FOLK OG RØVERE / “FotiHouse”

I try and lift songs to an ecstatic maximum so that when the beat is pumping neither the band nor the audience can stand still, they just have to move to the music, dance. Then I just fly over the top with the melody. When I perform live we loosen up the songs, more jazzy perhaps, decide on the spot when to play the verse or the chorus, we feel free to lift the songs or moderate the songs where it feels natural. My role is more than that of a vocalist, I like to participate in the progress of the songs. —Beate Lech
I had always intended to find out more about this breezy, jangly summer song I liked named “FotiHouse” but I’d never gotten around to doing so. No matter what traffic jam I was stuck in or office desk I was stuck behind, every time I heard “FotiHouse,” I would be taken away from where I was and transported to the New Orleans’ best-known coolout spot—the Lakefront, an almost-cool wind drifting in from the water, barbeque grills smoking, children playing and laughing, dominos, Daiquiris, softball games, spades games. You know, a summer thing. Beate Belle.jpg I loved everything about the record: the husky, soulful voice of the lead singer; the driving rhythm; but most of all, the infectious acoustic guitar riff which frames the groove. Still, despite how much I liked it, I knew nothing about the band or the song. (To tell the truth, I could barely remember the name of the song.) jorge ben jor.jpg Then, entirely by chance, I came across an impossibly graceful bit of beauty by Jorge Ben named “Oba, Lá Vem Ela.” Right away, I knew I’d heard the guitar riff before, but I couldn’t place it. Then it came to me: Jorge’s acoustic guitar was a dead-ringer for the guitar that runs throughout “FotiHouse.” I had to know what was going on, so I fired up Google and started searching. Here’s what I know so far:
- The band is Folk Og Røvere; the song is “FotiHouse.” - The language in question isn’t German, it’s Norwegian. - ‘Og’ (apparently) means ‘and.’ (The band is sometimes billed as ‘Folk & Røvere.’)
- The lead singer (and co-composer) is Beate S. Lech of Beady Belle fame. (Although I’m not sure ‘fame’ is the best word to use; ‘known in certain circles’ may describe the situation more accurately.) -"FotiHouse" was originally released on Folk & Røvere’s Kaustisksoda album in 1998 on Sonet, a Swedish label. - Both Beate and Marius Reksjø (Beate’s partner in Beady Belle) were members of Folk Og Røvere for the band’s first three albums.
Here’s what I know I don’t know:
- I don’t know how or why the guitar riff from “Oba, Lá Vem Ela” ended up on “FotiHouse.” I’m almost sure it’s not an actual sample. - I don’t know how or why Brazilian party sounds ended up playing in the background of a Norwegian funk/pop record. - I haven’t been able to find Folk Og Røvere CDs for sale anywhere, so I don’t know if their other music sounds anything like “FotiHouse.” - I don’t know what ‘foti house’ means and I have no idea what the song is about.
There has to be a lot about this song that I don’t know I don’t know, so, if you’re reading this and happen to: a) speak Norwegian and wish to translate, b) own any Folk Og Røvere records other than “FotiHouse” or c) know anything about the band’s connection to Brazil, please write in to enlighten us all, especially me. —Mtume ya Salaam Bonus track: Jorge Ben - “Oba, Lá Vem Ela” from Força Bruta (1970) Click here to purchase Brazilectro, Vol. 5 
 
