Enkel

"It’s tantalising to try to hear how the sounds are formed – is that a plucking sound from the kantele, pizzicato from the viola or the popping of accordion buttons? Listening to this album, you really feel close to each musician and her instrument," writes Amanda Kauranne.

A small country must learn how to adapt, cooperate and innovate. Agility is key. Finland has a high degree of social equality, and in music this means that basically anyone can do anything. Creativity and curiosity are the wellspring of the vitality of contemporary Finnish folk music.

When violins first reached the shores of Finland via Sweden sometime during the 17th and 18th centuries, it seems that they jumped straight into the Perho River and swam upstream to the Central Ostrobothnian village of Kaustinen. The local playing tradition has remained unbroken ever since, with each village boasting its own unique playing style. Now the Kaustinen fiddle tradition has been nominated for inclusion in UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

"The four women of Enkel tell us tradition is their superpower, their take on this genre is a very welcome one."

A group of four women who each both sing and play the kantele and who write songs in a consistent and original style, Kardemimmit have their roots in the folk tradition but are not afraid to season their menu with whatever spices take their fancy. Few ensembles can boast having made music together from childhood through to turning professional. In recent years, Kardemimmit have been in demand from the USA to Japan.

A delightfully fresh debut disc of originals in the spirit of trad plus new takes on folk music, both instrumental and with vocal seasoning.