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Ensemble Gamut! - RE
RE album cover by Aarni Ylinen / Sampsa Pirtola

Finding the truth about an ancient murder mystery — Finnish story of Lalli comes to life

Ensemble Gamut! will release their second album, RE, on 25 November 2022 (CD) / 2 December 2022 (digital) on Eclipse Music. Having won over the critics with their debut release, the ensemble now explores age-old themes in a way that makes them seem surprisingly contemporary. The album is preceded by a series of singles, the first of which Veri (Blood) is a collaboration with rapper Paleface. The single is out on Friday 7 October on streaming platforms, accompanied by a music video on YouTube.
Ensemble Gamut! feat. Paleface - Veri
The opening single is a somewhat surprising fusion of old traditional music and rap. “We invited Karri “Paleface” Miettinen to join us to include the perspective of a contemporary social commentator in the album. Spoken word and rap both have their roots in the need of oppressed people to express themselves. Thematically, the album represents an encounter between religious/political propaganda in Finland and a “man of the people”, a folk singer/musician. It remains up to the listener to decide how these disparate traditions merge, comments Peltomaa.
The title RE, being second note of the musical scale (Gamut), also refers to remaking, rearranging, reposting, recreating, renewing, re-entering, returning and retuning ourselves to the past and the future, ever so present in every moment. History repeats itself in all sorts of ways, and the topical themes addressed on RE include colonisation, the conquest of new territories by a superpower, Finland’s geopolitical position between East and West, and wars between religions.
We are today inundated with information, which also includes alternative truths, distorted facts. The appreciation of expertise and knowledge is at an all time low. It fills me with exasperation to see an Instagram live of someone who has had the benefit of the Finnish education system, yet who claims that the earth is flat. Are we living in the Middle Ages?, asks the leader of the ensemble Aino Peltomaa.
The songs recall a time when no such country as Finland existed as yet. The Eastern Orthodox and the Western Catholic Church competed for influence in Finland for centuries, until they separated on the eve of the First Crusade. The songs on the album explore the earliest music preserved in Finland, literary sources from St. Henry’s rhymed office, the Piae Cantiones collection, the Brigittine Cantus Sororum chantbook, as well as ancient runosong melodies. Ensemble Gamut! has created its unique sound by combining elements from medieval music and Finnish folk songs with improvisation and electronic soundscapes. Released in December 2020 on Eclipse Music, the ensemble’s debut album UT attracted widespread interest in classical, early music as well as progressive music circles. The Finnish Early Music Association awarded the album its Achievement of the Year prize for 2020. The album was also nominated for the Finnish Broadcasting Company Yle’s 2021 Album of the Year, and it was listed among the best progressive albums of the year by The Progressive Aspect. Ensemble Gamut! has performed extensively in clubs, museums, medieval churches and concert venues. Ensemble Gamut! by Henri Melaanvuo

Aino Peltomaa | voice, medieval harp, percussion, electronics Ilkka Heinonen | jouhikko (bowed lyre), vocals, percussion, electronics Juho Myllylä | blockflutes, vocals, electronics

Music Videos

Press

The album RE engages the listener in a fantastic musical and textual journey. – Tom Bickley / American Recorder Magazine (Summer 2024)

RE is a glimpse into a long-gone time presented sensitively and creatively, blending the medieval and the modern in a way no other group has done. – Jon Davis / Exposé Online (20.10.2023)

RE is een intrigerend album dat de grenzen van de traditionele muziek opzoekt. Het is een unieke combinatie van oude en nieuwe elementen, die je in het juiste moment kan meeslepen. // RE is an intriguing album that pushes the boundaries of traditional music. It is a unique combination of old and new elements, which can get you carried away in the right moment. – Lieve de Sadeleer / Blokfluitist (May 2023)

Desde os Hedningarna e Värttinä que as luzes do Norte não brilhavam tão intensas. // Not since Hedningarna and Värttinä have the Northern Lights shone so brightly. – João Lisboa / Expresso (24.03.2023)