         I don’t know foti, but I know Beady         Mtume, turns out the lead singer on this track is Beate S. Lech who now records as Beady Belle. I forgot how I first got turned on to her, but in any case what I find interesting is that she made a conscious decision to move away from a Foti House groove to do her own music. Beady Belle is a record producing duo (vocalist / songwriter Beate S. Lech and bassist / beatmeister Marius Reksjo) as well as a touring band that is augmented by two or three instrumentalists. Beate stopped singing with other bands in 1999. She wanted to concentrate on presenting her own music rather than being the 'eye candy'/female front for a pop/jazz band. belle03.jpg And what is it she wanted to do? Well, to get loose with the metaphors, imagine, if you will, a hyper-intellectual, slightly-helium flavored, hip-hop influenced, electronic-oriented Roberta Flack—yo, that’s Beady Belle. Now let’s see, why do I dig Beady Belle? One: it’s self produced. The duo literally did their first album at Beate’s apartment/studio on her Mac computer. The second album, and the one I like best of her three albums, includes some formal studio work, but the main studio was at Bugge’s house. Bugge Weseltoft is the premiere keyboardist / composer / producer / record label-owner in Norway. These folks, like the rap producers who set the standard, are taking digital technology and making not just electronic music but self-determined music. No need for major corporations calling the shots. Two: I like the sophistication of the narrative line in Beady Belle’s songs. I suspect there are a number of us who get deep into something, whatever that something is, and who start reading up and studying, and before you know it we are what might be called organic intellectuals. Once we have turned our brains on, we crave that intellectual stimulation even if we camouflage our hunger beneath a veneer of being hip or up on some obscure shit that the masses have missed. Three: I like the tension inherent in the music. Melancholic-sounding melodies and angst-driven lyrics over enticing beats. Beate’s phrasing and, to a lesser (and much lighter) extent, her voice quality reminds me of Roberta Flack, which invariably hits a positive simpatico response. cewbeagappic_.jpg Here are two cuts from Cewbeagappic, the second of three Beady Belle albums. These tracks illustrate what I mean. Indeed, the very title of the album explains it all. Cewbeagappic is an anagram of contrasts: complex/easy, white/black, electronic/acoustic, groovy/ambient, programmed/played, improvised/composed. Rather than search for a synthesis or middle ground, Belle says that she is interested in “irony,” in how “the lyrics and the music are telling different things, but together, they’re telling something new. It’s like smiling through tears or crying through a smile.” roberta.jpg Which is a good a lead-in to Roberta Flack. I don’t know if Lech emulated Roberta, but I do know there is more than a passing similarity in their styles. Both of them favor slow and medium tempo songs, both of them focus a great deal on personal details. In one of Roberta Flack’s last albums, she flirts with hip-hop influenced production on half of the recording, including some 'interesting,' if not always successful, attempts to update old songs. I should add that the jazz half of Roberta is excellent, especially the three tracks that feature Kenny Baron on piano: "Angel Eyes," "Tenderly" and "Isn't It Romantic," however, for the purposes of this review, I am focusing on the pop-oriented material, which includes jazz compositions done as pop tunes. roberta album.jpg In the jukebox we’ve included two songs from the album Roberta: Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” (the track I think is the most successful) and Duke Ellington’s “In A Sentimental Mood,” (not so successful but illustrative of the production direction) also done with a hip-hop feel but which has, ironically, a break that utilizes a Brazilian instrument, the cuicas, or choro (cry) also known as a 'squeaking drum' because of the high-pitched sound that it makes. “Ironically” because the Brazilian influence on “FotiHouse” is how we got started on this particular journey in the first place. To be clear: by hip-hop influence in production I am referring to recording techniques that include back tracks produced separately from the vocalist (with the vocalist added on afterwards or the vocal track stripped of its original backing and a new backing track added), as well as heavy bass/drums mechanically boosted with compression and other recording techniques, plus other computer generated techniques. For an artist brought up on performing and recording with acoustic instruments and a live band, this is often not an easy transition to make. Ms. Flack is not a trip-hop vocalist ('trip-hop' is a sub-genre featuring slow to mid-tempo vocals over hip-hop-style beats) and, as a listen to the whole album will bear out, the hip-hop/electronics don’t quite suit her style. Beady Belle, however, grew up in an electronic era and obviously feels extremely comfortable using electronic instruments (yes, a computer is an instrument!), so for Belle there is no effort or angst about making a transition from one world to another, electronic/acoustic and all those other contrasts are part of life as she has always known it. This is how I explain both the difference between Flack and Belle, and my own particular affinity for Beady Belle’s work. I learned to touch type on a manual typewriter in 1958. I’m currently considered a computer geek of sorts because of my embrace of digital technology—so a lot of electronic music 'naturally' resonates with me. Mtume, you asked about the Brazilian elements—especially my man, Jorge Ben, whose work I’ve liked since the mid-Sixties. While I don’t know the specifics (and we both know there is a whole school of Brazilian influenced euro-produced electronic music) I would argue that all of the basic components of Black music whether from the continent or the diaspora, and certainly all of the major developments in the last twenty years or so, are now incorporated into popular music worldwide regardless of the culture or ethnicity of the artists and producers. The difference is, whereas in the beginning, non-Blacks were trying to imitate Black styles of music and music production, now, non-Black artists have absorbed the innovations of the aesthetic and are incorporating those innovations and standards into a more personalize mode of music production. So now what we get is music that both is and isn’t Black music. In Beady Belle’s case, the work Beate Lech is doing is clearly and fascinatingly closer to Roberta Flack than to any style of music native to Scandinavia, and yet at the same time it also expresses a Nordic personality that finds a sympathetic vibration in the cool school of Black music, or, as Ms. Lech might say, isn’t it ironic?