Greenland

Greenland having the honor of being the first country in our amazing quest around the world searching out musick from every nation, you’ll  have to pardon me & excuse any problems you may perceive with my style. I am as of yet in awe of this whole project & I will probably ramble on way too much at first here, but I hope to have honed my skills by the end of the journey, arriving back in UXA where if nothin’ I’m a tad more familiar with the tunes, kiddies.

This has been an exciting adventure. I’ve learned a great deal about the world as I’ve paid more attention to where the musick was coming from & what the influences were on that particular musick. I don’t really listen to nor know about hip-hop musick, but I learned that in the country of Afghanistan, between the warlords & the Taliban, between the Russian Invasion & the Amerikkkan Invasion, musickal expression in Afghanistan has been on hold since the 1970s.  In fact musickal instruments have been illegal since the 1990s. The young musickians found they could use their computers to create hip-hop beats & circumvent the laws. Afghanistan hip-hop is relevant in a rebellious way that American hip-hop was before selling-out. I never really listen to much (any) Black Death Metal, but when traveling through the Scandinavian countries, how can I not? But, enough... Let the voyage begin!!!

Greenland's modern musickal scene is a blending of disparate influences: native Inuit; Danish musick; some Canadian; Alaskan; & Eastern Russia stylings. Greenland has a rich musical tradition, with all music types from folk to rock music blending the rhythms of Shamans & bopping to the music of hip-hop artists.

1950s & 60s Greenland was characterized by the so-called ‘danisering’, ie. that Greenland would transform into a Western civilization similar to Denmark. But a new generation of young, educated Greenlanders began to question if ‘daniseringen’ was right for Greenland. In Greenland one can not separate politics & art. In the 1970s a number of Greenlandic artists started a new genre of music, commonly referred to today as ‘settlement rock’, most of these recordings being done in home studios. This movement helped fostered a sense of pride in Inuit culture & language. To address this issue, Sume, known as Greenland’s first rock band, was formed in 1970 by Per Bertelsen & Malik Hoegh, who had met during a school stay in Soro, Denmark. They agreed that it was time for a Greenlandic rock band. By 1972 Sume had taken shape with Erik Hammeken on bass, Hans Fleischer on drums, Bertelsen & Hoegh on guitar & vocals. That same year they got a recording contract with the Socialist Demos Records. In 1973 Sume’s debut album, Sumut was recorded in Copenhagen. The title of the album, Sumut means ‘where to’  referencing what the future might hold for the Greenlandic people & language. 

Sumut was in fact a ground-breaking album that inspired generations of new Greenlandic artists to produce musick in their own language, in conjunction with a movement towards establishing a government...Home Rule... an independent Greenland. Sume - Sumut was an idea whose time had come.  In a very short time it reportedly sold nearly 10,000 records  to Greenland's 50,000 inhabitants.

Sume lasted until 1977, though they still reunite for festivals around Greenland.

 Sume – Sumut, Demos Records – Demos13, 1973. 

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Side 1 –

Nye Tider

Forår

Forventning / Ankomst

Den Første bid af Sælen

Kravle ind I mit Indre

Uro

Side 2 –

Bekymring

Ode til Heimaey

Ildvand

Efterår

Telegrafen er død

Off we go,

NØ