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Marjo Smolanderis a ‘Kantele Griot’ who hails from Rääkkylä, the heart of North Karelian folk music. The term ‘Kantele Griot’ combines two very different musical cultures: the kantele is the Finnish national instrument and Griots are traditional musicians and storytellers from West Africa. If Marjo were a tree, her roots would be laid very solidly in Finnish folk music, but her branches would reach out to West African music. This combination lends her compositions a very personal, deep-rooted sound which is also present in the music of Zäpämmät.

Pauliina Kauppila is a versatile percussionist, whose passion is in finding intriguing combinations of percussive instruments and using them to weave a sturdy, yet spacious and delicate rhythmic foundation to her music. Combining human voice, movement and percussion is a specific interest of hers. Pauliina is heavily influenced by a wide variety of styles around the world, such as Finnish folk music, flamenco and Afro-Cuban music. Her strong background in dance and movement shines through, as she feels like she is dancing when she’s creating her music.