finland….Have a musical Farewell.

Trilogi #Folk #Finland: #Ethnogala #Folkforum #Folklandia

Finnish Ethnogala, #Etnogaala was organized now for the 3rd time in #Tavastia. The first time it was organized as a part of the #EtnoSoi  #Festival on the 7th of November 2017. And from the last year on as now too, as a part of the Folk Trilogi: Ethnogala – Folkforum -Folklandia.

Different from the last year Tavastia was full of folks of every kind and of every age. The Ethnogala focuses on live folk music and folk dance, rather than speeches. Tavastia was transformed into an ethno-club with two performance stages, with the Yle broadcast including performances and interviews from both stages as well as the green room and backstage areas.

The Ethnogala rewards the most distinguished and interesting figures in Finnish folk music, world music and folk dance scenes in seven different categories. Here something about Ethnogala’s history, and more facts for those interested.

Folkforum, a half-day  seminar about folk- and #worldmusic is organized by the Central Committee of Folk Music and Dance, in Finnish #Kansanmusiikinedistämiskeskus #KEK.

This time the most interesting parts of the Forum for me were when we heard Tapio Korjus from #RockadilloProductions to tell us about the #WOMEX Festival 2019 in Tampere and KaariMartin, professional Finnish #flamenco-dancer telling about here experiences as a professional namely in #CompañiaKaari&RoniMartin.

The WOMEX Fair will be held this year beween 23.–27.10.2019 in Tampere. Its gathering every year more than 2500 professionals from 90 countries. Professionals and Fans of the World- and Folkmusic. There will be Showcases, conference programme, films, DJ’s, stands to sell and buy music and so on. #MusicFinland, Henna Salo is organizing a training afternoon in their premises for those interested soon. Waiting very much already for the WOMEX in Finland!

And then there was the Folklandia Cruising and the After-Party in Kaisaniemi. Well…At last I had the chance to participate in (24st) Folklandia. Cruising between Helsinki and Tallinn 22hours with SiljaEuropa and wonderful music going on all the time. 11Stages – Folk Music – Folk Dances – 22hours. Or for the most sleepy ones at least 16hours. This tells you everything.

Here for you some snap-photos…I was happy.

Thanks to Marjukka for the company!

Thanks to all the wonderful artists!

Waiting for the next year to come…With Ethnogala…Folkforum…Folklandia.

PS: I may write about the most interesting artist in the Folklandia2019 during February 2019. So follow my AdventruesinsideMusic -blog. Thanks!

#World #Folk #Festivals of my life #Argentina #Germany #Estonia #Finland

Having been visited until now 15Times Latinamerica one of the Festivals of my life is no doubt the one in Cosquín Argentina. 1Week – 7Nights – 7Lunas they say. Nothing else but #Music. Sometimes though Choripán or Empanadas with Quilmes beer, so #Streetfood from #BuenosAires or from elsewhere.

As me visiting the festival as freelancer, even I got interviewed for the small Festival magazine!

Interested in reading more about the festival. Check here! There you can also find a link to my article about the festival.

Actually you can find such interesting festivals in Germany and Estonia too. In Germany Rudolstadt Festival and in Estonia Viljandi Folk Music Festival .

I have been visiting these festivals more than once. Also having written couple of articles. In Rudolstadt they have always a specific country in Focus. In Viljandi you have the possibility to get to know many Estonian folkmusic bands. About the most popular ones at the moment you can read in my other story of this blog, namely “Music-Music Estonia neighboring us”

And then there is #IjahisIdja, the #sami festival up in the north in Inari #Suomi – Finland! Actually managed by Finnish sami people, but said in a more exact way it is a festival of indigenous people. They also organize #Skabmagovat #Filmfestival in February.

Both festivals worth visiting for various reasons! Interesting music or films – lots of information – white or polar nights – aurora borealis if lucky – food from Lapland – on the way you have the possibility to visit Santa Claus at arctic circle in Lapland  Rovaniemi…

Thanks for having the possibility to visit all these interesting festivals, and many more!

#Rock in #Russia Trip to #StPetersburg

Finally it was there. The Trip with Big T. Thanks to #FinnishRussianSociety. I began to prep already some days or some weeks earlier. Reading books about Russian Rock (once again) and drinking Russian champagne of course.

So I have almost huge amount of record collections. As subject music of various countries. My favorite countries of course.

First I picked up from my Russian record #collection some nostalgic records from the 80’s and 90’s. You could back then find Russian records sold cheap in Finland and up to that in some European cities. I think I bought some up to Finland at least in Berlin and London.

I also and of course as usually…I mean when a journey to a certain country is coming up, began this time listen to Russian Rock early ahead. Also from the very first years up to now. Listening every day. I have plenty of Russian Rock. Also may be some rarities.

By the way. Did you know that from the mid 80’s on it was possible to visit Russian rock concerts in Finland too… I remember having visiting many not only in Helsinki but also in Turku too. The first one…may be…was the one of Autograph. Autograph was one of Russian bands whose music was published by state record company Melodiya already in the 80’s.  Autograph made a tour in Finland together with the Finnish band called Popeda.

The other’s which I saw little bit later in the 80’s and in the very beginning of the 90’s weren’t concerts of the so called Russian state bands. Like Aquarium, Nautilus Pompiliusm VaBank, Avia and so on.

And now thanks to #TusovkaRy we have had the possibility to listen to Russian rock here in Finland already for more than 20 years I think.

Well about our Russian Rock Trip now…Our St.Petersburg trip began with a stadium concert of Leningrad. The band may be known to you. We were there and in the middle of the that concert decided to visit the legendary club of  Kamchatka too. As it was quite near to the stadium.

