In 2012, three Finnish musicians travelled to Cotonou, Benin, discovered a shared musical language with local players and voilá: the critically acclaimed and dancefloor grooving ensemble was born. ”Weather Report meets Fela”, a reviewer from fRoots described Helsinki-Cotonou Ensemble’s debut album Beaucoup de Piment (2013), hitting the nail on the head: jazz, funk, and afrobeat are the main ingredients in the band’s ferocious groove. So far, the infectiously groovy ensemble has released four studio albums and one live offering.

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Désirée Saarela is a Finland-Swedish singer-songwriter and folk singer whose vocal expression is strongly rooted in the folk tradition. The lyrics, the stories and the mood they convey are at the core of her music. Désirée is inspired by her surroundings, by people, relations, the forest, sea, open landscapes, nature itself – and all of this becomes songs. The experience of having moved several times between city and countryside has left its mark on Désirée’s life and also influenced her songs and lyrics.

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Ne Lintuizet, loosely translating to "The Byrds" – or something similar – is a new Finnish folk supergroup, comprised of Kielo Kärkkäinen, Laura Moisio, Lauri Myllymäki, and Pekko Käppi, out of whom Käppi, Kärkkäinen and Moisio are all successful artists, musicians, and songwriters. Ne Lintuizet's sound combines Finnish and American folk and country traditions, with a strong emphasis on vocal harmonies, fiddles, and acoustic guitars.

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Jake and Rambling Blade is an acoustic Americana band with influences from bluegrass and country. Gathered around singer-songwriter Jakob “Jake” Frankenhaeuser (lead vocals, acoustic guitar, banjo) – a founding member of the Nordic folk group Gjallarhorn in the nineties – the group consists of Anders “Asa” Nyman (acoustic guitar, lap steel) – also known from thrash metallers Final Assault and Jukka Puurula (double bass) known from the locally popular rock band Don Huonot. J&RB started playing gigs together in 2022 and quickly became known for their lively and energetic live appearance.

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Acoustic guitarist Soul Traveler combines his atmospheric fingerstyle guitars with ritualistic percussion, poetry, and imagery to tell stories inspired by life, death, and the journeys within, falling under the Nordic folk umbrella.

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Päivi Hirvonen is a Helsinki based musician and composer – violin, voice and bowed lyre as her instruments. During her career as professional musician she has played music from folk and popular to classical and performed both solo and with different ensembles and bands touring in Finland and abroad. Päivi’s debut solo album “Alku – The Beginning” was released in 2018 by Nordic Notes. It was followed by "Kallio" (2022), which pushed Hirvonen's international and domestic career further.

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Salamakannel made three albums in the late 1980s and early 1990s, which were at the forefront of Finnish contemporary folk music at the time. Salamakannel's personal sound is created by a chorus of various stringed instruments. The band's new, fourth album, released in 2024, ranges from heart-wrenchingly beautiful melodies to church bells, Chicago waltz, polska, and Finnish popular dance music oompah, humppa.

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A Finnish mainstay, Tallari has been active in the folk scene for 40 years already with shifting lineups. Some of the most famous Finnish folk musicians – Arto Järvelä, Esko Järvelä, Katri Haukilahti, and Sampo Korva – are in the latest incarnation of Tallari, which was presented in 2019. Their instruments include the ubiquitous fiddle and 2-row accordion, but also nyckelharpa and its Finnish versio, the esseharpa. The band's constantly changing repertoire covers a wide range of domestic folk music with an emphasis on the western Finnish violin-driven tradition, including the evergreens of the Kaustinen tradition, as well as originals.

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Gulf Stream Riders is a folk/country rock duo with one foot in New York and the other in Turku. The band is an American-Finnish-Swedish collaboration that, in addition to Ahlstedt, consists of the American singer Chris Anderson. Anderson and Ahlstedt have played together since the early 90s, when they had a band called Wighthouse Wanderland. Still these days, the band's multi-instrumentalist and producer Nalle Ahlstedt can be associated with many different music projects.

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Maija Pokela is a kantele player, singer and folk musician who has toured around the world with her bands. Pokela has an extensive discography with different groups (e.g. Kardemimmit and Enkel) along with other studio work as a guest musician. She has also composed music for the Star Stable Online game. Pokela's debut solo album "Lohdun sanoja" ("Words of Comfort") will be released in April 2025.

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Sinimuso brings together five female musicians from different ethnic groups of Mali as well as two Finnish musicians, Jenni Hanikka and Marjo Smolander. Sinimuso's music fuses Malian and Finnish traditions. Finno-Ugric Kalevala poem songs and old kantele melodies meet with Sahara blues, groovy Bambara beats, wild dance, and soulful Peul melodies. A central person in Sinimuso is the Malian musician Salome Dembélé, whose wide networks and expertise in old Malian music traditions are a significant resource for this project.

