Radio Relativa: Building Bridges – New Weird Finland Special, June 2025 by forlate

This special "Building Bridges" episode explores New Weird Finland, or forest folk, as some people call it – a scene that emerged in Finland in the late ’90s and 2000s, centered mostly around the small DIY label Fonal, which has been active for 30 years. The music drifts effortlessly through experimental, psychedelic, folk, free jazz, and improvisational territory. Genre-defying and idiosyncratic, it balances organized chaos with lullaby-like melodies, creating an almost pastoral atmosphere that feels just right for a hot summer day.

Tracklist:

[field recordings made by Ville Kuukka in Päijät-Häme, Finland]
Hertta Lussu Ässä - Yön tullen sähköinen spanieli sekoaa
Paavoharju - Valo Tihkuu Kaiken Läpi
Ous Mal - Vaskiset Kielet
Eleanoora Rosenholm - Suljetun Osaston Astronautti
Hiukkasen Tahtiin - Hiukkasen tahtiin
[excerpt from “Unien Savonlinna”]
Lau Nau - Plakkikanteletar
Es - Pehmeä iho
Kuupuu - Juli Uni
Kemialliset Ystävät - Heijastuksia! Kaikuja!
Islaja - Pysahtyneet planeetat
Keijo - all the way now at once
Islaja - Suru ei
Kiila - Viisi hirvasta
Paavoharju - Aamuauringon Tuntuinen
[excerpt from “Unien Savonlinna”]