Friday 13 May 2022

Evensong: Yoiking and other Northern-ness

 "The yoik is a unique form of cultural expression for the Sami people in the North of Sweden. The songs are not merely descriptive, but yearn to capture the subject in its living sense. It is not about something, it is that something. It does not begin and it does not end. Like the wind."
 
  Yoik of the Wind

As far as I can make out, the yoik is an evocative  melodic noise, without words. The performer here is Sofia, who describes her music as  "dancing somewhere between the mystic of the northern light and the warmth of the comforting fire. I am inspired by the vastness of the land, the people and the meetings between these elements."
 
And here is Erland Cooper's Simmer Dim:

  It's a bit noisy, a lot urgent - but the image compilation is amazing. Best viewed on full screen.
Erland Cooper is a  composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist originally from Stromness, Orkney. His work combines field recordings with classical orchestration and contemporary electronic elements.  He is credited with  the concept of psychogeography, connecting identity, memory, and place through music, words and cinematography.
He is known for burying the only existing copy of the master magnetic tape of his first classical album in Scotland, deleting all digital files and creating a treasure hunt of clues to aid the search for it. The tape has yet to be found.

The Simmer Dim is the twilight of the Northern Isles around midsummer. It doesn't get properly dark - just dim, from around midnight, until the full light starts up again a couple hours later.

1 comment:

Mike said...

Mrs I: I think that is Sweden's application to join NATO.