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Jaakko Laitinen & Väärä Raha's music is an interesting combination of Balkan Roma grooves, Russian romances and old Finnish tango and humppa. The group, established in 2009, has won recognition and released six critically acclaimed albums, and also become very on-demand live act due to their wild live performances.

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Venla llona Blom is a multi-award-winning vocalist, composer and beatboxer from Finland. She has toured around the world with her internationally acclaimed band Tuuletar and worked as a soloist in various projects with big bands, symphony orchestras and choirs. Blom is specialised in extended vocal techniques, vocal percussions and traditional singing styles deriving from Scandinavian and Slavic folk music and also trained as a classical singer. Venla Ilona Blom’s debut solo album “Nevrak” is slated for release in September 2024.

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Wishamalii is set up by three adventurous musicians from very different geological and musical backgrounds: Award-winning Finnish composer and pianist Kari Ikonen, an original in today's music panorama, who on this project uses the Maqiano™ Microtuning System, that allows him to play the Arabic maqamat on acoustic piano; Palestinian-Jordanian singer, oudist and composer Nemat Battah, an active and appreciated musician in the creative Global Music scene in Finland and Sweden; and Ethiopian-born Abdissa "Mamba" Assefa is by far the most prominent percussionist in Finland. The name Wishamalii refers to the Nordic way of interpreting the Arab-Andalusian Muwashah-songs, yet most of its repertoire is original music specially written for this band.

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Folk quintet Kasvu (which translates to "growth") present themselves as "a love letter to biodiversity". While the band plays contemporary folk music, their lyrics draw from ancient Finnish folk poetry, as well as the contemporary poetry of Henriikka Tavi. Kasvu consists of Lotta Hagfors (vocals), Vesa Norilo (cello), Olli Kari (accordion, mandolin), Oskari Lehtonen (percussion) and Kirsi Vinkki (violin, bowed lyre).

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Ánnámáret Ensemble combines Sámi singing tradition with acoustic folk music adding some spices from melodic pop and classical music to it. The group consists of vocalist and composer Anna Näkkäläjärvi-Länsman, who is joined by renowned folk musicians Johanna Juhola (accordion), Ilkka Heinonen (contrabass), Sami Kurppa (keyboards) and Janne Lappalainen (bouzouki, guitar).

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Marianne Maans is a versatile professional folk musician who performs both solo and with various ensembles. Her specialty is Finnish-Swedish folk music, and his interest extends to contemporary music styles, improvisation and Argentine tango. Maans works actively in many different music projects, courses, workshops etc. She graduated with a Master of Music from the folk music department of the Sibelius Academy and is also a trained community musician who specializes in healing music.

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Duo Emilia Lajunen & Suvi Oskala duo is comprised of two fiddle players, both established and widely renowned Finnish folk musicians, who combine their knowledge of Finnish folk tradition with masterful fiddle playing. Their repertoire offers powerful playing and visionary interpretations of both traditional tunes and commission compositions combined with the duo’s rich and unique sound. During their career, the two fiddlers have played in Finland, China, South Korea, India, and the Nordic countries, among others. In 2019, they were one of the showcase artists at WOMEX. The duo has also been noted for their cycling tours. The duo’s 3rd album "Toisjalkainen" was in spring 2024 by Nordic Notes.

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South-Karelian-Helsinki music collective Dänkki Briha – self proclaimed "synergistic connection of nostalgic longing and modern expression" – is inspired by Finnish-Ingerian-Karelian folklore, myths and cityscapes. Passionate about art and folk poetry. The "anti-folk" band fuses together theatrical expression, Baltic Finnish cultural heritage and an ultra-modern soundscape. The end result of Juho Liira's vocals, Matias Kontula's electric violin and Manu Penttilä's production is a "unique ethno-futuristic banger machine" that works on stage as it does on record. Their music is sung in Finnish, Karelian and Inger, with some original lyrics and some directly from folk poetry archives.

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Accordion experimentalist Antti Paalanen has created his own sound with his diatonic instrument, which he uses to weave hypnotic and minimalistic tunes that tell stories about the world of today. On his songs Paalanen screams at his accordion, kicks the floor and hits the bellows. Alongside his solo career, Antti Paalanen is a member of several folk music line-ups such as Hehkumo, Hyperborea, Laitakaupungin- orkesteri, Kiharakolmio, Trepaanit and Turkka ja Paalanen.

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Hostikka is a fresh and new folk music six-piece from Finland. The band is fronted by Saija Penttilä, and the songs are mainly her compositions, but there are also works by musician-producer Jaakko Penttilä in their repertoire. The band's compositions have strong influences from bluegrass and Americana, but lean heavily on Nordic folk music.

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In Lapua-Uusi-Guinea’s music the traditions of folk music are essential, yet being blended with aesthetics of pop, jazz and world music. They have released their debut album Virittää in 2021. The band is formed by Anna Kinnunen (violin and vocals), Oona Yliperttula (violin), Jenna Hiipakka (accordion), Santeri Kaipiainen (piano and vocals), Aapo Nieminen (guitar and mandolin) and Veli-Matti Silanterä (double bass).