Olen lumoutunut. Miten luontevasti Ensemble Gamut! yhdistää keskiaikaista ja kansanmusiikkia, improvisaatiota, kerrontaa, kuisketta, luonnonääniä ja elektronisia äänimaisemia. // I’m enchanted. How naturally Ensemble Gamut! combines medieval and folk music, improvisation, speech, whispers, nature sounds and electronic soundscapes. – Arja Kangasniemi / Kansanmusiikki (01/2023)

From rough-spun elemental numbers to exquisitely beautiful voice-and-harp, the range and depth here is compelling. The early literary sources that hark back to an ancient time may be obscure, yet the sense of enduring human truths and emotions is clear. RE refers to a note of the medieval music scale, but in this talented trio’s hands, it also stands for renewing and returning – two things that Ensemble Gamut! do exceedingly well. This is an assured sophomore album from a talented trio. – Chris Wheatley / Songlines (01.03.2023)

This is very definitely a labor of love, and the pieces and context are superbly researched. — …for open ears and minds, there’s an entire world of joy to discover on RE. – Chris Nickson / RootsWorld (13.02.2023)

Näillä eväillä yhtye taikoo arkaaisen ja levollisen sointimaailman. // With these ingredients the ensemble conjures an archaic and peaceful sound world. – Risto Nordell / Suomen Kuvalehti (19.01.2023)

RE-albumi taipuu nautittavaksi monin eri tulokulmin. Esittelylehtisen erinomaiset taustoitustekstit tarjoavat sillan meidän aikamme polttaviin aiheisiin kuten suurvallan tunkeutuminen uusille alueille tai Suomen geopoliittinen asemaa idän ja lännen risteyksessä. Yhtä lailla antoisaa on laitaa esittelylehtinen syrjään ja suostua musiikin kuljetettavaksi muusikoiden inspiraation, improvisaation ja innovaation suvereenia liittoa ihastellen. RE-albumi nostaa uljaasti liehuvan uuden lipun kansanmusiikkia ja vanhaa musiikkia kekseliäästi yhdistelevän kamuklassisen genren salkoon.
//
RE can be enjoyed with many different perspectives. The excellent booklet text offers a bridge to the relevant themes of today; the conquest of new territories by a superpower, Finland’s geopolitical position between East and West, and wars between religions. But it is just as rewarding to put the booklet aside and allow the music transport you, admiring the unlimited coalition of the inspiration, improvisation and innovation of the musicians. – Pia Antikainen / Yle Klassinen (16.01.2023)

The setting here is a calming soundscape with so much space. The instruments come together and then fall away, Aino’s beguiling voice the siren song touchstone that seals the deal. Refreshing, fulfilling and cleansing, it’s a fantastic listen that draws you into another world, an older and harder world but one filled with a purity of spirit that now feels lost. – Jez Rowden / The Progressive Aspect (04.01.2023)

Iedereen die van middeleeuwse muziek in een modern jasje houdt, van volksmuziek of folk, van kerkmuziek of minimal music, van instrumentale muziek en zang zal veel plezier aan dit tweede album beleven! // Everyone who likes medieval music with a modern twist, folk music, church music or minimal music, instrumental and vocal music will have a lot of fun with this second album! – Els van Swol / 8weekly (18.12.2022)

RE Album Tracklist

1. Sanctus Ericus / Sanctum Ericum

2. Veri feat. Paleface 

3. Gaude, cetus fidelium /  In vernali tempore / Gaude, cetus fidelium / Runosävelmä Suistamosta

4. Paimenen säveliä: Suru

5. Psallat scholarum concio / Neity Maria Emonen – Mariatar / Beatus vir

6. Luojan virsi

7. Trina caeli hierarchia

8. Impenitens malicie

9. Piispa Henrikin surmavirsi

10. Birretum patris

11. O scholares voce pares

12. Puu

13. Cum lucri magnitudine / Perfecte desiderium sui / Pre clari patris sanctitas doctrinam

14. Lapsed caicki laolacatt (Personent Hodie)

Contact

Aino Peltomaa / Ensemble Gamut! info@ensemblegamut.com +358407569979

Tapio Ylinen / Eclipse Music ylinen.tapio@gmail.com +35844 5532977

Ensemble Gamut! on social media: Facebook | Instagram | YouTube Download high quality promotional photos here
Ensemble Gamut! by Henri Melaanvuo
Ensemble Gamut! by Henri Melaanvuo