Norwegian acts at the Cannes Film Festival
Kaada, Det Är Jag Som Är Döden and Transjoik to play showcases at the Festival de Cannes.
The Cannes Film Festival is in full swing and three Norwegian acts, each with their own unique approach to the art of scoring a soundtrack are set to play showcases at the Mediterranean city’s aptly titled Cinema de la Plage. Composer/artist Kaada, Bergman-inspired trio Det Är Jag Som Är Döden and Sámi crossover outfit Transjoik are all part of a programme that focuses solely on Nordic (film) music. The Nordic focus has been initiated by French event and concert promoter Sinny & Ooko in partnership with the Cannes Film Festival.
The Norwegian focus at the Cinema de la Plage came about following last year’s screening of Norwegian director Bent Hamer’s ‘Factotum’ which features a strong soundtrack penned by Kristin Asbjørnsen. Last year’s successful event eventually inspired Sinny & Ooko to launch a tribute to Nordic film music, a tribute that from the Norwegian side has been supported by Norway’s Embassy in Paris, Music Export Norway and NOPA – the Norwegian Society of Composers and Lyricists.
Kaada (photo)- John Erik Kaada has firmly established himself as one of Norway’s most sought-after composers, and has written a number of scores for some of the country’s most popular motion pictures of the last decade. Kaada, who is also well-known for his longstanding musical partnership with Faith No More-frontman Mike Patton, has also made a name for himself as a solo artist, having released a string of applauded albums as well as a vital member of hard-hitting trio Cloroform.
Det är jag som är döden has the intention of making great popmusic, for the head, feet and heart. The Oslo-based group counts Hilmar Larsen on keyboards and programming, Jakob Langvik singing low-pitched voice and guitars, and Kyrre Bjørkås on upright drums and high-pitched voices. The three musicians come from different musical backgrounds, Larsen and Bjørkås from Bogus Blimp, a stone-heavy progart rockband, and Langvik from Depresley, a quirky take on Elvis, a short stop in The Tables and other filmatic pop groups. Their original approach has led them on an exciting journey, never minding genres and conventions. The collective garnered considerable acclaim for their soundtrack to the entertaining documentary ‘Don’t Fuck With The Lewises’.
Transjoik- Joik is a Sámi word that designates a special kind of singing or chanting that establishes contact with the superhuman and induces trances. The name Transjoik accordingly refers to this ancient phenomenon and also to its transcendence into the modern world. The members of this Norwegian band are leading Sami musicians with an intimate relationship to the Joik and Sámi musical tradition, and as a band they are among the supreme proponents of exactly the expanded expression that the name indicates. Transjoik’s form of expression could be described as a kind of ambient electronica world-music; trance inducing, enchanting and at times alarming. As musical expression it is without comparison, and it is uniquely global, i.e. human in a way anchored beneath cultural adherence. The band has released five albums and toured extensively internationally.
Source: Mic.no
