Varttina Biography
One of the most internationally successful acts to emerge from the contemporary Finland music scene, Värttinä revitalized the nation's folk traditions with an aggressive and ultra-modern style that eschewed not only the costumes of their ancestors but also the long-accepted cultural notion that women should sing unaccompanied. A product of the folk music department at Helsinki's Sibelius Academy, Värttinä formed in the early '80s, its 21 original members all previously associated with an area youth group. Over time their ranks gradually slimmed down, and by the early '90s the group primarily consisted of vocalists Sari Kaasinen, Mari Kaasinen, Kirsi Kahkonen, and Sirpa Reiman, backed by an ever-revolving lineup of backing musicians.
Their records, beginning with 1991's Oi Dai, revived the unique polyphonic music of the Finno-Ugric people of Karelia, a region of eastern Finland extending into Russia; 1992's Seleniko led the band to its first U.S. tour. Subsequent albums such as 1995's Aitara and the following year's Kokko launched Värttinä to European superstardom, and various festival dates across Europe allowed Värttinä's momentum to be sustained. Vihma was released on Paddy Maloney's (the Chieftains) Wicklow Records in 1997, reaching top spots on the CMJ charts. It was followed a year later by the downtempo holiday album Can We Have Christmas Now?
Unfortunately, Wicklow went under by the turn of the century, leaving Värttinä without a U.S. distributor for their 2000 release, Ilmatar. But specialty Nordic label Northside saved the day, issuing the album stateside in 2001. The album was still staunchly traditionalist, but continued the group's experimentation with original compositions and electronic programming. The triumphant Live in Helsinki followed a year later. In March 2003 Värttinä celebrated their 20th year with the clear-eyed, intimate Iki. Miero, on Peter Gabriel's Real World label, was released in 2006. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
Popular Biographies:
Air formation Biography: Shoegazing's "classic" days in the U.K. may have been the early '90s, but that's not to say British bands after that couldn't find their own way to that combination of feedback, volume, and blissed...
Moby Biography: Moby was one of the most controversial figures in techno music, alternately praised for bringing a face to the notoriously anonymous electronic genre, as well as being scorned by hordes of techno...
Stagga lee Biography: In the early 2000s, ARTISTdirect Records signed at least two promising white rappers. One of them was Poverty, a very sociopolitical, somewhat KRS-1-ish MC from Portland, OR. Another was Stagga Lee,...
Stereolab Biography: Combining an inclination for melodic '60s pop with an art rock aesthetic borrowed from Krautrock bands like Faust and Neu!, Stereolab were one of the most influential alternative bands of the '90s....
Dilate Biography: Keyboad player Victor Wulf, a member of industrial rockers Vampire Rodents, initiated a solo career in early 1996 with the Cyclos album for Cleopatra Records, based on his soundtrack inspirations....
Savatage Biography: Savatage formed in Florida in 1978 as Avatar, led by brothers Jon (vocals) and Criss (guitar) Oliva. They changed their name to Savatage in 1983, pursuing a strongly Judas Priest- and Iron...
Goldie Biography: The first superstar produced by the breakbeat jungle movement, Goldie popularized drum'n'bass as a form of musical expression just as relevant for living-room contemplation as techno had become by...
Yob Biography: With songs regularly averaging upward of ten minutes (and sometimes as much as 20 and beyond), Portland, OR's YOB are clearly not a commercial heavy metal band, but rather fuse elements of doom,...