Uusikuu

Uusikuu

Uusikuu are a Finnish-German band founded in 2006 who play old Finnish dance music. The band is based in Tübingen, Germany. They are signed to the German world music label Nordic Notes.

Uusikuu
Origin	Tübingen, Germany
Years active	2006-
Labels	Nordic Notes Humppa Records Peregrina Music
Members	Laura Ryhänen Mikko Kuisma Norbert Bremes James Geier Florian Dohrmann
Past members	Janne Sartorius Leo Laikola Dominic Lash Sebastian Schuster Christoph Neuhaus
Website	www.uusikuu.com

History

Uusikuu was formed in 2006 in Tübingen, Germany. They play old Finnish dance music in the style of the golden era of Finnish tango from the 1930s to the 1960s. In addition to the tango, they also perform and record fun and fast humppas, dreamy waltzes, and sleek and sophisticated slow foxtrots and swing numbers. Uusikuu's lead vocalist Laura Ryhänen and violinist Mikko Kuisma are both Finnish while the other band members are of German origin. Earlier the band was based in Oxford, UK. In addition to playing old songs from the 20th century, band members also write new music in the same vintage style. In 2022, they were nominated for the Europen Folk Music Prize "Eisernen Eversteiner" awarded by the FolkHerbst Festival of Malzhaus Plauen, Germany.

Collaborations

The band has also been involved in collaborations with a number of artists and bands, such as Argentinian bandoneonist Marcelo Nisinman, Argentinian tango singer Fernando Miceli, Finnish tango singer Amadeus Lundberg, Finnish Roma singer Hilja Grönfors, Württembergische Philharmonie Orchestra Reutlingen and conductor Atso Almila, and the German world music band Gankino Circus. They have also been active in collaborations with literature, theatre and film productions. In 2008, they were involved in making music for the 2008 film Finnischer Tango directed by Buket Alakuş. In 2012, they performed the music for the German language premiere of Olga, a play by Finnish playwright Laura Ruohonen, at Landestheater Tübingen. In 2016, they were engaged in producing and performing KAIHO // the space in between together with UK-based physical theatre company Justice in Motion, and in 2018 they produced and performed Punahilkka, an immersive musical theatre play with Nordic Puppet Ambassadors. In 2017 they worked together with actor Raúl Semmler on a music and poetry programme Louhi combining readings from Finnish national epic poem Kalevala and Uusikuu's music. Since 2017 they have also worked together with German author Claudia Brendler on a literature and music programme Wanderlust that brings together vintage Finnish music and Brendler's travel writings.

Members

Current members

Laura Ryhänen - vocals (2006-present)

Mikko Kuisma - violin, vocals (2006-present)

Norbert Bremes - accordion, backing vocals (2006-present)

James Geier - guitar, backing vocals (2022-present)

Florian Dohrmann - double bass, backing vocals (2022-present)

Past members

Janne Sartorius - vocals (2006-2012)

Dominic Lash - double bass (2006-2014)

Leo Laikola - guitar, backing vocals (2006-2015)

Sebastian Schuster - double bass (2014-2022)

Christoph Neuhaus - guitar (2015-2022)

Discography

Studio albums

Hotelli Untola (2008, Peregrina Music)

Babylonia (2010, Humppa Records)

Suomi-neito (2016, Nordic Notes)

Flamingo (2019, Nordic Notes)

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External links

• Official homepage