The club which is known of #VictorTsoy and #Kino. There the legendary musician Victor Tsoy and other Leningrad rock stars worked and held underground concerts during the Perestroika years in the Soviet Union. You can read more about Kamchatka here.

The concert of Leningrad was an interesting experience, but unfortunately from time to time the sound system did not work in the best way. But in Kamchatka we spent a very nice rest of our evening listening to the music of Kino played and sang by a guitar duo. Very warm memories!

Next day we visited the graveyard where Victor Tsoy is buried as well as the Russian Rock #museum on the FishFabrique #arts complex. In Fish Fabrique I had been couple of times in concerts but the museum was for me a new experience.

I could have been stay there for a longer time, so I will visit it when next time in St.Petersburg too. It is owned and its collection was introduced by #ValidimirRekshan. You can contact the museum and Rekshan through the Facebook page. He was the leader of the first Russian Rock band of Soviet time in Leningrad called St.Petersburg.

After Fish Fabrique we went to #ClubGriboyedova, an other well known Rock club in St.Petersburg. A Russian band #MarkscheiderKunst was playing there. But this time not #ska but other kind of #latinmusic. Mostly #cumbia and things like that. Talking about the band, I mean that they now play this kind of music, was new for me. I though had seen the band in Finland couple of times…

Before leaving back to Finland we additionally visited a very interesting #Streetart Museum of St.Petersburg. It is situated on the acting Laminated Plastics factory in the East of Saint Petersburg. Unification of industrial post-soviet ethics, the nerve of real life and young street art is the main thesis of the project.

But about that streetart visit of ours soon more…In my other blog “Spacibo-Gracias Tasting Russia and Spain” .

Thanks to Finnish-Russian Society for the very interesting trip and for the list of clubs in St.Petersburg:

A2-Club, Prospekt Medikov 3, metro Petrogradskaja https://a2.fm/

Kamchatka, Ulitsa Blohina 15, metro Sportivnaja http://clubkamchatka.ru/

Tsjort, poberi! Ulitsa Lomonosovo 2, metro Gostinnii Dvor https://vk.com/bar_4ertpoberi

Poison rock karaoke, Ulitsa Lomonosovo 2, https://vk.com/poisonkaraoke

Dumskaja different kind of bars, Ulitsa Lomonosovo, cross street at the end of  Dumskaja

Stirka, Ul.Kazanskaja 26, metro Sadovaja/Sennaja/Spasskaja https://vk.com/stirka40

Kosmonautti, Ulitsa Bronnitskaja 24 metro Tehnolog.institut http://www.cosmonavt.su/

Klub Zal Naberezhnaja, Obvodnogo kanala 118 C, metro Frunzeskaja https://zal.fm/

Sinnii Pushkin, Ulitsa Zhukovskogo 3, metro Majakovskaja, https://spushkin.com/

Poison rock karaoke, Ul.Rubinstein 13, metro Vladimirskaja/Dostoevskaja/Majakovskaja

Punk Brew, Ulitsa Rubinstein 9, http://reca.rest/restaurants/punkbrew

Fish Fabrique Ligovskii prospekt 53, metro Plosshad Vosstaniya http://fishfabrique.ru/

FF Novelle, Ligovskii prospekt 53, metro Plosshad Vosstaniya http://fishfabrique.ru/

Dyynit, Ligovskii prospekt 50, korpus 11, vk.com/dunesonligovsky

Zoccolo, Ligovskii prospect 50, korpus 3, http://zoccoloclub.ru/

Poison rock karaoke, Ligovskii prospekt 50 korpus 2, https://vk.com/poisonkaraoke

Griboedova, Ulitsa Voronezhkaja 2, metro Ligovskii pros. http://www.griboedovclub.ru/

#JuuriNytUrbanFolkFestival I think next year too

The first ever #Helsinki Urban #Folk #Festival “Juuri Nyt Urban Folk Festival” by Saura Ohjelmapalvelu Oy (by Johannna Sauramäki) was really a nice experience. Warm Welcoming – Grooving Intimacy. What else could it be?

Also the place where it was organized, so #MusiikkiteatteriKapsäkki is more than suitable for this kind of happenings indeed.

Saura is organizing in #Helsinki also once a month #ClubIholla #IhollaKlubi in the #Restaurant Väinö Kallio built up in the year 1928. See the photos under the link with winds from the past…The opening club in the new premises was organizaed in the hottest June-July time this year under the hottest Spanish theme namely flamenco.

And if you are interested in Spanish music check this blog of mine. I mean…what else than flamenco Spain has to offer. I have been especializing among some other things in the #music of Spanish speaking countries now for more that 20years. The best music from #Spain comes from the Northern Spain. My opinion so a very personal one.

The programme of the first ever Urban Folk Festival was attractive. #MaijaKauhanen – #Äijä – #Tuuletar – #SuistamonSähkö and so on…If you want to get an idea what kind of music they make you can check…

…my Insta @jmutanen…Maija Kauhanen playing kantele with a string…Suistamon Sähkö singing the hit of #TapioRautavaara “Juokse sinä hummani” in a wholly new way…Tuuletar with its folk #hiphop…The men quartett Äijä, well – super singing in voices…

A newcomer Elsi Sloan with her #ukulele was nice refreshing. Ukulele seems to be a popular instrument today… I heard it is quite an easy instrument to learn. We have here in Finland also an ukulelefestival in Karkkila called #Kukulele . I think I will visit it next year if possible.

…So JuuriNyt – JustNow waiting for the next year and the next festival coming on…

Thanks for all the wonderful artists and for Saura Ohjelmapalvelu Oy!!!