Ilkka Heinonen Trio

The list of nominees suggests that the best ethno albums derive their energy from a collision of musical nuclei. Archive meets EDM, smooth meets rough, Karelia meets the Balkans.

"The Ilkka Heinonen Trio operates with a broad and downright electrifying range of colours."

The jouhikko, a traditional bowed lyre that represents a dead end in the evolution of musical instruments, is enjoying a renaissance not only in Finland but internationally too. Jouhikkos are being played and built as far afield as in the Americas, by amateurs and professional instrument makers alike. But what should a jouhikko actually look and sound like? What are the ideals governing its development? Jouhikko virtuoso Ilkka Heinonen adds his two cents.

"What can you actually play on the old folk instrument called the jouhikko (bowed lyre)? Ilkka Heinonen’s answer to that is: anything!"