Something old, something new
Transjoik is the name of a Saami band who mixes joik (sami chant), trance, ambient and electronica. The result is quite unlike anything you have ever heard before.
Transjoik are two percussionists, one guitarist and a keyboard player. Four highly individualistic musicians who, besides playing a very special brand of music, also use their voices as instruments. Guttural chants, subterranean murmur and supernatural screams are some of the expressions that have been used in an attempt to describe Transjoik's vocal renditions.
The music consciously stems from the traditional Sami joik or yoik, but Transjoik has transformed this into their own unique style.
Based on old joik wax recordings, Transjoik have developed a modern, yet timeless, evocative musical environment. The music can be hypnotic, exciting, vital and powerful. To many it also has a sacred, religious or supernatural dimension. If one had to classify this music, the terms ambient, trance and techno would come to mind. World-music could also be used unambiguously. Transjoik have just released their third album "Meavraa". Meavraa is an old South Saami expression that means "the vocal sound of the shaman calling for his helping spirit.
The band has toured France and the northern parts of Europe, in Canada and the State of New York over the past three years. They have played a number of festivals such as Montreal Jazz Festival Montreal in Canada, Water Festival in Stockholm, Sweden, Festival Tranches d`Europe Express in Rouen, France and Northern Encounters in Toronto Canada.
Currently the band are working on a single with remixes done by Transglobal Underground, DJ Mutamassik, Fun Da Mental, Aki Nawaz and others. They have been playing quite a few concerts in Norway this year and the next one will be at Blęst in Trondheim on october 25th.. That is also the last concert the band has planned this year, but they will most likely get back on the road again next year.
Headlines:
Himmelkvad
Celebrated vocal ensemble Nordic Voices is currently out on its promo tour for their new outing ‘Himmelkvad’, a critically acclaimed album presenting Norwegian composer Lasse Thoresen’s unique vocal universe. MIC Norway takes a closer look at the cutting-edge vocal ensemble and ground-breaking composer.
I was the devil in my younger years
Late Feb sees Enslaved heading out on a month-long European tour. MIC Norway hooked up with Enslaved’s Ivar Peersen to talk about musical cross pollination, inspirational sources, humour and his fascination for singer-songwriter Stein Torleif Bjella.
