Haugaard & Høirup - Duo for Violin & Guitar (1999)

«If you are into fiddle / guitar duos this one is a must! The duo Haugaard & Høirup (Harald Haugaard, violin, viola; Morten Alfred Høirup, guitar, lute and vocals) belongs certainly to the top of the creme of Danish music playing musicians. Both musicians are well known faces in the scene: Harald has played /plays in DUG, Dk-Locomotiv, Sorten Muld, Puls and Serras; Morten in Danish Dia Delight, American Cafe Orchestra, Ouellete, Legault & Høirup and solo.

The duo came first together to represent Denmark at the EBU (European Broadcasting Union) festival in Solvenia - Alan Klitgaard, producer of the Danish radio, formed this duo... The music they made was for them and the audience so breathtaking that this duo is still together.

They play together traditional Danish music and self written (of both) music, written in traditional style – but the magic of the music is coming from the arrangements. The music sounds traditional, yet very fresh, lively and up-to date. […] Well worth checking out!» (Christian Moll, Folkworld)

«Harald Haugaard e Morten Alfred Høirup sono due ottimi musicisti della nuova generazione che sta rigenerando e diffondendo la musica danese per ogni dove; quella generazione che con idee innovative comincia ad uscire dai confini nazionali e dalle generose ali protettrici del Danish Folk Council per diffondersi nei folk festival tedeschi, sloveni, americani, svizzeri e italiani (Folkest)... Dovunque apprezzati per le loro doti tecniche e l’energia che sgorga a piene mani dai loro strumenti, Haugaard (violino) e Høirup (chitarra e canto) presentano un repertorio composto per lo più da brani danesi tradizionali e di composizione. Qualche brano cantato (interessante ad esempio Aften ved søen, dove vengono musicate le parole del poeta Axel Juul), molte danze ballabili (polke in quantità, valzer, hopsa), qualche estratto delle raccolte musicali danesi del 18° secolo e diversi “reel” di composizione danese. […]» (Tiziano Menduto, Evolusuoni)

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Sorten Muld - Mark II (1999)

«A Danish trio, Sorten Muld consist in the main of Ulla Bendixen's very traditional voice mixed with a pile of samples and electronics masterminded by Henrik Esben Munch and Martin Dossing Ottosen. A number of studio players are tossed in for good measure, but they contribute only bits and pieces to the whole. The principle behind the group, and this album, is the re-envisioning of Nordic folk song, combining the traditional texts and melodies with a variety of modern production techniques. This kind of thing has been done for other branches of folk music, of course, but this effort has a wonderful tone to it that stems from Bendixen's powerful voice; there are moments when she carries the music directly across from raw folk roots to soaring techno-pop without losing the folk edge for an instant. Definitely one of the best techno-folk productions around.» (AMG)

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Fenja Menja - Fenja Menja (1999)

«Listen to this nine-track self-titled debut recording by Danish band Fenja Menja and you're sure to hear echoes of Sweden's Hoven Droven, with whom they share a commitment to a high-energy, virtually demented take on Nordic folk music, supercharging the tradition's naturally driving, spinning cadences and furious fiddle melodies with wailing wah-wah electric guitar and thumping bass. You'll hear a distinct instrumental approach dominated by the gripping fiddle of Katja Mikkelsen and widened by Morten Lolk Rasch's piano and some fine vocals by Mathias Grip.

"Den Grove (The Crude One)" begins innocently enough with a quiet little fiddle tune whose devilish underside rapidly gets the better of it, eventually summoning the whole electric crowd to a spooky cavort, kept crazily spinning by the tight rhythm section of Johan Ahrenfeldt on bass and Søren Andersen on drums. The maelstrom metamorphoses into waltz time in "Orkanens øje (Eye of the Storm)," Kenneth Hermansen's trebly electric guitar pacing Mikkelsen's violin in an exuberant melody, picked up in the middle by piano to give listeners, and perhaps the band, a breather. The pace slows a bit but the drama if anything rises in "Tidmand," featuring Grip's vocal in a characteristically Nordic polyrhythm which will have you checking your CD player, or ears, for skips. "Den Længselsfulde (The Yearner)" introduces more Fenja Menja instrumental sophistication; another stuttery beat, 5/4 at times but with enough dropped and inserted beats to addle all but the most inspired dancer. The piano and fiddle share the melody, sounding a bit like new age jazz with gumption. "Djævlen i øret (Devil in the Ear)" is another surprise, a standard Bahian drum intro leading into a sinuous fiddle meditation to Brazilian percussion. Galloping bass ushers in "Månedans (Moon Dance)," which accelerates into another exhausting swirl, fiddle, bass, and drums in competing dementia behind Grip's multi-tracked trolls' chorus: a busy night at the monthly bonfire. The record winds up with a live track, "Stridsøksen (Battle Axe)," a decidedly unswinging waltz featuring guitar solo and a Mikkelsen bagpipe fling to the surprisingly accurate clapping of band and audience. Even on the final live track, production is excellent: every instrument can be heard clearly, and each is in proportion to its role at the moment, no doubt also a tribute to the band members. The contemporary Nordic folk music of Fenja Menja is a joy, albeit a strenuous one, to experience.» (Jim Foley, Rootsworld)

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