#4983, Songs to Nature
Hear songs about nature that take an unexpected approach from a Finnish compilation called “Arise Nature: Songs of Nordic Biodiversity”, along with work by Toronto-based duo Nanotopia, and Puerto Rican composer and multi-instrumentalist Angélica Negrón.
Sample tracks from a new compilation of Finnish folk artists called Nouse Luonto: Lauluja Monimuotoisuudesta (Arise Nature: Songs of Nordic Biodiversity.) Hear a folk song celebrating the beauty of nature from accordionist and throat singer Antti Paalanen. Then hear nyckelharpa, viola, and vocals in the experimental folk duo Akkajee whose offering is a song about a body decomposing in the soil (So METAL) – which is also an expression of love, an ode to microbes. There’s also dreamy music by avant-garde accordion player Kimmo Pohjonen, from the same compilation.
Toronto-based duo Nanotopia makes music whose roots are in the organic world (ahem). Using biosonification – the duo takes the fluctuations of electric current running through the Mycelium with electrodes attached onto and translates the mushroom music to MIDI. Puerto Rican composer/performer/educator Angélica Negrón triggers sounds via plant art in her work, “Pasajero”, taken from a live performance in The Greene Space. There’s also music made similarly, although inhabiting a completely different sound world from Japanese composer Mamoru Fujieda. He wrote out the electrode-generated plant patterns as a score for violas da gamba and Japanese koto in alternate tunings, from his series, Patterns of Plants. Plus, hear some of Björk’s songs from Biophilia. And more. - Caryn Havlik
Program #4983, Songs to Nature (First aired 3/6/2025)
ARTIST: Nanotopia (Tosca Terán and Andrei Gravelle)
WORK: The Dye Maker [1:00]
RECORDING: MusicWorks 135 compilation
SOURCE: This track not commercially available.
INFO: Try https://nanotopia.bandcamp.com/album/midnight-mushroom-music
ARTIST: Various: Antti Paalanen
WORK: Laulu luonnolle [4:50]
RECORDING: Nouse Luonto - lauluja monimuotoisuudesta (Songs of Nordic Biodiversity)
SOURCE: Nordic Notes
INFO: https://besteunterhaltung.bandcamp.com/album/va-nouse-luonto-lauluja-monimuotoisuudesta
ARTIST: Various: Antti Paalanen
WORK: Ikiliikkuva [5:23]
RECORDING: Nouse Luonto - lauluja monimuotoisuudesta (Songs of Nordic Biodiversity)
SOURCE: Nordic Notes
INFO: https://besteunterhaltung.bandcamp.com/album/va-nouse-luonto-lauluja-monimuotoisuudesta
ARTIST: Björk
WORK: Virus [5:26]
RECORDING: Biophilia (Limited Deluxe Edition)
SOURCE: Nonesuch 528728
INFO: nonesuch.com
ARTIST: Various : Kimmo Pohjonen
WORK: Unelma [3:44]
RECORDING: Nouse Luonto - lauluja monimuotoisuudesta (Songs of Nordic Biodiversity)
SOURCE: Nordic Notes
INFO: https://besteunterhaltung.bandcamp.com/album/va-nouse-luonto-lauluja-monimuotoisuudesta
ARTIST: Björk
WORK: Dark Matter (with choir & organ [3:25]
RECORDING: Biophilia (Limited Deluxe Edition)
SOURCE: Nonesuch 528728
INFO: nonesuch.com
ARTIST: Nanotopia (Tosca Terán and Andrei Gravelle)
WORK: The Dye Maker [8:16]
RECORDING: MusicWorks 135 compilation
SOURCE: This track not commercially available.
INFO: Try https://nanotopia.bandcamp.com/album/midnight-mushroom-music
ARTIST: Angélica Negrón
WORK: Pasajero [4:33]
RECORDING: Live for the Soundcheck Podcast, in The Greene Space
SOURCE: This track not commercially available. | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiXre0RqSDs
INFO: https://www.angelicanegron.com
ARTIST: Mamoru Fujieda
WORK: The Second Collection: pattern VIII [3:02]
RECORDING: Patterns of Plants
SOURCE: Tzadik 7025
INFO: https://www.tzadik.com/
ARTIST: Angélica Negrón
WORK: Sembrar [9:09]
RECORDING: Live for the Soundcheck Podcast, in The Greene Space
SOURCE: This track not commercially available. | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiXre0RqSDs
INFO: https://www.angelicanegron.com
