"Proportionality in harmony and disharmony, density and scarcity, loudness and silence is the key to the alchemy of Barlast’s sound." - Balazs Weyer / Finnish Music Quarterly "All in all a highly interesting concert by a unique band" - Ralf Sandell's review of Barlast's concert in Helsinki "I'm keenly aware that this is the Finnish force full of wonderfulness and magic." - E. Sato's review of Barlast's concert in Tokyo
Barlast is a playful laboratory of musical communication and expression. The Finnish ensemble's music is a blend of Nordic folk music, contemporary music, jazz and art rock, made possible only by the diverse backgrounds of the band members:
When not performing with Barlast, band leader and double bass player Philip Holm makes experimental music on old machines turned into instruments. Percussionist and flautist Minna Koskenlahti has studied the connections between boxing and drumming and is an in-demand musician in both traditional and avantgarde music projects. Woodwind player Santte Salonen composes musical fantasies and orchestral pieces and leads their party metal folk band Ritva Nero. Guitar wizard Heikki Hänninen leads the Americana band Buko Shane and his deep love for American music in its many forms brings in influences of anything from Eric Dolphy to Townes van Zandt and Frank Zappa to Swans.
The result is a sum greater than its parts. Barlast's music has been described as a spectral wonder - a fusion that might sound difficult on paper but in fact is easy and captivating to listen to.
Since its foundation in 2016, Barlast has released four albums and performed in clubs, festivals and showcase festivals around Europe and Japan. Currently the group is working on training AI algorithms to imitate traditional Finnish-Swedish singing and herding calls. The automatically generated vocals are incorporated in their new music.
Philip Holm - double bass
Heikki Hänninen - guitars
Minna Koskenlahti - percussion and flutes
Santte Salonen - woodwinds
Barlast has been featured on YLE, Hufvudstadsbladet, Finnish Music Quarterly and Mundofonias, among others
Upcoming | |
| 25.01.2025 | Vuotalo, Helsinki |
| 07.11.2025 | TBA |
Past | |
| 07.03.2024 | Klubb Impuls, Gothenburg, Sweden |
| Finnish Folk Music Association tour (4 concerts in Finland): | |
| 22.04.2023 | Perinnearkkuklubi, Roasberg, Helsinki |
| 21.04.2023 | Forssan kirjasto, Forssa |
| 19.04.2023 | OMJ Jazz & Etno, RioLive, Oulu |
| 13.04.2023 | Rahvaanmusiikin kerho, Tampere |
| 12.03.2023 | Candy, Inage, Japan |
| 12.03.2023 | Nardis, Kashiwa, Japan |
| 11.03.2023 | Aireign, Yokohama, Japan |
| 10.03.2023 | Haretara Sorani Mame Maite, Tokyo, Japan |
| 09.03.2023 | Jazz Flash, Niigata, Japan |
| 08.03.2023 | Mokkiriya, Kanazawa, Japan |
| 07.03.2023 | La Sone Saryo, Jyoetsu, Japan |
MUSIK FÖR SCENER (2022)
Barlast's third studio album, released on August 5th, 2022.
"The Finnish quartet’s new album Musik för scener is a spectral wonder." - Bill Brownlee on There stands the glass
"Proportionality in harmony and disharmony, density and scarcity, loudness and silence is the key to the alchemy of Barlast’s sound." - Balazs Weyer / Finnish Music Quarterly
"The music the four musicians [...] are playing is based on listening to eachother: instead of virtuosic solos the focus is on creating an atmosphere and adding small details." - Paul Silferberg / Kansanmusiikki magazine 3/2022
LIVE AND ELECTRIC (2021)
Recorded during the Svanvik release tour and a Breaks at Dawn performance, this album sounds like a highly charged thundercloud passing by and electrifying all the animals it passes: birds, cows, mosquitos, cats... leaving humans speechless but animals louder than ever.
"Cats caterwaul at night, when the time is right - or when it's not, depending on how you look at it." - Mika Roth / desibeli.net
[...] taking the listener on an interesting sound journey both to the past and future. For a live record the sound is excellent, only the applause give away that it is a concert recording." - Paul Silferberg / Kansanmusiikki magazine 4/2021
SVANVIK (2019)
"There is a beautifully tender balance between a folk groove, such as in the polskas and waltzes, and sometimes even music converging into free jazz. Every instrument comes to the forefront with its own sound and especially on the album's title track the power of silence can be heard as if magic. How long can the group stay silent together - playing silence?" - Amanda Kauranne on Yle Radio 1
"Pienimuotoisuudessaan ja ajoittain hyvinkin vähäeleisessä minimalismissaan se on ennen kaikkea lämmintä ja hyvin lähelle tulevaa musiikkia, ihmisten ääniä Svanvikistä." - Pentti Ronkanen / Suomijazz.com
IHANTOLA (2017)
Barlasts debut album Ihantola was recorded in the attic tower of the Ihantola building in Helsinki.
"Band leader, composer and bass player Philip Holm draws equally from tradional Finnish sounds and style benders such as Tom Waits, to whom nothing is holy but all things down-to-earth are interesting." - Matti Komulainen, Jazzrytmit
Breaks at Dawn is an improvised live cinema collaboration by the ensemble Barlast and media artist Nina-Maria Oförsagd.
Read more here
How time is now, in motion, at place, experienced. Through movement in a selected location as improvised performance two characters get a connection and their movement grows to a larger pattern together with sound, poetry and words, shown as a single channel experimental video work, containing different channels.
Nina-Maria Oförsagd, director, cinematography, editing. Premiere 29.11.2020.
e-mail: barlastband@gmail.com
phone: +358 45 1306607
booking: holipfilms@gmail.com
Barlast has been supported by The Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland, Scandinavia-Japan Sasakawa Foundation, Suomen Kulttuurirahasto, Stiftelsen Tre Smeder, Oskar Öflunds Stiftelse, Nordic Culture point, Svenska Kulturfonden i Björneborg, The Finnish Music Foundation, City of Helsinki and City of Hyvinkää.
All photos by Ruusa Johansson.