Den dansk-finsk-svenske Floating Sofa Quartet fejrer mere end et årti på den internationale folkemusikscene og præsenterer stolt deres femte album, Tides GO0825
Udgivet som
CD – se folkshop.dk
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I løbet af det sidste årti har Floating Sofa (FSQ) tryllebundet publikum med deres pan-nordiske folkemusik og opnået anerkendelse for deres karakteristiske lyd og smittende scenetilstedeværelse.
Lige siden udgivelsen af deres debutalbum, The Moon We Watchis the Same, i 2016, har FSQ udforsket forskellige kreative veje for hver af deres udgivelser; f.eks. det prisvindende
Neighbourhood (2019), der udelukkende er dedikeret til traditionelle melodier; det samarbejdende Sofa Songs (2023), med nogle af de fineste nordiske sangere og sangskrivere; og senest Kystnært (2024), endnu et dybdegående dyk ned i det traditionelle repertoire fra de nordiske lande sammen med den norske violinist Guro Kvifte Nesheim.
Med deres 10-års jubilæumsudgivelse Tides vender kvartetten nu rampelyset tilbage mod deres egne kompositioner.
“Det føles som at komme hjem til vores egen stemme og kreative kerne,” siger Leija Lautamaja, det finske medlem af FSQ.
Malte Zeberg, svensk bassist i bandet, tilføjer: “Ti år som band er lang tid, og der er sket mange ting, siden vi startede – både for os og i verden omkring os. Musikken på dette album er blevet en slags afspejling – næsten en krønike – af vores individuelle og fælles liv i løbet af det sidste årti. Faktisk er mange af disse kompositioner direkte knyttet til store livsbegivenheder såsom ægteskab, forældreskab, flytning … og endda at få et kørekort!”
På Tides præsenterer FSQ 11 nykomponerede numre –sammen med en håndfuld traditionelle dansemelodier – alt sammen vævet sammen af bandets karakteristiske lyd af violin, diatonisk harmonika, rørorgel, kontrabas, træfløjte og lejlighedsvis svenske sækkepiber.
To numre byder også på særlige gæster: den prisvindende dansk-svenske trio Dreamers’ Circus og endnu et samarbejde med Guro Kvifte Nesheim fra Norge på hardangerviolin.
Med denne jubilæumsudgivelse bekræfter FSQ deres plads som et af de mest levende unge ensembler på nutidens nordiske folkscene – de væver nye melodier ind i traditionens struktur.
Ligesom tidevandet stiger og falder musikken mellem det intime, det kraftfulde, det gamle og det nye.
- Täysikuun jenkka
- Baghuset & Vraggodsvalsen
- Ajat
- Dragon
- Old danish polskas
- Søndagsscottisch
- Vigga sin gangar feat. Guro Kvifte Nesheim
- Brudestykke
- Vartoviane & polonoise
- Betablockaren
- Vallivan feat. Dreamers’ Circus
- Tidevarv
Floating Sofa Quartet is:
Clara Tesch (DK) – fiddle
Leija Lautamaja (FI) – diatonic accordion & reed organ
Mads Kjøller Henningsen (DK) – wooden flute, Swedish bagpipes & hurdy-gurdy (track 2)
Malte Zeberg (SE) – double bass & mandolin (track 1)
Guests:
Guro Kvifte Nesheim (NO) – hardanger fiddle, foot stomping (track 7)
Dreamers’ Circus (Ale Carr – cittern | Nikolaj Busk – keys | Rune Tonsgaard – violin) (track 11)
All arrangements by Floating Sofa Quartet
Produced by Floating Sofa Quartet & Louise Nipper
Tides was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Louise Nipper at Soundscape Studio, Copenhagen, in autumn 2024 andspring 2025.
Cover artwork created by Swedish graphic designer Julia Stenberg.
The album is released on GO Danish Folk Music.
Homepage: www.floatingsofaquartet.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/floatingsofaquartet/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/floatingsofaquartet/
E-mail: contact@floatingsofaquartet.com
This album was supported by KODA Kultur & Dansk Artist Forbund.
Released
CD – see folkshop.dk
Digital at your digital service
In English:
Celebrating more than a decade on the international folk scene, Danish-Finnish-Swedish Floating Sofa Quartetproudly presents their fifth album Tides.
Over the past decade, Floating Sofa (FSQ) has captivated audiences with their pan-Nordic folk music, gaining recognition fortheir distinctive sound and contagious stage presence.
Ever since the release of their debut album The Moon We Watchis the Same in 2016, FSQ has been exploring different creativepaths for each of their releases; e.g. the award-winning
Neighbourhood (2019), devoted entirely to traditional tunes; thecollaborative Sofa Songs (2023), featuring some of the finestNordic singers and songwriters; and most recently Kystnært (2024), another deep dive into the traditional repertoire of the Nordic countries alongside Norwegian fiddler Guro Kvifte Nesheim.
Now, with their 10-year anniversary release Tides, thequartet now turns the spotlight back on their own compositions.
“It feels like coming home to our own voice and creative core.” says Leija Lautamaja, the Finnish member of FSQ.Malte Zeberg, Swedish bass player of the band, adds: “Ten years as a band is a long time, and a lot of things have happened since we started – both to us and in the world around us. The music on this album has become kind of areflection – almost a chronicle – of our individual and shared lives over the past decade. In fact, many of thesecompositions are directly tied to major life events such as marriage, parenthood, moving homes… and even obtaining adriver’s license!”
