Mari Boine

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NEW TUNES! The first 4 tunes in the playlist above is from the new record STERNA PARADISEA, releasedate August 24.

About the record:

STERNA PARADISEA is the latest and arguably finest album in MARI BOINE’s illustrious career, one that has now lasted almost 25 years. Her ninth solo collection – her first, Jaskatvuoda Manná was a vinyl only album released in 1985 – it encapsulates many of the themes, musical and lyrical, that have made her such an enduring and charismatic figure. But it also sees BOINE continue to push back boundaries, challenging listeners with bold musical initiatives and a rejection of expectations, all the time enchanting and invigorating her audience with her unearthly, haunting voice. And while the fact that she trades in a sound inspired by her cultural roots, sung largely in the language of her ancestors – a language being slowly eroded by Western influences – has led to her being classified as a ‘world music’ artist, her horizons are much greater and her appeal more far reaching than this might suggest. It is, as she herself suggests, “global music from the universal heart.”



BOINE was born in Karasjohka, a small town in the Arctic regions of Norway that are also part of what is known as Samiland, named after the indigenous people whose blood she shares. The Samis were colonised by Christians, and their culture slowly eroded until it was dismissed as worthless, so BOINE became acutely aware of notions of conformity early on. Her music has always been fiercely proud of her heritage, seeking to celebrate Sami culture while bringing it to a wider audience, fired initially by her anger at the contemporary treatment of their traditions. But though she has not mellowed in her beliefs, convictions so strong that she refused to perform at the Lillehammer Winter Olympics in 1994 on the grounds that she did not want to be used as “an exotic decoration”, she has always sought new ways to integrate her ideology into her work. Her blend of Sami folk traditions – in particular the yoik – with contemporary rock, jazz, electronica and other musical forms sourced from around the planet has made her a revered figure at home and abroad. From the release of her second album, Gula Gula (from 1989), on Peter Gabriel’s Real World label, to 2007’s collection of remixes by such acclaimed artists as Mental Overdrive and The Knife, her international status has been unquestionable.



STERNA PARADISEA is part of this ongoing musical journey, timeless and yet utterly of the moment, a place of retreat and yet entirely connected to the world. Produced by Svein Schultz and co-produced by her trumpet player Ole Jørn Myklebust, it’s especially notable for the industrial light and shadow lurking behind some of BOINE’s sweetest vocal work to date – on ‘Skealbma’, with its heavy dub undertow, she gives Massive Attack a run for their money, while ‘Likhahusat’ is a ghostly, hypnotic whisper. The album also features South African artist Madosini – known as The Veteran, she was recently sampled by Animal Collective on their Merriweather Post Pavilion album – and The Abaqondisi Brothers, a 12 piece a cappella group from The Kaya Mandi Township near Cape Town. BOINE says proudly of the collaboration, “I wanted for so long to let my music be influenced by African music”, and the unforgettable manner in which their voices mesh together confirms that it was worth the wait.



Most of the lyrics, meanwhile – apart from the closing track ‘Go Idja Nuossala’, a translation of Emily Dickinson’s ‘When Night Is Almost Done’ – were written by up and coming Sami writer Rawdna Carita Eira and regular collaborator Kerttu Vuolab, who, amongst other things, draw upon mythology to comment upon contemporary themes. On ‘Soria Moria Pálassa’ the legend of a fairytale kingdom is employed to question the superficial promises of modern politics and consumer culture, while ‘Ipmilin Hálešteapmi’ uses the Lord’s Prayer as a foundation to address world suffering. Elsewhere they call upon natural imagery to great effect, whether it be the migrating fish in ‘Lena Májjá’, the Arctic tern of the title track or the landscape of ‘Claudine Lávlla’, and it is this – combined with the organic quality of the recordings, reflected in the diverse range of instrumentation from guitars and trumpets to xaphoons and talking drums – that defines BOINE’s music.



“Nature is my God, my guide and correction,” BOINE explains. “Nature is the mirror of what is inside all of us. Without the connection to nature I would be lost.”



In a world that seems to spin increasingly fast, where shrinking borders are leading to the mass homogenisation of culture instead of enriching it, BOINE’S voice – pure, worldly-wise and yet otherworldly – is more vital than ever. STERNA PARADISEA is perfect proof of that, and listening to it is very much like listening to nature itself, something we’d be well advised to do more of.



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BIO:

Mari Boine was born on November 8th 1956 in Gámehisnjárga by Karasjok.

Educated teacher from the Regional College in Alta.

Full-time musician since 1985.

Her debut album Jaskatvuoda manna came in 1985, her breakthrough came in 1989 with Gula Gula .



Music can touch on strings you might not know you had. It can provide meaning, but it can also create moments which cant be defined. Moments which go to your core, that touch some sort of primal instinct, and that put you in a trancelike condition. Music can confuse you. But it can also make you feel happy, uplifted or enriched. And maybe even more whole.



Mari Boines music has this effect.

You cant leave a meeting with Mari and her music untouched. That is, if you dare to let her get close.



Her music is actually simple. It is in the meeting between the songs, her voice and the musicians in the band that it gains strength. And in the interaction with the listener, because you must meet Maris music with an open mind.

If you dont give of yourself, you might not discover the wealth she has to offer.



Because Mari is exceptional.

She is an artist who is difficult to categorize.

Perhaps shes a Sámi artist, perhaps shes a practitioner of world music. Perhaps she makes music in the borderline between Sámi, other folk music, jazz and rock.

Perhaps shes the sum of all this. Or perhaps shes just herself. A musician, singer and artist whos making her own mark. Who has gone down a road where she hasnt always seen the destination. And who is still travelling.



ALBUM RELEASES



1985: Jaskatvuo?a ma??á (Etter Stillheten)



1989: Gula Gula (Hør stammødrenes stemme)



1991: Salmer på veien hjem (With Ole Paus and Kari Bremnes)



1992: Møte i Moskva (With the band Allians)



1993: Goaskinviellja (Ørnebror)



1994: Leahkastin (Unfolding)



1996: Eallin (Live)



1998: Bálvvoslatnja (Room of worship)



2001: Remix Vol. I: O??a hámis



2002: Gávcci jahkejuogu (Eigth Seasons)



2006: Idjagiedas (In the hand of the night)



2008: Remix Vol. II: It Ain't Necessarily Evil (Bo?eš bat gal buot biros)



Mari has also collaborated with a number of different artists, among them Peter Gabriel on One World One Voice (1990) and Jan Garbarek in 1991/1992.

She has written commissioned works for both Vossajazz (1994) and Telemarksfestivalen (2005).



She composed the music to, and had the only role in, Mona J. Hoels short film Vuolgge mu mielde bassivárrái (Bli med meg til det hellige fjell) (1995).

Has written the music for the German film adaptation of the Hans and Greta fairytale (2005).



AWARDS/GRANTS



Has received a number of awards, distinctions and grants. Among them several Spellemann awards, the Ole Vig award, Nordic Sámi Councils Honorary Award, Nordic Councils Music Award, the Norwegian Audio-Visual Funds large launching grant.