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BFP (fka Bergå Folk Project) is a group formed by professional folk musicians Aili Järvelä, Iida Savolainen, Esko Grundström and Topi Korhonen. They perform the folk song arrangements by the one Luciano Berio well known in the field of classical music. The group seeks out to bring the folk songs that inspired Berio back to their roots with new, innovative arrangements. The group’s international repertoire sung in 8 languages and played with 12 different instruments presents a variety of world and folk music styles. Bergå Folk Project released their debut album in 2022, which was awarded with "Etno-Emma" – the award for the year's best Finnish world/folk music album in 2023.

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Uni uni is a duo specialized in "energetic ambient and dreamy electronic pop" with archaic instruments such as the jouhikko (bowed lyre). Emerging in the Finnish folk scene in early 2023 with their debut single "Pyöriäinen", the Helsinki-based twosome consists of Ella Isotalo (violin, bowed lyre, viola, ilimba, live looping) and Mikko H. Haapoja (synths, programming, bowed lyre, vocals).

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Leija Lautamaja is a Helsinki-based artist and musician specialised in Finnish and Nordic folk music, playing diatonic melodeon and reed organ. She is known from bands such as Enkel and Moontwins (a duo with famed alternative rocker P-K Keränen from 22-Pistepirkko). Lautamaja stepped into the scene as a solo artist in 2024 with her singer-songwriter debut album, the indie rock leaning "Sydän tuli piilosta".

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Junna is a duo that infuses Finnish folk music with electronic music. Comprised of chief vocalist, violinist, and traditionalist Anna Haaraoja and Juha Seppänen, the duo's acting president of beats, synths, and sidechain pumping, Junna originally set out to find out what happens when the organic sound of folk is turned up to the max and beyond. The duo found out that the result was a hard-hitting blend of traditional melodies and "synthtastic blasting".

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The solo project of composer and musician Petra Poutanen plays folk music with a modern twist using techniques of Scandinavian and Finno-Ugrian folk singing as well as throat singing. Her solo debut “Pyhä Veri Vuotaa” released in 2022 takes influence from around the world and has been described as a layered entity with acrobatic vocals and a rich sounds world.

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Maco Oey is a Finnish pop/rock musician with Indonesian and Ingrian heritage. He has worked actively in the Finnish music scene a projects such as Semmarit and with his own groups Maco ja Tuksa and Maco Band. His solo career began in 2011 with the release of the album "Pari suhdetta". Maco received a nomination at the 2021 Emma Awards for his album "Siistii!". On his 2024 album "Inkerin laulu", he collaborates with Finnish folk music greats Maija Kauhanen, Pekko Käppi and Johanna Juhola.

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Legendary Finnish musician, singer and songwriter Pentti Rasinkangas has made children's songs as a profession and performed for children for 40 years. His songs have humor, wistfulness and also matter. Rasinkangas himself states that he does't make children's music, but "music for people who like children's music". His music has a very strong folk and world music influence.

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Ever since Sväng was established, traditional tunes from Finland and other countries have been a part of its repertoire alongside original compositions. After years of playing and touring together and releasing 8 albums, the band released "In Trad We Trust" in 2020, their first album featuring only Finnish traditional music. It pays homage to Finnish folk music in its various forms: the ancient runo-singing tradition, kantele and jouhikko playing, a huge diversity of vocal styles and the instrumental virtuosity of the younger pelimanni music tradition.

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Eve Crazy & Mar Yo is a duo that combines Senegalese rap, Finno-Ugric folk aesthetics, and the melodic world of the Finnish Kantele instrument – a meeting of two continents, cultures and societies, urban and traditional, and universal femininity. The Finnish half of the duo is Marjo "Mar Yo" Smolander, a kantele artist and also the other half of the duo Zäpämmät. The other half, Senegal-based rapper Eve Crazy, also has a solo career with several single releases out.

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Saija Penttilä (born 1994) is a Finnish musician whose main instrument is the double bass. Saija's main musical genres are folk music and pop, and despite her young age, she has more than ten years of career in different bands behind her. Penttilä's debut solo album "Kylillä kuultua: Musiikkia Miehikkälän kyliltä" (2024) is comprised of her own compositions, which draw influences from traditional Finnish polkas, jenkas, waltzes and folk ballads. In addition to folk music, Penttilä's musical history includes everything from indie pop to traditional dance music.

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Many were surprised when 22-Pistepirkko's PK Keränen – one of Finland's most respected rock musicians – joined together with Leija Lautamaja, a Helsinki-based artist and musician specialised in Finnish and Nordic folk music. On the duo’s new Moontwins project Keränen's stomp blues and piano ballads meet Lautamaja's melodeon playing.

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