ILMU | Juurakko – Etno-Espa

ILMU brings the distinctive pulse of Karelian folk‑trip‑hop to the Espa stage; Juurakko explores natural phenomena, stories and the resonant sounds of everyday objects.

16.00 | ILMU

ILMU (“air”, “weather”) is a nordic folk-trip-hop band from the Karelia Republic now living in Tampere, Finland. The band plays original music with lyrics in the Livvi-Karelian language. The magically beautiful northern nature of Karelia became an inspiration for the songs.

ILMU presents the new generation of the culture of a small nation with an endangered language – the Karelians. The music of ILMU describes different natural phenomena and feelings caused by the contemplation of nature.

The musicians use traditional instruments such as the kantele, jouhikko, bass jouhikko, woodwinds and others (keyboards, electric guitar, violin, etc.). The band mixes the sound of these instruments with an electronic base and vocals in the Livvi-Karelian language.

Tatiana Tkachenko – vocal, kantele, synthesizers
Aleksei Tkachenko – electric guitar, samplers, synthesizers
Mirva Ormin – bowed lyre, bass bowed lyre, vocal
Nadezhda Gornitcyna – violin, vocals

17.15 | Juurakko: 15-year anniversary concert Suon sylissä

The Suon sylissä (‘in the swamp’s embrace’) concert offers a journey through a world of wonderful, funny and strange nature experiences and scientific observation. Harmonized blues vocals, a concert kantele digging deep through the delta, storytelling, and an assortment of utensils promoted to musical instruments have been packed into the musical suitcase of Juurakko band and biologist-sound designer Myyri Sysivesi.

Laura Kaartinen – vocals, travel harmonium, percussion
Eija Kankaanranta – the kanteleet
Kaisa Saarikorpi – vocals, cigar box instruments, guitars, percussion
Minsku Tammela – vocals, jouhikko, comb, mouth harp, percussion
Anna Wiksten – vocals, plank cow, percussion
Myyri Sysivesi – sound design and mixing