For our last week of Western European music we’ll go somewhere we didn’t have a chance to go very much in class — Denmark!
Danish folk music experienced a revival in the ’70s, similar to the folk revival in the U.S., when contemporary artists revived and reinterpreted traditional songs, celebrating and simultaneously advancing ancient traditions. Ensembles like Haugaard & Høirup and Danish-Swedish folkies Habbadam keep that the tradition of reinventing traditions alive. Many contemporary Danish musicians also draw upon Danish folk music themes, weaving them into forms such as rock and even electronica, creating the hybrid “folktronica.”
