Folk Spot Denmark is a project created to give folk musicians and industry professionals the opportunity to talk together and create new contacts and collaborations. This year’s edition was no exception, and delegates from near and far made the trip to Tønder to experience Tønder Festival and the selected orchestras for Folk Spot Denmark 2023.
We have spoken to some of the delegates to get a little insight into their work with folk music elsewhere in the world, and their experience with Folk Spot Denmark.
Name: Filip Kostalek
Company: Colour Production, spol. s. r. o. (on behalf Colours of Ostrava Festival)
Title: Programmer
Based in: Czechia
What was your purpose for participating at Folk Spot 2023?
I was really interested in discovering new bands for our future lineups. We are booking a lot of world music and alternative bands but we don’t know too much about folk, country and danish music.
What trends and tendencies do you see in folk music right now?
I think there is not so much change. Still, the most important is authenticity and quality of voice/music. Still, there are two groups of artists — one group which is going the pure traditional way and the other group discovering new ways of developing folk music and trying to break into a wider audience. The first group can easily get stuck in the niche market. The second group can get lost in a cliché.
What is your impression of the Danish folk scene versus folk music in Czech Republic? (Differences and similarities)
I think that the Danish folk scene is more developed and there are more fans of this kind of music. In Czechia there are just a few folk bands.
Did you make some new contacts relevant for your future work?
Absolutely, this part was very valuable for me. I met new people and also I had time to speak with people I know. I believe this will lead to new collaborations.
Which were the best musical experiences during Folk Spot Denmark and Tønder Festival?
From the Folk Spot lineup I liked Sylfide and Solsort the most. From Tønder Festivals programme it was Adyn Townes, David Ramirez and Shane Smith & The Saints
Folk Spot Denmark er et projekt skabt for at give folkemusikere og branchefolk mulighed for at networke og skabe nye kontakter og samarbejder. Årets udgave var ingen undtagelse, og delegerede fra nær og fjern tog turen til Tønder for at opleve Tønder Festival og de udvalgte orkestre til Folk Spot Denmark 2023.
Vi har talt med nogle af de delegerede for at få et lille indblik i deres arbejde med folkemusik andre steder i verden, og deres erfaring med Folk Spot Denmark.
Navn: Filip Kostalek
Firma: Colour Production, spol. s. r. o. (on behalf Colours of Ostrava Festival)
Titel: Programmer
Land: Tjekkiet
Hvad var dit formål med at deltage på Folk Spot 2023?
Jeg var virkelig interesseret i at opdage nye bands til vores fremtidige lineups. Vi booker en masse verdensmusik og alternative bands, men vi ved ikke så meget om folk, country og dansk musik.
Hvilke tendenser ser du i folkemusikken lige nu?
Jeg tror, der ikke er så meget forandring. Det vigtigste er autenticitet og kvaliteten af stemmen/musikken. Alligevel er der to grupper af kunstnere – en gruppe, der går den rene traditionelle vej, og den anden gruppe, der opdager nye måder at udvikle folkemusikken på, så de kan bryde igennem til et bredere publikum. Den første gruppe kan nemt hænge fast i nichemarkedet. Den anden gruppe kan fare vild i en kliché.
Hvad er dit indtryk af den danske folkescene kontra folkemusik i Tjekkiet? (Forskelle og ligheder)
Jeg synes, at den danske folkescene er mere udviklet, og der er flere fans af den slags musik. I Tjekkiet er der kun nogle få folkeorkestre.
Fik du nogle nye kontakter, der er relevante for dit fremtidige arbejde?
Absolut, denne del var meget værdifuld for mig. Jeg mødte nye mennesker, og jeg havde også tid til at tale med folk, jeg kender. Jeg tror helt bestemt, at det vil føre til nye samarbejder.
Hvilke var de bedste musikalske oplevelser under Folk Spot Denmark og Tønder Festival?
Fra Folk Spot lineuppet kunne jeg bedst lide Sylfide og Solsort. Fra Tønder Festivals program var det Adyn Townes, David Ramirez og Shane Smith & The Saints
