Album Notes

These days there are a number of quality bands from Denmark with a heart in the tradition, and Phønix stands as one of the most strikingly original, with distinctive accordeon, and percussion. They've had plenty of chance to develop their sound, as the core of the band has been together since 1990, "when we met at courses/workshops around Denmark," recalls bass clarinettist Anja Praest Mikkelsen. "We formed a band and called ourselves Fritterne (Chips). Initially we played only traditional dance music, primarily for folk danceing, but eventually it developed and we started composing music and started arranging it with ostinatos and different rhythms and chords." But even within their original material, there was a strong tie to the tradition, simply because "we grew up with it and we are very fond of it." In our music you can always sense the Danish traditional music even though we mix it with inspiration from other musical genres."

While starting out purely instrumental, one of the biggest changes in the band's sound arrive in 1994 and it wasn't a singer. "We talked about the band needing a bass, the talk fell upon a bass clarinet. I had the possibility to borrow one and was swept away." She took the money her parents had put aside for her, went out and bought her own. "It was perfect for cheeky ostinatos, and around it we developed our own special sound. The soft basis from the bass clarinet fit in perfectly with percussion and together with the accordeon it creates a beautiful accompaniment to the old Danish ballads.
by Chris Nickson, fRoots, Jan/Feb, 2004

"...if you look at the CD, you could see that there'a lot of new-written tunes." But even though it's newly-written material, it's also old, because it's inspired by the folk music tradition. And it's very important to make new material, because people have always done that. [Anja Praest Mikkelsen]

"I would say the Danish style is quite different from the Swedish and the Norwegian style. I think Danish music is more influenced by German and Celtic music than Swedish; the Swedish are more this polska style. In Denmark we have all sorts of dances, polkas and waltzes and schottisches, and then we have dances with quadrilles. And dances with more couples, and in big circles, and things they don't have much in other Scandinavian countries."

"Danish tunes are mainly in major keys. In Sweden and Norway they have a lot of minor tunes; we don't have much of that in Denmark. It's only when we go back to the music from the 17th century, that we can find minor tunes. But mainly the traditional tunes are major tunes. Yeah! That's Danish style. And then we have this special dance called hopsa which I don't think is danced anywhere else than in Denmark and maybe in the northern part of Germany. So that's a little bit special." [Jesper Vinther]
from an article in Sing Out! by Paul Stamler, Winter 2004