Sorten Muld is a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

folktronica Folktronica is a genre of music comprising various elements of folk music and electronica, often featuring uses of acoustic instruments – especially stringed instruments – and incorporating hip hop, electronic or dance rhythms, although ...

band, formed in 1995. They have won two Danish Grammys for ''Mark II''. The English translation of "Sorten Muld" is "Black Soil" (or "Dark Ground"). Their music can be characterized by elegantly composed rhythms, floating sound of typical folk-instruments like

bagpipe Bagpipes are a woodwind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The Great Highland bagpipes are well known, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, Nor ...

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

s and

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

s, in an

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to r ...

-composition that supports the dramatic

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, a ...

. Some tracks on ''Mark II'' are up-beat with only few lyrics and could also be characterized as

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time (4/4) and often ch ...

. The lyrics are old stories from Danish folk tradition, about

jealousy Jealousy generally refers to the thoughts or feelings of insecurity, fear, and concern over a relative lack of possessions or safety. Jealousy can consist of one or more emotions such as anger, resentment, inadequacy, helplessness or disgust. ...

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...

, mythology and creatures. In "Kirstin" from ''Mark II'' a father serves his daughter a meal of her boyfriend's heart. In "Ulver" from ''III'' a man takes his girlfriend into the forest to kill and bury her. He falls asleep and she cuts him into pieces with his own sword. Sorten Muld also published a

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

called ''Jord, Luft, Ild, Vand'' (''Earth, Air, Fire, Water'') – a mostly instrumental journey through the classic elements. The album is a reworked recording of music commissioned by

Danske Gymnastik- & Idrætsforeninger 'DGI'' (DGI, literally ''Danish Gymnastics and Sports Associations'') is a Danish association of sports clubs which includes 6,600 local sports clubs and 1.6 million athletes. DGI was formed in November 1992 as a merger of "De Danske Gymnastik- o ...

for a gymnastics show on

Bornholm Bornholm () is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland. Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. It has usually been ruled by ...

. It was self-published and was only available to buy from their website. After this album the group disappeared from the public eye, but in April/May 2011 they performed three concerts in Denmark, and again in 2012 at

Tønder Festival Tønder Festival is an annual folk music festival in Tønder, Denmark. It is held on the last weekend of August. It was founded in 1974. The first festival took place in 1975. The festival is one of the most prominent festivals for traditional and ...

. and in 2014 and 2019.

Members

*Ulla Bendixen – vocals *Martin Ottosen – musician-architect *Henrik Munch – electronics (all after this point appear on ''III'' only) * Søren Bendixen – guitar *

Harald Haugaard Harald Haugaard (born 23 February 1975) is a Danish violinist and composer raised on the island of Funen in Denmark. He is best known as a folk musician, having collaborated with musician Morten Alfred Høirup in the duo Haugaard & Høirup, and ...

– viola, violin, hurdy-gurdy * Johannes Hejl – double bass * Niels Kilele – percussion * Tommy Nissen – drums * Martin Seeberg – bagpipe, flute, Jewish harp

Discography

Albums

*''Sorten Muld'' (1996) *''Mark II'' (1997) *''III'' (2000) *''Jord, Luft, Ild, Vand'' (2002) *''Mark IV - Lånt tid'' (2021)

Singles

*"Ravnen" (1997) *"Ravnen" (1997) (alternative cover/track list) *"Bonden og Elverpigen" (1997) *"Som Stjernerne på Himlens blå" (1997) *"Venelite" (1998) *"Mylardatter" (1998) *"Vølven" (2000) *"Glød/Gylden Glød" (2020) - with AySay *"Sangen om jorden" (2021) *"Venelite II" (2021) *"Under Månens Blanke Tæppe" (2021)

External links

Official site

Information from Northside

Vilden Ø – unofficial site (Danish)

References

Danish electronic music groups Danish folk music groups Folktronica musicians People from Aarhus {{Denmark-band-stub