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Medieval recording weekend with Pøbel

Here are some impressions from a great weekend in April 2024, when Pøbel came to record their second album, which is going to be released next year. We used our mobile recording equipment to capture the quartet (with guests) at Malmö latinskola.

Pøbel is a band that plays captivating and danceable medieval music performed on a multitude of instruments such as the hurdy-gurdy, vielle, bagpipes, lute, shawm and various medieval drums. Bringing authentic instruments, tunes and costumes on to the stage Pøbel is not only a qualified guess on how a renowned “dance band” might have looked like in the late 1400s – it is also one of most busy and ambitious medieval bands in Denmark today!

”Pøbel” is an old Scandinavian word for ”mob” or ”crowd” and as the name suggests, the approach to the music is that of the common man i.e. the music that ordinary people could have experienced at the faire or at other festive occasions around medieval Europe.

The involved musicians are all very active in the contemporary Scandinavian folk music scene and with Pøbel like to take the medieval troubadour songs, hymns and anthems and transform them into instrumental dance music based on the idea that art music has influenced folk music anywhere throughout history. The result is a kind of ”medieval folk music” which seems both authentic and timeless. It’s basically early music for modern ears!

The members of Pøbel are: Thor Ahlgren: various bagpipes, lafta, recorders & vocals. Mads Kjøller-Henningsen: hurdy-gurdies, whistles, shawms, swedish bagpipes & vocals. Lasse Væver Jacobsen: medieval fiddles/vielles, keyed fiddle (Moraharpa) & vocals. Magnus Heebøll: davul, tambourine, lafta, jaws harps & vocals.

Guest appearances: Søren Vinther Røgen: Mora-oud & Cittern. Mia Guldhammer: Lead vocal. Malte Zeberg: Double bass. Frida Höfling: Swedish cowhorn. Morten Fredberg: Grumpy Innkeeper.

The album was recorded during this weekend, a few overdubs were added later on (mostly recorded by the musicians themselves), and was mixed by Per Tidstrand and with a lot of participation by all of the band members.

Check out https://poebel.dk , https://www.instagram.com/poebeldk/ and https://www.facebook.com/Poebelmusik for more.

New release: Anna Fält “Sauna” & “Puun loitsu”

We are proud to bring you Anna Fält with her first two singles “Sauna” and “Puun loitsu”. Available for download and streaming on all the usual services like iTunes / Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer, etc. now!

Anna Fält – Sauna. monophon ©2018 (MPHSGL002)

Anna Fält talks about her music and the project:

“This is the first single called SAUNA and it is an old sauna spell text I wrote music to years ago when composing to the dance performance ¡RÅ!. The new piece is is a modified version of the original I made last fall to a special gig at my favorite sauna, Ribersborgs Kallbadhus in Malmö.”

“The other single, PUUN LOITSU, is based on the ancient singing traditions of the so called Finnskogarna in Sweden, forrests that were colonized by the mysterious Forrest Finns. This is a spell for a tree and it is one of the first songs I composed to my solo performance Finnskogarnas magi. It is also the only song on the upcoming album where we took advantage of studio technics and recorded several tracks so that the recorded version differs from the live one. Otherwise the whole album is all about one voice, a cappella solo singing, stripped, minimalistic and simple. Just the way I like it.”

“March 2015 I received two grants to start working with a project in which I am studying the ancient singing traditions collected from the so called “Finnish forests” in Sweden (and a bit behind the border in Norway). These forests were unsettled until about 1600’s when thousands of Finns came and started burning down the forests, making them into fields with their special technique. Still in 1960’s there were a few people who could the old songs and traditions and spoke Finnish; they had preserved the dialect and traditional songs that had vanished in Finland.

So far I’ve been in Värmland, middle of Western-Sweden where the Swedish “Finnskogarna” still have old houses left and a culture centre/museum in Lekvattnet. I’ve visited several old “Finnish houses” and I also got the possibility to travel to Norway to sing at the annual Finnskogdagene festival 2015. After this I’ve been back in these places several times.

Anna Fält – Puun Loitsu. monophon ©2018 (MPHSGL003)

The opening night of my solo performance “Finnskogarnas magi” was Thursday (a magical day of the week in the Forest Finns old tradition!) 19/11.2015 in Stockholm, Sweden. The next show was also in Stockholm at Teater Slava Friday 9/12 and the first show in Finland was 17/12 .

Finnskogarnas Magi is an on-going project, which will continue it’s journey. Summer 2016 I performed at Sommelo Folk Music Festival and gave a lecture about this tradition. The seminars, lectures and research work will continue alongside the upcoming performances. 2017 I gave a workshop on these songs at Urkult festival in Sweden and performed Finnskogarnas magi for the 5th time, of course on a Thursday… I’ve had several solo concerts with this material, for example at the Faroe Islands and Iceland.”

For more information please visit www.annafalt.com

Album Credits:
Anna Fält, vocals. Graphics by Emma Fält.
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Per Tidstrand.

monophon @ WOMEX 2016

monophon will be at the World Music Expo 2016 in Santiago de Compostela!