—especially so when one considers that there is nothing Negroidal about the colder climes of Europe. roberta02.jpg And to pile on the irony, when we listen to Roberta Flack’s attempts to update her sound, trying to move from jazz-oriented acoustic music to hip-hop-oriented electronic music, it is clear that Beate Lech is more successful at achieving a contemporary sound than is Roberta Flack. A young woman from Norway is more comfortable with hip-hop and electronic music than is a Black woman who came up out of Washington, DC (Flack is a Howard University grad); go figure! Oh, by the way (speaking of irony), there is a compilation project, which Beady Belle contributed to, that I have been unable to find thus far. It’s a tribute to Bob Marley—yes, brotherman was big in Norway—featuring Norwegians performing Bob’s music. The CD is called Inn Fra Kulden (after Marley’s song “Coming In From The Cold”). Will wonders never cease?! So, by responding to the cut you selected off a Brazilectro compilation featuring a group from Norway, we end up trekking from Brazil, to funk, to Soul, to electronic—quite a trip, but indicative of the current directions of contemporary popular music worldwide. —Kalamu ya Salaam Click here to purchase Cewgeagappic    Click here to purchase  Roberta             I need a flowchart          OK. I feel like I need a flowchart to respond to this one. 1. Re: “What I find interesting is that she made a conscious decision to move away from a FotiHouse groove to do her own music” and “She wanted to concentrate on presenting her own music rather than being the “eye candy”/female front for a pop/jazz band.” Beate isn’t just the lead singer on “FotiHouse,” she’s also the songwriter. That means “FotiHouse” is Beate’s music. I don’t know why she and Marius moved on, but to write-off Beate’s pre-Beady Belle persona as ‘eye candy’ seems reductive to me. 2. When I asked about the Brazilian elements, I wasn’t asking: “How did Brazilian sounds end up on a European pop record?” I was asking: “How did the sample of ‘Oba, Lá Vem Ela’ end up on ‘FotiHouse’?” I know that Black music of all kinds has become something of a ‘shared’ source to be used by musicians all over the world. It’s been that way for a long time. One example: The other day, I was reading a fan’s comments about the Passion Of The Christ: Songs CD. About Lauryn Hill’s song “The Passion,” she wrote, “It’s very tribal. I like it. More please.” Tribal. I thought that was funny not so much because it is or isn’t true (it is, by the way), but because it’s so glib and non-specific. The song is based on electronically-reproduced Nyabinghi-style drums. So yes, it’s tribal—but it never occurred to the listener to wonder which tribe. Anyhow, I was asking about the specifics of this particular sample/use/influence of Black music. The paradigm is what it is. 3. Re: “Now, non-Black artists have absorbed the innovations of the aesthetic and are incorporating those innovations and standards into a more personalize mode of music production.” That’s certainly true. It’s one of the things that makes listening to music from around the world so interesting. Listen to enough music and you’ll constantly hear our music coming back in unexpected forms and sometimes, when you least expect it. 4. Re: “A young woman from Norway is more comfortable with hip-hop and electronic music than is a Black woman who came up out of Washington, DC (Flack is a Howard University grad); go figure!” I think this is a generational issue, not an issue of race or place. Roberta is a jazz singer as her first four or five albums bear out. The choice of material, the way she interprets the songs, the instrumentalists she used, the way she sings the melodies: all of these indicate a background in jazz. From the beginning, she sang ‘pop’ songs, but she sang them as though they were jazz tunes. (I think of the way Cassandra Wilson remakes a U2 or Neil Young song—Cassandra sings these songs as though they are jazz compositions.) Anyhow, Roberta eventually went pop, but I doubt that ‘pop singer’ is how she’d identify herself, even now. For Roberta to be comfortable with 21st century pop production (and I put it that way because I don’t think the current style of music production is a ‘hip-hop’ style at all; it’s an expedient, ‘cheap’ style, but there are all kinds of ways to produce any music, including rap), Roberta would have to ‘re-orient’ her musical self yet again. To put that another way: Roberta already had to adjust from jazz-style music production to pop-style music production; now, she would have to adjust from pop-style (which she never sounded 100% comfortable in to begin with) to 21st-century style. She starts off creating the music ‘live’ alongside other jazz musicians either in a small club or in the studio. She moves on to singing her vocals in a separate booth while listening to pop musicians through headphones. (I’m guessing, of course, but that’s the way it was usually done.) Now, she’s singing along to a ‘track’—in all likelihood, she’s recording her vocals with no instrumentalists even present. It’s too much to ask. Beate, on the other hand, as you said, grew up with this 21st century style of creating music. She’s comfortable with it because it’s just the way things are. I’ve had a cellphone for more than 10 years, but every once in a while, I still have passing moments where I marvel at the size of it, the mobility of it, the convenience of it, etc. But my son (he’s seven) thinks nothing of any of the modern technologies (microwave ovens, broadband internet access, digital cable, online poker, mp3s, camera phones, etc.)—to him, it’s just the way things are. The point is, Beate should be more comfortable with electronic music than Roberta (whether the music is ‘Black,’ ’White, ’European’ or ‘Brazilian’)—it’s the music of her (Beate’s) times. 5. One last thing. Roberta’s take on “Let’s Stay Together” is wonderful. The way she slowly, slowly, slowly unfolds the melody reminds me of those great early albums of hers, where she was in full command of both her voice and the material. I’m not crazy about the uptempo ending; I wish she or the producer/s or whoever the decision-maker was, would’ve just let her do the whole thing in that languid, expressive style of hers. (I’m thinking of Roberta’s 1970 album Chapter Two—that whole album is like one long, gorgeous ballad.) OK, that’s enough rambling for one post. Damn, this thing is long. emoticon —Mtume ya Salaam
   

