WOMEX 11 Guide

© Sami Perttilä© Eirik Folkedal© Christian HjortSpecial Focus: Nordic ClubS h o w c a s e sJohanna Juhola Reaktori (Finland)Contact: Aito RecordsLabel: Texicalli RecordsThursday 00:30 Nordic Club (Studio 4) Friday 00:30 Nordic Club (Studio 4)By the time Johanna Juhola gained her master’s degreein accordion from the Sibelius Academy in 2008, shewas already a well-known face on the Finnish musicscene as a member of the bands Troka, Las Chicas delTango and Spontaani Vire, collaborator in duos withTimo Alakotila and Milla Viljamaa, through numerousguest appearances and her compositions for theatre, filmand television productions. In 2007, tens of millions ofTV viewers around the world saw her play her speciallycommissioned composition ‘Fantasiatango’ as an openerfor the Eurovision song contest in Helsinki. The piece alsogives the title to her second solo album and serves as agood description of her personal style: an original blendof tango and electronica, laced with both melancholynostalgia and uplifting exuberance, Finnish style.www.johannajuhola.netJohanna Juhola accordionsTuomas Norvio live electronicsMilla Viljamaa piano, harmonium, backing vocalsSara Puljula double bass, backing vocalsRagnhild Furebotten (Norway)Contact: Skog ManagementLabel: Ta:likRagnhild Furebotten is a familiar fiddling figure onthe Norwegian traditional music scene, coming tothe fore as part of the internationally renowned bandMajorstuen and going on to further acclaim with variouscollaborations and solo projects. Her elegant tone,lightness of touch and palpable pleasure in performinghas won her appreciative audiences and a number ofawards. Her current project is an innovative meetingwith six horn players, exploring the music of her nativenorth Norway region, with traditional tunes and heroriginal compositions arranged by two of Norway’smost celebrated jazz composers. The project, namedNever on a Sunday, was premiered at the Kalottspel Festivalin August 2010 and taken on a successful tour beforebeing recorded. The album has just been released andno doubt she can expect some more awards soon.www.furebotten.no› CD WOMEXIMIZER 11Ragnhild Furebotten fiddleHelge Sunde tromboneAnders Eriksson trumpetMarius Haltli trumpetFrode Nymo saxophonesGeir Lysne saxophonesLars Andreas Haug tubaSousou & Maher Cissoko(Senegal/Sweden)Contact, Label: Ajabu!Thursday 21:30 Nordic Club (Studio 4)Sousou & Maher Cissoko share a destiny shaped bymusic. Sousou grew up in the south of Sweden and fellin love with the kora when her father started giggingwith the Gambian griot Alagie Mbye in the early ‘90s. Shehas since spent a lot of time in West Africa learning toplay the instrument and to sing in Wolof and Mandinka.Maher Cissoko was born into a well-known griot familyfrom Casamance, Senegal, and learnt to play kora at anearly age. The couple met when Sousou was invitedto continue her kora studies at the Cissoko house inZiguinchor. Since then, they’ve married, formed theworld’s best Swedish-Senegalese band, won a SwedishFolk & World Music Award, released two albums andhave been touring in Scandinavia, Senegal, South Africaand Zanzibar.www.sousoumaher.seSousou Cissoko kora, guitar, vocalsMaher Cissoko kora, vocalsAndreas Unge bassDawcoumba Diop percussionMåns Block drumsTako Lako (Serbia/Denmark)Contact: Tako LakoLabel: unsignedSaturday 21:30 Nordic Club (Studio 4)Something is rocking in the state of Denmark. It’s TakoLako, the Danish-Serbian band whose energetic, eclecticpsychedelic Balkan mix has already broken out acrossthe borders and pumped up the public at some majorEuropean festivals, notably Roskilde, the Big Chill andGlastonbury. Reviewers of their recent EP, Kick Start,reach for comparisons with Gogol Bordello, Shantel andBalkan Beat Box but the Tako Lako activists bring theirown manifesto for the Balkan pop revolution. They’re aBalkan beat group with live instruments entirely at itscore, melting down kolos, polkas, dub, ska, Latin, Gypsy,trashy dancehall and East European pop with a dramaticsense of rock dynamics, energised from the front by theimposing figure of singer Ognjen Curcic, rallying bandand audience around the dance party flag.www.takolako.dkOgnjen Curcic lead vocalsMalene Brask Olsen sax, clarinetSøren Stensby Hansen violinAndreas Broby Jensen accordionPhilip Zubin Hormozi Køppen bassJohan Christian Dynnesen drumsKristian Paulsen percussionS h o w c a s e s Special Focus: Nordic Club204205