Dan Lundberg: Swedish folk Music - from village greens to concert platforms
Towards the folk music of the future

TOWARDS THE FOLK MUSIC OF THE FUTURE It is no coincidence that Hedningarna was formed as a trio. To a far greater extent than before, 1990s’ groups are made up of smaller constellations. Maybe this is a reaction to the large ensembles of the 1980s which were rather cumbersome when it came to arranging music. More often than before, the repertoire of the folk music groups of the 1990s consists of their own compositions. Percussive and improvisational elements dominate the sound. In the improvisations (both non-metric improvisations over an underlying drone, and more melodic and rhythmic improvisations), techniques are “borrowed” from other cultures, using Greek and Turkish folk music and popular music as models, but the motifs and phrases are built up from a distinctly Swedish tonal vocabulary. It seems as though the musical pendulum is about to swing back once again. Maybe the days of the large ensembles are over for the time being. The question is, whether drone rock has not also reached its peak in the mid-1990s. Smaller ensembles, like Väsen (picture), for example, with a basic combination of keyed fiddle, guitar and viola, use subtle dynamic means in their ensemble-playing, concentrating on a kind of “refined” folk music style. The group is representative of what could be called a new chamber folk music with intricate rhythmic patterns and finely tuned part-playing as their hallmark.  Långt ner i Småland. Väsen 'Levande väsen' (B67879)

Towards the folk music of the future
Dan Lundberg: Swedish folk Music - from village greens to concert platforms