Kind of Folk: Vol 1 Sweden

Mysterious flutes beckon us into a forest. A haunting fiddle beguiles us with tunes from an age gone by. A mischievous percussionist scatters the sounds of twigs or water, teasing us with the tinkling of tiny bells.

Groupa's roots go back to 1980 when they were part of a folk-style powerhouse breathing new life into Sweden's folk heritage. As a group, and as individuals, they have continued to do so ever since. By the mid-90s, the maverick Norwegian percussionist Terje Isungset had joined the band and, alongside his unusual music-making adventures using ice, he has continued an inspired relationship with fiddle player Mats Edén and flautist Jonas Simonson.

Their latest project uncovers new soundscapes in the heart of well-known tunes. Nothing is what you might expect – yet there's a real love and joy in familiar melodies, and an excitement in the spaces created. The three musicians are among the Scandinavian elite, the griots of the Nordic folk scene. You can trace a thread back to the legendary 60s work of Jan Johansson who put Swedish folk music on the map on his famous Jazz på Svenska. What Groupa do here is just as important, and just as magical.