Äktaro - Äktaro (2023)

Dear listener,

We are Bo and Siebren and together we form Äktaro. Äktaro is a combination of the Swedish words “Äkta” (real) and “Ro“ (serenity) and that is what we hope our music gives to you. For this album, we wanted to immerse ourselves in the true tranquility of Swedish nature, and thus, we ventured to Bo's family's summer house in central Sweden. However, we went during winter. The cold darkness outside stood in contrast with the warm crackling of the fireplace inside the living room, and so we found ourselves in the most magical setting to record our music.

For instance, since it’s January so far up north, the sun sets around three o'clock in the afternoon. On one of these dark afternoons we were recording “Echte Rust”. During the take that’s now on this record something enchanting happened. As Siebren started the intro, the moon appeared above the lake as clouds drifted away, creating a white path on the surface of the water. As the slow melody of “Echte Rust” unfolded itself, the moon slowly descended into the horizon and as the last bit of moonlight faded away, we saw only the reflection of ourselves in the window.

We were accompanied by two dear friends, Tienson and Douwe. Douwe brought his Tascam analog tape recorder, on which we recorded everything, while Tienson captured beautiful analog pictures that later became the artwork for this album. We had a fantastic time with the four of us and shared many laughs and some tears. One memorable moment was during the recording of "Emigrantvisa," when Tienson surprised us by rushing outside, barefoot, toward the lake. He made a hole in the ice and immersed himself in the freezing water for a courageous five minutes, showcasing his Scandinavian cold resistance.

Bo’s mother is from Sweden and she sang all kinds of Swedish lullabies to him when he was young. A few of those are on this record. “Trollmors Vaggsång” is a lullaby sung by a mother troll to her little troll children. She lovingly sings about binding them together with their tails and singing to them the most beautiful words she knows: “Ho aj aj aj aj buff, ho aj aj aj aj buff”.
“Vem Kan Segla” is a Finnish-Swedish seafaring song about saying goodbye to loved ones. These songs have a strong presence in Bo’s heart and for him it is very special to transform these warm, motherly melodies he has known all his life into the musical identity of Äktaro.

However, another introduction to Swedish folk music for both Bo and Siebren, which laid to the forming of Äktaro, was the music of Jan Johansson. He enchanted us (and many others) with his beautiful renditions and recordings of folk music from Sweden and neighboring countries. His music captures the tranquility of Swedish nature, the melancholy of the folk songs, and the playfulness of improvisation. Äktaro started when Bo showed Siebren one of Johanssons albums: “Jazz på Svenska”. A world of musical beauty opened to us as we started to learn the songs on that record. The way Johansson would arrange the songs in such a unique, balanced and beautiful way made us look differently at harmony, melody and music in general. With just one extra note next to the melody, musical colors appear so beautifully and vividly, yet it’s always crystal clear.

“Visa från Utanmyra”, the first track on “Jazz pa Svenska” and on this record was also the first song we learned together. We played it so much that we kind of tired ourselves with the tune. During recording we went down the list of songs, and this one came up. To our surprise the magic and atmosphere of the song and Johansson’s arrangement came to us like we hadn’t experienced it before. Recording in Sweden, in that house, surrounded by nature, made us reconnect with that first tune. More and more while we were there we realized how much these specific circumstances would influence our music. Listening back to this album brings us back to that week. You can almost feel the room itself. Sometimes the fire crackles, sometimes a chair squeaks. It’s as if these recordings bring more than just the music, they also bring the essence of the place where they were captured.

We hope you can find warmth and reflection in our music, as it has given it to us. Hej då! Bo & Siebren