COMPOSERS: Traditional
LABELS: Ondine Octopus
PERFORMER: Timo Väänänen (electric kantele)
CATALOGUE NO: OCTO 409-2
So TIMO VÄÄNÄNEN’s CD is electric folk with extra resonance. Mostly the electrification is discreet, like an amplified harpsichord, boosting the ring of the high registers and the boom of the low – the construction links to harps, santoors and cimbaloms, though the playing technique is different.
He starts with a traditional melody and plays mostly his own reflective compositions in various modes, some with a conscious middle-eastern tinge, and others with a guest singer. One number with Spanish and dance-music elements is remixed as finale.