Folktronica

"Folktronic" redirects here. For the Momus album, see Folktronic (album).

Folktronica
Stylistic origins	Folk electronica
Cultural origins	1973
Typical instruments	Synthesizers acoustic instruments
Other topics
Acid Folk Prog Folk World Music

Folktronica is a genre of music which mixes traditional folk music with experimental electronic music of many kinds, usually incorporating hip hop or dance rhythms, but sometimes with neo-classical, ambient house or dub reggae influences.

History

Probably originated by Mike Oldfield in 1973 with part IV of Tubular Bells featuring the sailors hornpipe (co-incidentally, Mike Oldfield was acclaimed as the first "bedroom" musician), it developed in the late 70's to early eighties with bands such as The Suns of Arqa who played traditional indian raga's to dub reggae beats and also used lot's of traditional instruments, and Clannad, who re-interpreted traditional celtic songs to include synthesizers and other technology. In late eighties to early nineties lot's of bands and collaborations started to appear including William Orbit & Beth Orton ,The Orb and the Pengin Café Orchestra, Ancient Beatbox (who play traditional Breton dance music with drum machines and sequencers), Dissidenten who mixed electronic rock dance music with traditional eastern music on their album Sahara Elektrik and Ultramarine, as well as Jah Wobble, The Afro Celt Sound System and Edward the Second , all of whom combined traditional world folk music with dub reggae rhythms. Developments in the mid to late nineties included many neo-classical and ambient house influences partly instigated by Imogen Heap, David Edwards (Minotuar Shock) , Four Tet's Pause (2001), Tunng's Mother's Daughter and Other Songs (2005), and Caribou's The Milk of Human Kindness (2005). Minute Taker Recent Innovators in the field include The Imagined Village, Jim Moray, Haiku Salut, Gadarene and The Urban Folk Theory

List of artists

• Beth Orton
• Caribou (AKA Manitoba)
• Juana Molina
• Minute Taker