Itku Okra Playground

• 1 Itku 03:01
• 2 Ukkonen 04:30
• 3 Laula! 03:16
• 4 Kylmä lintu kyyneleeni 04:25
• 5 Veri 05:55
• 6 Kymmenniekka kylässä 04:06
• 7 Hetkeen 03:59
• 8 Juoksen karkuun aurinkoa 03:19
• 9 Hypnoosi 04:00
• Total Runtime 36:31

Info for Itku

The internationally acclaimed Finnish six-piece group Okra Playground is releasing their highly anticipated third album on Friday, October 28, 2022. The group’s music is a combination of traditional Finnish folk, electro and pop–rock, where three mighty female voices, present-day lyrics and hypnotic rhythms create an energetic and relentlessly electrifying sound.

The themes on ITKU focus on change, growth and opposites. “The songs deal with such global and societal issues as war, pandemic and mental health. Many of the songs were created already before the recent big tragedies which speaks for the timeless nature of the subject matter. Change and growth are heavily present on the album – in the end, there’s light to be found even from the roughest of situations”, says group member Päivi Hirvonen about the album.

Okra Playground:
Päivi Hirvonen, vocals, fiddle, bowed harp jouhikko
Maija Kauhanen, vocals, kantele
Essi Muikku, vocals, kantele
Sami Kujala, electric bass
Veikko Muikku, accordion, synthesizer
Oskari Lehtonen, percussion

Okra Playground
Helsinki based electro-folk band Okra Playground was originally formed in 2010 from a shared wish to bring together excellent people and musicians to play around traditional Finnish music with a fresh approach. The band became almost literally a musical playground for its musicians. On this playground the kantele and bowed lyre, both ancient folk instruments, coexist in a new, exciting symbiosis with modern instruments and soundscapes. The music resulting from the quite unusual interesting combination has roots deep in the Finnish soil, but its tallest branches spread out towards the furthest shores of world music. The strong voices of the three female singers, as well as the age-old lyrics, simultaneously take the listener to far-off places and close to home. Okra Playground’s fresh music captivates the listener with its hypnotic beat and mystical energy.

“Okra Playground will be a favourite in the European folk music festival scene from now on.” – Lira Musikmagasin 4/2018

Okra Playground’s long-waited debut album Turmio was released in October 2015. The album has ever since been warmly received gaining praises in the new and old medias – for instance receiving a five star review in Songlines Magazine. Turmio also made it to few listings of best albums of 2015. In July 2016 Turmio was re-released by Nordic Notes in most of Europe. The debut also took Okra Playground to perform at the official showcase program of World Music Expo WOMEX16.

Okra Playground released their second album Ääneni yli vesien in March 2018. They have already celebrated the new album touring Germany, Belgium, Finland, Sweden and Norway.

The musicians of this groundbreaking group are well known in the fields of folk and pop music – both in Finland and abroad. Okra Playground has previously captivated and charmed audiences at festivals such as The Rainforest World Music Festival (Malaysia), Brosella Folk & Jazz Festival (Belgium), Varangerfestivalen (Norway), Flow Festival (Finland), Haapavesi Folk (Finland), Folklandia (Finland), Kaustinen Folk Music Festival (Finland), and Etno-Espa (Finland). You can hear them in bands like Mari Kalkun & Runorun, Rönsy and Hohka, as well as solo – Maija Kauhanen and Päivi Hirvonen – fiddler with the voice.

This album contains no booklet.