Pagan folk
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Pagan folk
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| Development phase: | Mid 1980s |
| Place of origin: | Europe |
| Stylistic precursors | |
| Neofolk · Music of the Middle Ages · Neoclassical | |
| Pioneers | |
| Ataraxia · Sixth Comm | |
| Instruments typical of the genre | |
| Percussion · String instruments · Harps · Wind instruments · Synthesizers · Samplers | |
Pagan-Folk ( English pagan , pagan) is a genre of music that emerged in the mid-1980s and mixes elements of neofolk , neoclassical and medieval music with electronic music and ideological references to neo-paganism .
history
origin
The first representatives of the style, which at that time was still increasingly used under different terms, were assigned to the Dark Wave , especially the Neofolk. Ataraxia and Sixth Comm are considered the original groups of the genre . These and other early artists close to the style, such as Aghast , Hagalaz 'Runedance or : Of the Wand & the Moon :, mainly reached an extreme metal and dark wave audience with their music . The musical concept was mostly brought close to that of the neoclassical group Dead Can Dance . The Scandinavian representatives in particular came from the Black Metal environment. In the following years two different expressions of the style established themselves. While a pop music form of playing established itself in predominantly from Central Europe , the stylistic continuation of the music of early performers was expanded in Fennoscandinavia from the mid-2000s onwards.
Central European variant
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With the emergence of groups like Faun and Omnia , which originated from the Middle Ages scene, at the beginning of the 2000s, as well as the name Pagan-Folk, which was protected by Faun and Omnia but was occasionally used for previous performers, the term and music established themselves as an independent genre. With the increasing focus on pop structures by these popular representatives, a pop-oriented Central European style variant emerged.
In the mid-2010s, pagan folk experienced a commercial peak with the success of Fauns. The band had previously switched to the major label Universal , appeared on TV shows and was advertised on TV programs. With the album Von den Elben, which was advertised in this way, the group achieved top ten positions in Germany, Austria and Switzerland in 2013. Other groups lagged behind this success. The Omnia, also advertised on TV, made it into the German and Dutch charts in 2014.
While this pop music variant established itself in Central Europe, in Fennos Scandinavia a variant that took up ideas from the early performers established itself in the mid-2000s. Wardruna , Danheim and Nytt Land emerged as the main representatives of this style variant, which is sometimes called Nordic Folk , Nordic Ritual Folk or Norse Folk Music . The musicians of this style of play, which is based on neo-folk, dark ambient and ritual , were mainly recruited from Black Metal.
style
The music mixes elements of prehistoric , ancient , folk and medieval music with electronic instruments such as keyboards , synthesizers and samplers . Instead of classic drums, as used in rock music , drum computers or percussion are used. Playing on acoustic instruments such as hurdy gales , bagpipes , lutes , didgeridoos and the like is usually embedded in an electronic sound carpet.
According to the history of the genre, there are different characteristics in music. Groups like Omnia and Faun shaped a form of play that was influenced by pop music and the music of the medieval scene, while earlier representatives and those who are attributed to the Nordic ritual folk act more strongly oriented towards dark wave and post-industrial .
The texts of some interpreters fall back on old writings such as the Edda or traditional songs. These texts are musically reinterpreted. Own texts with shamanic , fantastic or medieval content or references to European antiquity can also be found. Frequently topics such as runes , Nordic mythology and natural romance are taken up.
Well-known representatives
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Individual evidence
- ^ A b c Jason Pitzl-Waters: The darker shade of Pagan . In: Donna Weston, Andy Bennett (Eds.): Pop Pagans: Paganism and Popular Music . Routleg, London & New York 2013, pp. 83 .
- ^ A b Andreas Diesel, Dieter Gerten: Looking For Europe . 2nd Edition. Index, 2007, ISBN 978-3-936878-02-8 , pp. 333 to 346 .
- ↑ Faun. Chart surfer, accessed April 4, 2018 .
- ↑ Omnia. Chart surfer, accessed April 4, 2018 .
- ↑ CDs. Jelldragon Viking Crafts, accessed April 4, 2018 .