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: Willie Kelly
Company: Midnight Mango UK // Sligo Live Festival, Ireland
Title: Live Booking Agent // Festival co-producer & programmer
Based in: Sligo, Ireland
What was your purpose for participating at Folk Spot 2023?
To learn about the Danish Folk Music scene and to discover new music, as well connecting with other delegates in attendance.
What trends and tendencies do you see in folk music right now?
With regards to work, there’s definitely an upwards trend in the amount of Folk Festivals happening in Europe & UK over the past number of years. It’s particularly evident to me in the regions I work in most, Ireland & UK, where many new folk festivals have emerged alongside the more established festivals that we all know, like Cambridge Folk Fest or Celtic Connections etc.
With regards to music, my own opinion or personal experience would suggest that the acts with songs, vocals and lyrics are the most in demand. Probably those with a slight commercial or pop edge being most en vogue.
What is your impression of the Danish folk scene versus folk music in Ireland? (Differences and similarities)
From what I experienced at Folk Spot during Tønder Festival, I would say that the Danish scene seems very rooted in the traditional folk market. Very similar to the Irish Traditional Folk music scene. I find that the acts that are very traditional are becoming somewhat niche and the acts with a slightly more modern or contemporary style are the ones that are in the most demand right now.
Did you make some new contacts relevant for your future work?
Yes, I met several very useful new contacts that will be very relevant to future work and I also met several contacts that I knew already but never had the opportunity to meet in person. This was a very enjoyable aspect to the Folk Spot programme and I thought the Folk Spot team managed all of this in a lovely friendly way, for example changing seats during dinner etc. That was really a lot of fun.
What were the best musical experiences during Folk Spot Denmark and Tønder Festival?
Overall, I thought the musicianship in the shows was outstanding, every band without fail were beautiful musicians. I enjoyed that very much. On a personal level, I tend to favour the more commercial or contemporary sounding acts, I suppose because I work in that area really. The acts that stood out to me personally were Sylfide, Azur Azur, Erlend Viken Trio and Optur from the Folk Spot lineup, and from the Tønder Festival programme it was Nikle Creek, Sarah Jarosz, Graham Nash, Jim Lauderdale, Joshua Ray Walker, Kiła and Tarantino Band.
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: Willie Kelly
Firma: Midnight Mango UK // Sligo Live Festival, Ireland
Titel: Live Booking Agent // Festival co-producer & programmer
Land: Sligo, Ireland
Hvad var dit formål med at deltage på Folk Spot 2023?
At lære om den danske folkemusikscene og at opdage ny musik, samt at komme i kontakt med andre tilstedeværende delegerede.
Hvilke tendenser ser du i folkemusikken lige nu?
Med hensyn til arbejde er der bestemt en opadgående tendens i antallet af folkefestivaler, der finder sted i Europa og Storbritannien i løbet af de seneste år. Det er særligt tydeligt for mig i de regioner, jeg arbejder mest i, Irland og Storbritannien, hvor mange nye folkefestivaler er dukket op sammen med de mere etablerede festivaler, som vi alle kender, som Cambridge Folk Fest eller Celtic Connections osv.
Med hensyn til musik, vil jeg med min egen mening eller personlige erfaring pege i retning af, at arbejdet med sange, vokal og tekster er det mest efterspurgte. Sandsynligvis er det med en lille kommerciel eller pop-kant er mest en vogue.
Hvad er dit indtryk af den danske folkescene kontra folkemusik i Irland? (Forskelle og ligheder)
Ud fra hvad jeg oplevede på Folk Spot under Tønder Festival, vil jeg sige, at den danske scene virker meget forankret i de traditionelle folk-traditioner. Meget lig den irske traditionelle folkemusikscene. Jeg oplever, at de orkestre, der er meget traditionelle, er ved at blive noget niche, og de orkestre med en lidt mere moderne eller nutidig stil er dem, der er mest efterspurgt lige nu.
Fik du nogle nye kontakter, der er relevante for dit fremtidige arbejde?
Ja, jeg mødte flere meget nyttige nye kontakter, som vil være meget relevante for det fremtidige arbejde, og jeg mødte også flere kontakter, som jeg kendte i forvejen, men aldrig havde mulighed for at møde personligt. Dette var et meget underholdende aspekt af Folk Spot-programmet, og jeg syntes, at Folk Spot-teamet klarede alt dette på en dejlig venlig måde, for eksempel at skifte plads under middagen osv. Det var virkelig sjovt.
Hvad var de bedste musikalske oplevelser under Folk Spot Denmark og Tønder Festival?
Alt i alt synes jeg, at det musikalske i showene var enestående – hvert band var dygtige musikere. Det nød jeg meget. På det personlige plan har jeg en tendens til at foretrække de mere kommercielle eller nutidige orkestre, formoder jeg, fordi jeg virkelig arbejder inden for det område. De orkestre, der skilte sig ud for mig personligt, var Sylfide, Azur Azur, Erlend Viken Trio og Optur fra Folk Spot lineup, og fra Tønder Festival programmet var det Nikle Creek, Sarah Jarosz, Graham Nash, Jim Lauderdale, Joshua Ray Walker, Kiła og Tarantino Band.
