World Music Network

Finnish accordionist Kimmo Pohjonen, who recently won the Award for Creativity for his documentary film, Soundbreaker at the 30th FIFA Awards in Montreal, will be performing in the UK in July at BT River of Music and Womad.

With a mission to expand his audience's perception of the accordeon, Kimmo Pohjonen's performances have influences from folk to rock to experimental music. His music can not be pinned down to a couple of words as there is nothing quite just like it.The accordionist is involved into several projects such as his successful show Accordion Wrestling with the wrestling group Helsinki Nelson, in which the music is raw, dark and full of anticipation. After his sell out shows in June, he will be bringing the show to the US. Besides referring to a traditional Olympic sport, the show also draws on the Finnish wrestling tradition in the first half of the 20th century where wrestling matches were musically accompanied with the accordion.

Another project which shows a different and calmer side of the accordionist is with Kosminen and Kronos Quartet in the album The Uniko, which was recently nominated by the Songlines 2012 Music Awards for Best Cross Cultural Collaboration. He recently performed The Uniko with Kosminen and the Proton String Quartet at the Danish festival Roskilde in July.

Kimmo will be appearing in a solo act at BT River of Music on the 21st of July at the Somerset House. Further UK performances are at  world music festival Womad, at The Siam on the 27th of July with Juuso Hannukainen and Ukranian female vocal group DakhaBrakha. The next day, on Saturday the 28th of July, he will perform a solo concert on The Siam. Read more about his performance at Womad in our Rough Guide to Womad Charlton Park.

In August 2012, Kimmo is releasing a new album Murhaballadeja with Finnish folk singer Heikki Laitinen, covering traditional murder ballads recorded live at a performance in Helsinki in February 2012. He will also feature on The Rough Guide to The Music from Scandinavia, available late July. For anyone going to Womad to see Kimmo perform, The Rough Guide to The Music from Scandinavia will be available for purchase just ahead of its official release date, at the Changing World stall next to the main Womad Merchandise stall.