The expo is held in the spectacular Ciudad de Cultura (October 19-23) with showcases and concerts all over beautiful Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain. We are joining forces with a lot of other Swedish artists, labels, promoters etc in the Export Music Sweden stand (1.52-1.54).

We are looking forward to meet new friends and perhaps some new collaborations, and of course to find some new channels for our connected artists. So, hopefully – see you there!

New release: 232 Strängar – Spunnet

We are proud to bring you 232 Strängar with their first album Spunnet. It will be released 2016 07 29 for download and streaming on all the usual services like iTunes / Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer, etc.

DOWNLOAD: Visit iTunes Music Store or your favourite download store. 232 Strängar - Spunnet monophon MPHFL004, 2016. — 232 Strängar – Spunnet. monophon ©2016 (MPHFL004).

232 Strängar (which means 232 Strings) duo will take you on a journey from northern Sweden’s forests down to the open plains of Skåne, where the piano’s tone colours are woven together with the violin’s intricate harmonies and together create a different and exciting form of folk music today.

The music tells of emotions, highs and lows, shaped in beautiful waltzes, groovy schottis, melancholic polskas, where no one is left untouched. The duo’s penchant for improvisation and other genres such as jazz, creating interesting arrangements, delicate soundscapes and curious rhythm.

Although the number of musicians not more than two, the width of the music is great and the colours are many.

Frida Höfling & Emma Engström met at Skurups folk high school and have in recent years been performing at festivals, dance halls, churches, schools, nursing homes, cafes, jazz clubs and trains throughout Sweden.

Album credits:
Frida Höfling, violins and cow horn, Emma Engström, piano. Recorded, mixed and mastered by Johannes Lundberg at Studio Epidemin, Gothenburg.

Alligator Gumbo move to Rootsy.nu

The Alligator Gumbo records that we distributed are no longer available from us. Since november 2014 they are distributed by Rootsy.nu

More information on www.alligatorgumbo.com

Emilia Alvarez ”HOLD ME” video is out now!

Emilia Alvarez third single is “Hold Me”. Again we have filmed a nice little video for that song. The EP “Move On” was first released 15 July 2011 and it contains five great songs, all quite different but we are sure you will like them all. The single as well as the EP is available on iTunes, Amazon, Bandcamp and a zillion of other stores, as well as Spotify or whatever your favourite streaming service might be.

This is how Emilia describes herself:

“I love art and have been singing, painting and creating ever since childhood. It was not until I was 25 years old and after spending a year in Australia that I started to write music. All of a sudden it felt natural to express words that flew from my thoughts and in to my writing hand. The words belonged together with a rhythm and meaning, reflected from my emotions, experiences and dreams. It is with great pleasure that I present my first recorded songs. I’m hoping you will love my music just as much as I do. That it will speak to you in its own unique way, comfort and give you strength.

I hope you like my music, I have put a lot of myself, my heart and of course much effort in it. My first tracks are recorded and mixed in I/O studios in Malmö, Sweden. The mastering of the tracks was done at Abbey Road Studios, London, UK (You know, the famous Beatles Studio?). I have many more songs coming up, I am really looking forward to play them to you. I wrote most of the tracks together with my sister Sofia, and some I did all by myself.”

Don’t forget to join Emilia on Facebook, over 4K now!
www.facebook.com/emiliaalvarezmusic

www.emiliaalvarez.com
www.monophon.se

Hold Me: Written by Emilia Alvarez & Sofia Alvarez Tidstrand.
Emilia Alvarez vocals, backing vocals, Sofia Alvarez Tidstrand backing vocals, Per Tidstrand electric bass, electric guitar, Rhodes, CS-80 V, Minimoog V, Moog modular V, vocoder, programming. Recorded & mixed by Per Tidstrand at I/O studios, Malmö, Sweden. Produced by Per Tidstrand. Mastered at Abbey Road Studios, London, UK.

New release: Emilia Alvarez ”Move on” EP release friday July 15th!

Finally, we are so happy to announce the release of the Emilia Alvarez EP “Move On”. It contains five great songs, all quite different but we are sure you will like them all. The single as well as the EP is available on iTunes, Amazon, Bandcamp and a zillion of other stores, as well as Spotify or whatever your favourite streaming service might be.

Beställ CD genom att maila till shop@monophon.se: SEK 59 inkl porto inom Sverige (betalning via Payson.se eller faktura, vänligen ange önskad betalningsmetod). INTERNATIONAL ORDERS: Order CD by sending an email to shop@monophon.se: SEK 59 (approx. 6 € / 8 $) incl. international shipping (payment through PayPal - credit cards accepted). Emilia Alvarez - Move On monophon MPHEP004, 2011. — Emilia Alvarez – Move On EP (monophon). MPHEP004, 2011

This is how Emilia describes herself:

”I love art and have been singing, painting and creating ever since childhood. It was not until I was 25 years old and
after spending a year in Australia that I started to write music. All of a sudden it felt natural to express words that flew from my thoughts and in to my writing hand. The words belonged together with a rhythm and meaning, reflected from my emotions, experiences and dreams. It is with great pleasure that I present my first recorded songs. I’m hoping you will love my music just as much as I do. That it will speak to you in its own unique way, comfort and give you strength.

