“In the selection, we reflect current issues in Latvian ethnic music, especially highlighting what would be interesting for foreign music publishers, concert organizers and music journalists. They can bring our musicians together with listeners on a larger scale,” says this year’s sample. Native Music The author of the concept is ethnomusicologist Lauma Bērza. “The music of our region is loved and understood by people all over the world, so there is a desire to make it more accessible to them. As always, the selection includes different styles of ethnic music – from traditional polyphony to improvisations. ambient style with folk musical instruments – a total of 12 performers. It will be reminded that the publication was made during social distancing Auļu composition Alsvang bagpipe melody, recorded by playing online for 43 Latvian bagpipers and drummers. It is music playing in large ensembles that is one of the features that foreign enthusiasts observe in our music. “
This year’s national team Native Music. Traditional / Folk / World-music Latvia are included in the group Land, Tautumeitas, Laiksne, Aulis (in collaboration with groups Suiti wives, Suiti husbands, Suiti dudes, Werewolves, Tarkkis, Werewolves, Bagpipers and drummers), Iļģis, Dārdi, and Māris Muktupāvels, Rickshaw, as well as recordings by musicians Ansis Jansons and Kārlis Rudras Jirgens. The artist of the album is Vadims Kožins, and its design uses photographs by Gata Indrēvics and Mārtiņš Milevskis. The sample was released with the support of the State Culture Capital.
“Every year LMIC with the support of the State Culture Capital Foundation creates a Latvian stand at the WOMEX forum, where we present the selection Native Music. This year, due to the pandemic, the forum will only take place online from 21 to 25 October, and our selection will also be widely represented on digital music sites. This year the album is released in collaboration with the national record company Skaniwhich will ensure that the album will be widely available to interested parties other than WOMEX visitors, “emphasizes the LMIC director and Skani executive producer Egils Schaefer.
WOMEX is the most important international forum for music professionals around the world – almost 3,000 musicians, publishers, producers, festival organizers and other music industry professionals from around the world. In the forum, you can meet like-minded people, find out about current events, make new contacts and find inspiration for new projects.
Musicians of many traditional, folk, ethnic and other similar genres have participated in the Latvian stand since 2006, who have gained cooperation partners and the opportunity to perform. Last year, a group spoke at the WOMEX forum in Tampere, Finland Callers, introducing a wide community of world music professionals to Latvian traditional singing and attracting the organizers of several international festivals and music publishers.
Drum and bagpipe groups Boots Director Kaspars Bārbals says: “The contacts made by WOMEX gave us the opportunity to participate in at least ten important festivals in Malaysia, Taiwan, China, Italy, Spain, France and other countries.” Also the Cultural Management Center Lauska manager Daina Zalal admits that the contacts made here allow to establish various collaborations, for example, with the German music publishing house CPL Music, as well as to bring groups seen in WOMEX concerts to Latvian festivals – ethno-festival Butter and the World Music Festival Door.
WOMEX In the history of 26 years of existence, the musician Laima Jansone (in 2011), a group of Latvian musicians, has performed at the forum so far. Algae (2015) and the traditional singing group of the Latvian Academy of Culture Callers (In 2019).
You can apply for participation in this year’s WOMEX digital forum here.
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