Photo. Vajas on
the scene with colour background. © Oddvar Mevik.
In the romantic
capital Prague (Praha) in Czech Republic, there was not
much that reminded us of the tundra in northern Norway, but Vajas
wonderful music seduced us and took us far away from the pulsating city life
this weekend and into another world
another time.
Our musical experience was an exciting and poetical meeting of the cold arctic breeze
and the warm Sámi (Saami) people; especially as all of us became totally lost in
the violinist and singer Kristin Mellem.
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Photo. Kristin Mellem in Vajas impressed us much. © Oddvar Mevik.
With her beautiful long blond curly hair, her long trendy but
traditional dress, her emotional chanting and the sensual vibrating sounds
she made with her violin, we were spellbound.
Kristin had a mysterious look and an image beyond this world. One could
get a suddenly feeling of how a hulder from the old Norwegian myths would
look. |
 |
Derived from the Sami's music culture and
traditions
The members of
Vajas started up inspired by their Sámi roots. They sought to preserve the
enriched traditions of Sámi songs. The Sámi (Saemieh, the reindeer people) are
an indigenous colourful people who represent an ethnic
minority in northern
Norway,
Sweden and
Finland.
There is also a small population on Russia's
Kola peninsula
.
The Samis
language, traditional clothing, handicraft, and music, are distinctively
different from other ethnic groups in Scandinavia. Still the music has
the universal rhythm and power you can find in so many
indigenous people's music all over the globe.
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Photo. Vajas revitalised and expressed the
Sami music traditions in the best way.
© Oddvar Mevik.
|
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According to Vajas website, the group intends to renew the
traditional yoiks of the past and stretch the limits of Norwegian folk music.
Vajas takes modern concepts of sound to helpful new expressions by inviting
yoiks to appear in new forms. Their vision is to give both yoiks and traditional
Norwegian folk music a new stamp, without causing either to lose the energy that
brought them to this meeting place. On the concert they managed to do this to
the fullest.
|
Photo. The huge Prague
Castle in
the mysterious and romantic city Prague, the
capital in the Czech
Republic.
.....
but Vajas`music leaded our thoughts far away into another world
another time. |
 |
The texts used
in the songs are central to the vision and creation of Vajas. Traditionally, the
lyrics of Sámi yoiks are considered strong and of a distinct character. They
sing about nature, and you can often hear yoiks about animals, mountains,
seasons etc. They often use metaphors, ironies and humour in their lyrics. The
lyrics flow from the Northern
Sámi language and are then rewritten into
the more widely spoken languages of Norwegian and English for making all able to
enjoy. That is why we think that Vajas will reach out to a wider audience, and
we believe that the group could have a great international potential in the
future.
Together
they are dynamite
In the Vajas
group there are three different musical voices from no
rth:
the folk musician Kristin Mellem, yoik artist Ande Somby and musician Nils Johansen from Bel Canto.
|
They gave us a beautiful
arctic adventure through yoik, violin, song and synthesiser that became real memorable.
We could quickly understand that this was a new era in the Sami music
and yoik.
Photo. Kristin Mellem played in perfect harmony with the
rest of the members in Vajas. © Oddvar Mevik. |
 |
All the three
musicians live in Tromsø in the northern
Norway. Ánde
Somby is besides being a famous Sámi traditional yoiker also a well
known legal scholar and Indigenous rights activist. Kristen Mellem is a classically trained
violinist and composer who currently works with folk music, yoiking and
community theatre.
|
Photo. The multi-talent Nils Johansen in Vajas. © Oddvar
Mevik.
He is a contemporary musician and composer, and
was the music mastermind of the internationally celebrated group Bel
Canto.
On the concert he impressed by making the sound
picture so complete by playing on synthesiser and many other instruments
that it sounded as a big orchestra. |
 |
Song that
will not be
forgotten
Kristin Mellem and her group members took the audience on a journey far
deep in to the arctic. The beautiful music created imaginations about the
Sámi people culture, life, nature and animals as bears, wolfs, birds. One of their best
songs is called "Bear Footprints".
Kristin's magic tones from the violin and her beautiful yoik lifted this song to
great heights.
|
Photo. Ande Somby in Vajas in traditional
costumes sings with his powerful voice.
© Oddvar Mevik.
On another good song is "Tromsø Islands Yoik", which Ande
Somby sang perfectly with his great energy.
These are arctic musical tales from Vajas that will
never be forgotten when you first have heard them. |
 |
Creation of such
kind of music could be a good pop alternative to MTV's Hip Hop music. Earlier
has Mari Boine from northern
Norway made the Sámi music famous. We have also seen
that Irish groups as Clannad and Altan singing in Gaelic, Buffy
Sainte-Marie, Buena Vista Social Club, Rokia Traorè, Enigma, Deep Forest and
Norwegian/Irish group duo Secret Garden,
have become world famous over years. The popular Czech
group Czechomor has also shown that traditional music in their own language
could be very popular (listen to the CD Cechomor Promeny Tour 2003/Czechomor
Transformations Tour 2003).
This music is both relaxing and challenging in the same
time. Let your feelings grow, your dreams come and let you float away, then you
will also be seduced by Vajas arctic music. It's a new music to the world, and
what could better than that for they who are tired of Hip Hop from
MTV.
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Photo. The
finale of the concert - beautiful sounds from Vajas took us into a dream
world!
© Oddvar Mevik.
|
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The concert
we attended gives great hope for Vajas, with Sámi culture and music traditions
leading the way. So far they have already become an international
phenomenon without realising any CD
yet, but soon it will come, and then they will get their finale big
breakthrough.
Review
by
Stein Morten
Lund
with a few
additional comments by
Sigurd Renander and Oddvar Mevik
Additional
information
Read more about Vajas and listen to some of
their songs on their website: Vajas -
website.
Listen to the
opening of the conventional and the unleashing of ancient music forms. Vajas
give you an example of the song "Robbers Chief" on this website. Here you can
hear the mix of power from the rock music with tones from the High Romantic
period; both merged with yoiking in a Tom Waits style, and generously spiced up
with a screaming violin.
Click on the link for hearing the beautiful
music: Hear Vajas music.
Coming video
from Vaja`s concert in Prague (produced by Travel Explorations):
Arctic musical
tales from Vajas
- A great
journey over the tundra and deep into the heart of the warm Sámi
people
Directed and
produced by Stein Morten
Lund, Travel
Explorations.
Hosle,
Norway.
E-mail: stein@travelexplorations.com
Contact info
for Vajas:
For requests
regarding information and booking, contact the person below:
Kristin Mellem
Vajas` website: http://Vajas.info
Kristin`s website: http://Mellems.com
Email: kristin@vajas.info
Cellular phone: +47 922 23 545
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