Credits:

Move On: Emilia Alvarez vocals, backing vocals, Sofia Alvarez Tidstrand backing vocals,Tobias Samuelsson drums, Fredrik Silfverberg electric guitar, Per Tidstrand electric bass, electric guitar, organ, Prophet V, Minimoog V, programming, Robert Pettersson tambourine. Recorded & mixed by Per Tidstrand at I/O studios, Malmö, Sweden. Produced by Per Tidstrand. Mastered at Abbey Road Studios, London, UK.

Time For Change: Emilia Alvarez vocals, Fredrik Silfverberg acoustic guitar, Per Tidstrand electric bass, violoncello, Minimoog V, drums. Recorded & mixed by Per Tidstrand at I/O studios, Malmö, Sweden. Produced by Per Tidstrand. Mastered at Abbey Road Studios, London, UK.

Hold Me: Emilia Alvarez vocals, backing vocals, Sofia Alvarez Tidstrand backing vocals, Per Tidstrand electric bass, electric guitar, Rhodes, CS-80 V, Minimoog V, Moog modular V, vocoder, programming. Recorded & mixed by Per Tidstrand at I/O studios, Malmö, Sweden. Produced by Per Tidstrand. Mastered at Abbey Road Studios, London, UK.

Leaving: Emilia Alvarez vocals, backing vocals, Sofia Alvarez Tidstrand backing vocals, Per Tidstrand electric bass,acoustic guitar,electric guitar,CS-80V,ARP2600V,Mellotron,Jupiter 8V, programming. Recorded & mixed by Per Tidstrand at I/O studios, Malmö, Sweden. Produced by Per Tidstrand. Mastered at Abbey Road Studios, London, UK.

City of Light: Emilia Alvarez vocals, backing vocals, Sofia Alvarez Tidstrand backing vocals, Per Tidstrand electric bass, electric guitar, Rhodes, CS-80 V, Minimoog V, vocoder, programming. Recorded & mixed by Per Tidstrand at I/O studios, Malmö, Sweden. Produced by Per Tidstrand. Mastered at Abbey Road Studios, London, UK.

Emilia Alvarez Single Giveaway “Move On”

Go and get “Move On” for free! The song is available in Emilia’s Giveaway corner of her website, in a limited number – her first single for free!

All you have to do is as to visit http://www.emiliaalvarez.com/emilia/GIVEAWAY.html and follow the instructions.

Please note that you will have to agree to receive a newsletter once in a while. The other thing you will have to do is to enjoy it as much as you like, the song is yours. Oh, and – play it LOUD to your neighbours;-)

Visit her facebook page to keep yourself updated. For more information on Emilia visit www.emiliaalvarez.com .

Are you still reading this?!?!

Emilia Alvarez first single “Move On”

“Move On” is from today available on iTunes and Bandcamp! A zillion of other stores will follow soon as well as Spotify and so on. Enjoy it loudly!!!

DOWNLOAD: Visit iTunes Music Store or or your favourite download store. — Emilia Alvarez – Move On. (monophon) MPHSG001, 2011

Emilia Alvarez vocals, backing vocals, Sofia Alvarez Tidstrand backing vocals, Tobias Samuelsson drums, Fredrik Silfverberg electric guitar, Per Tidstrand bass guitar, electric guitar, organ, synthesizer, programming, Robert Pettersson tambourine. Recorded & mixed by Per Tidstrand at I/O studios, Malmö, Sweden. Produced by Per Tidstrand. Mastered at Abbey Road Studios, London, UK.

And dont forget to vote on http://onstage.metro.se/artist/48314 !!!!

Visit her facebook page to keep yourself updated. For more information on Emilia visit www.emiliaalvarez.com for more stuff.

New release: a-kutikku – Onomatopoetic Songs

Good Friday April, 10 sees the release a new EP from monophon. It is available for download on iTunes and other download services.

a-kutikku – Onomatopoetic Songs

Japanese electro pop with Eiko Furukawa and Per Tidstrand. Japanese traditional songs and children’s songs with a touch of Scandinavia.

Eiko Furukawa is a singer in a variety of musical styles. In this case, Eiko is the vocalist in a-kutikku where rather childish songs, many of which also more or less traditional japanese songs, are performed in a quite modern way. Most of the music is based on a club sound and atmosphere, where we tried to capture the playfulness of the songs, or the stories the songs are about. The music is meant to be able to be performed live on stage, with recorded backing tracks and live vocals, as well as one or more live instruments. We have done this successfully a couple of times in Sweden. Eiko is at the moment living in Sweden where this collaboration started.

The musical arrangements are made by Per Tidstrand, a swedish musician and music producer. Per is originally a classical cellist but is working in most of the musical genres, in both professions.