On Tides FSQ presents twelve new tracks – mostly original compositions alongside a handful of traditional dance tunes– all woven together by the band’s trademark sound of fiddle, diatonic accordion, reed organ, double bass, wooden fluteand occasionally Swedish bagpipes.
Two tracks also feature some special guests: the award-winning Danish-Swedish trio Dreamers’ Circus, and another collaboration with Guro Kvifte Nesheim from Norway on hardanger fiddle.
With this anniversary release FSQ reaffirm their place as one of the most vibrant young ensembles on today’s Nordic folkscene – weaving new melodies into the fabric of tradition.
Like the tide, the music rises and falls between the intimate, the powerful, the old, and the new.
More about the tracks
1.Täysikuun jenkka | Full moon schottish (Leija Lautamaja)
Sometimes the moon makes it impossible to sleep.
2.Baghuset & Vraggodsvalsen | The backhouse & wreckage waltz (Malte Zeberg & Mads Kjøller Henningsen)
a. In the backyard of Mads and Clara’s apartment building in Copenhagen lies a very cute little backhouse. This house has served FSQ as a rehearsal space for many years and so much of our music has been created here! This melody found its way out of Malte’s tenor guitar in a coffee break of one of those rehearsals. And it became an homage to the greatest backhouse in the world!
b. Mads composed Wreckage Waltz after visiting Rømø; an island on the west coast of Denmark. Since no trees grow naturally on its sandy terrain, the island’s old houses were built using driftwood from shipwrecks. This tune is inspired by the paradox that great disasters for those at sea also brought wealth and opportunity to the islanders.
3.Ajat | Driving through time (Leija Lautamaja)
Imaginary music from medieval Finland. People wanted to dance the new and fashionable dance polska but what did the musicians do when they had never heard one before?
4.Dragon (Leija Lautamaja)
To the Alavus home.
5.Old Danish polskas (trad.)
a. Mollevet – from cantor Hans Johansen’s collection of old dance tunes from Bornholm.
b. Polsch No. 49 – from Rasmus Storm’s manuscript of fiddle tunes (c. 1760, Funen, Denmark).
6.Søndagsscottisch | Sunday schottisch (Clara Tesch)
A Sunday tune!
7.Vigga sin gangar | vigga’s gangar feat Guro Kvite Nesheim (Mads Kjøller Henningsen)
Dedicated to Clara and Mads’ daughter Vigga – a strong-willed toddler and trusty travelling companion of FSQ since 2021. Our good Norwegian friend Guro Kvifte Nesheim joins us on Hardanger fiddle and footstomping for this one!
8.Brudestykke | Bridal piece (Clara Tesch & Mads Kjøller Henningsen)
Within our folky circles it is a lovely and long lasting tradition to compose wedding-tunes whenever good friends marry…
9.Vartoviane & polonaise (Clara Tesch & trad.)
a. Vartoviane – a local variation of the old polonaise dance – a so-called ‘varsoviane’ – written as an homage for the historical building of Vartov in central Copenhagen, where the amazing folk dance community Nordisk Dans have their monthly dance events.
b. A Polonaise found in numerous tune books from the 18th and early 19th century in both Denmark, Sweden and Finland. Our version is based on the “Polonoise No. 41” that we also found in Rasmus Storm’s manuscript.
10.Betablockaren (Malte Zeberg & trad. Kauhajoki, Finland)
Ten driving tests and some pills was all he needed to get his licence…
11. Vallivan – trad. feat. Dreamers’ Circus
The ballad about “Vallivan” can be found in several different versions all over the Nordic countries, however this particular “dance-version” was constructed by Danish folk music legend Leif Varmark based on traditional sources. Mads learned the tune directly from Leif at a ballad course many years ago, and when guesting Dreamers’ Circus at a gig in Roskilde he introduced it to Rune, Nikolaj and Ale. They loved the tune so much that they agreed to record it with us. The tune is introduced by the voice of teacher Just Poulsen (recorded in Copenhagen in 1933).
12.Tidevarv (Malte Zeberg)
Ten years as a band is a long time, and a lot of things have happened since we started – both to us and in the world around us. This song serves as a reminder that we can take comfort in the fact that some things are constant regardless of how turbulent life can be. The simple melody was actually written as a love song but no one will ever hear the lyrics.
Youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/@floatingsofaquartet3566
Ny single fra Floating Sofa Quartet & Guro Kvifte Nesheim – Vigga sin Gangar
Floating Sofa Quartet Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary with a second single release, this time joined by Norwegian hardanger fiddler Guro Kvifte Nesheim.
For a decade Floating Sofa Quartet, a musical co-operation between four young folk musicians from Denmark, Finland and Sweden, has been working across borders with their own take on Nordic folk music. They’ve been shedding light on the shared cultural heritage of the Nordic countries and creating music that is both preserving and renewing their tradition(s).
Full album “Tides” will be release oktober 17th.
Guro Kvifte Nesheim (NO) – Hardanger Fiddle, foot stomp
Mads Kjøller Henningsen (DK) – Swedish bagpipe
Leija Lautamaja (FI) – diatonic accordion
Clara Tesch (DK) – fiddle
Malte Zeberg (SE) – double bass
