Good "Folktronica"

Sort of an embarrassing name for a genre, and am I right that it's considered a bit kitschy these days? Kind of a real early 2000's thing, right? But I think there's something to the sound, it's just hard to find it done well.

I love the English band Tunng, they nailed it better than anyone else I've heard. Really an underrated/unsung group imo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n3my1emXhk
Tunng - Tale From Black

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFFi_iJRqD4
Tunng - Wood

Show me some good folktronica, if you have any.

Well I guess Four Tet is the obvious call for me. One might argue Boards of Canada drifted this way with The Campfire Headphase too. Matmos? I’m sure a few others will spring to mind.

Adem’s Homesongs is lovely and of course there’s a Four Tet connection having worked with him in Fridge.

I had one or two of Bibio's albums. they never fully clicked - maybe I'll revisit- but I love Quantock

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_Zm2yj8X1Q

Tunng was great.

I suppose Four Tet, The Books and Manitoba (Caribou) were the defining acts? Related to them: Fridge “Happiness” and The Books “Lost and Safe” are top 20 albums of the 00s for me in any genre.

Other artists that dabbled in folktronica in the 00s that I remember liking a lot:

Radicalfashion, Xela, Kemialliset Ystavat, Paavoharju, Owen Pallett, Colleen, Matmos, Savath & Savalas, Nobukazu Takemura.

ooh S+S yes!

Mira Calix

Yeah Mira Calix forgot about that one?

And yeah S+S were great! Always knew Prefuse 73 was involved but until recently made the connection that Helado Negro was also a member.

oh god paavoharju and nobukazu takemura, yeah, i loved both of those

i think i'll relisten to the paavoharju record i have, it's been a while

does Mum count here? I like them and Paavoharju a lot

I feel like there's a lot of neo-folktronica just because everyone uses computers to make music now, but of course the term is passe.

Beth Orton's Trailer Park was one of the first, I think, and her most recent album was pretty good too. Four Tet with James Yorkston, esp. "The Lang Toun".

Niecy Blues comes to mind first for some reason, although I haven't heard that record for a minute. There are a ton that could fit if you were so inclined though.

Like Shlohmo's 'Bad Vibes' was coming from the opposite direction, trying to do an organic approach to beat music (and inadvertently giving birth to 'lo-fi' in the process), but it arrived at a similar place.

The Books?

I think The Books have held up really well. Funny how at the time everyone seemed to agree that the first 2 were the best and they sorta lost it from there whereas now I think it's clear that they got better with each release.

The album re.sort by Sora I think sounds really fresh still. So good he didn't even try to follow it up I guess.

Haruomi Hosono & Yukihiro Takahashi's duo Sketch Show made two albums and an EP and I think all of it is still really nice. This to me is the pinnacle of this sort of music:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuXVnmrwJC0

Oddly enough when everyone was hyping up those two first The Books records I wasn’t completely sold.

It wasn’t until “Lost and Safe” sent the scattershot sound collages to more of a supporting role that allowed the more emotional aspects of their sound to shine thru where it all clicked to me.

Haven't decided if it quite fits, but this thread late last night got me to pull up Woo's It's Cosy Inside.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL3m4rZB1Pk

Does Momus fit here? The title of Folktronic (2000) seemed to pre-date wide use of the genre tag, but he was thinking 'folk' in the sense of (faked) traditional songs transmitted orally over generations. And sampling fiddles, banjos and kotos, or similar.

I'm overall more an acid ceilidh man. Peatbog Faeries especially.

Shout out to Juana Molina

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlQvjaxm4yc

's/t' by electric president (ben cooper of radical face) on morr music is a very well produced album which falls in this vein.

That Juana Molina record is lovely! I'd never heard it before.