Puuluup was formed in 2014 by two talharpa enthusiasts Ramo Teder and Marko Veisson. Ramo Teder is a multi-instrumentalist and has been known for his long solo project Pastacas. He is also a looping pioneer in Estonia and has mastered these skills for twenty years already. Marko Veisson has a background in anthropology and his fieldwork in Northern Ghana as well as his love for West-African music have definitely influenced Puuluup’s style.
A pinch of surrealism, modern folklore and talharpa revival! The old and the new stick together like water and sleet in Puuluup’s oeuvre. They play talharpas – a traditional bowed lyre, popular in Northern Europe since the early middle ages and played on Western Estonian islands until the beginning of 20th century.
Puuluup directs the vibrations of talharpa’s horsehair strings through effect blocks and looper, uses alternative bowing and drumming techniques and sounds. The mellow sighs of talharpa are paired with electronically amplified echoes, knocks, creaks and crackles, while still maintaining the instrument’s natural sound.
The lyrics and melodies are a mixture of their musical memories and improvisation. The music may have a dancing beat, or resemble a dark film soundtrack, spy around in the chambers of ancient talharpa players, or travel to far-away lands. They sing about wind turbines, heroes from Polish TV series, fat cakes and the uncomfortable feeling that your neighbor’s dog might try to bite you while you take out the trash.
They play with music as they play with words, sometimes creating their own language. As the band states: “We draw inspiration from Vormsi nights, trams in November, junkies in love, criminals from Odessa and Antonio Vivaldi”. As a side dish, when giving live concerts they also offer choreographic flittering which emerged on its own during the numerous days these two man spent in the rehearsal rooms.
Weird and charming.
With support from:
Lineup:
Ramo Teder - talharpa, vocal, looper and effects pedals
Marko Veisson - talharpa, vocal, effects pedal board
Talharpa and zombie folk!
Talharpa was popular in Northern Europe since the early middle ages but it was replaced by more modern instruments everywhere except Western Estonia and Karelia, where the tradition lasted until the beginning of 20th century. In Estonia it was played most recently by the Swedish population and was especially popular on Vormsi island, where it remained the dominant musical instrument until the end of 19th century.
However, in the heat of religious awakening initiated by Swedish missionary Lars Johan Österblom, Vormsi locals decided that talharpa is an instrument of the devil. So, they made a pile of their talharpas and burned them. Just few men kept their instruments and continued playing. During the Second World War most Vormsi population emigrated to Sweden and the talharpa tradition died out. It was reawakened by a few enthusiasts from Sweden, Finland and Estonia half a century later. Estonian Swedish talharpa and Finnish jouhikko have found new breathing rather recently in these countries and Puuluup plays an important part in Estonian talharpa revival by popularizing the instrument and inspiring new people to join the talharpa community.
However – talharpa acts rather strangely in the hands of Puuluup. It is electrified, looped, and often played in experimental techniques. It reminds the old tradition but definitely has another agenda as well. What do you call a person, who has been reanimated from the dead and acts weirdly? A zombie, of course! Puuluup’s talharpas are like the reanimated undead who have been brought out from their graves and do their zombiewalk. Thus, Puuluup calls their music zombiefolk. Or neozombiepostfolk, to be more exact.
Awards and nominations
2022 - Estonian Music Award as Best Band, Best Folk Album
2020 - Riga International Film Festival: BEST BALTIC MUSIC VIDEO 2020 award for Käpaäuu
2020 - Estonian Cultural Capital award for bringing exotic winds and enriching unique Estonian folk music.
2020 - Estonian Music Awards: nominated for the Song of the Year (“Kasekesed”)
2019 - Estonian Music Awards: winner of Best Ethnic/Folk Album of the Year + nominated as the Best Album of the Year.
2019 - Riga International Film Festival: Short Riga Baltic Music Video Competition: Special Mention: Puuluup, “Kasekesed”
2019 - Awards by Estonian Traditional Music Centre: Artist of the Year and Song of the Year (“Kasekesed”)
2018: Awards in three different categories, including award by Raadio 2 (Estonian Public Broadcasting).
2016 - Nomination for the best neofolk group title by Estonian Traditional Music Center
2015 - Nomination for the best neofolk group title by Estonian Traditional Music Center
2014 - Nomination for the best newcomer title by Estonian Traditional Music Center
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Discography:
2021 – Viimane Suusataja
2020 – Kasekesed / Käpapuu
2018 - Süütra Mu Lumi
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Preass quotas:
“Puuluup are true originals with a cult following. They are doing something pretty unusual, pushing obscure folk material towards the mainstream with a whole lot of panache.”
Songlines. Simon Broughton,, editor in chief , 19.12.2021
“The Estonian duo Puuluup is a perfect example that the expression ”Less is More” sometmes really works. Both Marko Veisson and Ramo Teder play the four-stringed bowed lyre from northern Europe, a very old instrument, with a rather limited range. With these instruments and their voices they create a astonishingly wide tonal range, especially when they combine it with electronics.”
“Unique Estonian folk duo visiting”
Lira. Rasmus Klockljung. 16.02.2020
“Thursday evening is ushered in by Puuluup, an Estonian duo that self-identify as “neozombie-post-folk.” They wring the most bewildering array of sounds from their talharpas, a form of Northern European lyre, whether by drumming, bowing, plucking, or brushing them. From such seemingly rudimental equipment, the rhythms that they loop and the melodies that they harmonize are immediate crowd-pleasers; by the time they demonstrate the twostep dance-along for one of their closers, the growing audience need no convincing. It’s folk, it’s contemporary, it’s funny, and it’s danceable. It’s a perfect launching pad for the weekend.”
“Tallinn Music Week”
Under The Radar. Web exclusive. Max Pilley. 15.04.2019