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7 Responses to “FOLK OG RØVERE / “FotiHouse””

Henrik Says:
August 15th, 2005 at 5:52 am

First of all; thanks for another excellent start to my working week! Also, as a native Norwegian I’ll be happy to provide some more information on Folk & Røvere.

1. The lyrics describe a woman’s plan to take her lover on a trip to the moon and then back again to change the world, bombing the Norwegian parliament, digging a hole to China, dropping in on Hell to see who’s there, before going home to make sweet love… It doesn’t make more sense in Norwegian ;-)

2. The band’s name means (literally) People & Thiefs and refers to one of Norway’s most famous children books “People & Thiefs in Cardemum City”. Not so much a band as a collective, the masterbrain behind it all is Ulf Nygaard who also runs the label http://www.sohappy.no (Norwegian only so far, but you can send him an email)

3. I have no clue as to their connection to Brazil, but I suspect this is an actual sample. Most of their music is based on loops and samples, and previous members of the band have included several (semi)famous Norwegian DJs, such as DJ Strangefruit and DJ Prins Thomas…

4. The song title doesn’t make sense in Norwegian, but I suspect it is a play on the phrase “fot i hose”, literally translated: “foot in sock”, meaning “fits like a glove”. But that’s a guess.

Other facts:
– F&R release their latest single “Supermann” today (15 August) and a new album in September
– They sing in what is known as Modern Norwegian, a language based on the dialects in Norway rather than Danish as the “official” Norwegian..
– They sometimes refer to their music as “white black music”, which you’ve already picked up on….

Keep up the good work. I really enjoy your site!

Henrik

Mtume says:                                                  

Much appreciated, Henrik.


AwritePunch Says:
August 15th, 2005 at 2:54 pm

Well now, this Roberta Flack album is a deep sentimental favorite for me and my lady. We first heard her Stevie Wonder cover ‘Lookin For Another Love’ while departing a family wake. The opening scale eminated from someone’s car as we hugged and laughed and cried and exhausted, said our goodbyes to the extended family. So this interpretation of a favorite (Stevie is damn near family) by another favorite, double-soaked us in a situation already drenched with nostalgia. But like Miles, Roberta possessses a cool, intelligent horn, and things don’t get muddled and sticky; just sharp, thoughtful longing and so much soul for perspective and pain. Roberta’s ability to transcend or rise above the production leaves the album hovering beyond terms judging its ‘success’ at achieving a contemporary sound. While interesting (perhaps risky) choices were made in the studio, the resultant artifact is nearly classic.


Stephanie Renee Says:
August 16th, 2005 at 4:55 pm

Maybe it’s because I’m a vocalist and I tend to reflect on the little nuances that make the sounds that pour out of people similar or dissimilar.

I do hear a bit of the Roberta Flack influence that you both speak of, but when I hear Beady Belle (which I REALLY like), I hear a cross between Esthero and Karen Carpenter. Karen’s smoothed-out alto and Esthero’s edgier attitude and nasally inflections.

But I’m taking off my thinking cap…because sometimes I don’t want to know WHY I like something, only that I DO!


John Says:
November 10th, 2005 at 9:48 pm

Hi!

I was just reading this and I know a place where you can get “Folk og Røvere”-albums, and listen to parts of their songs.

Here you can listen to songs, and download if you want to (costs a bit pr. song):

http://www.cdon.com/main.phtml?nav=10954&nav_genre=10954

And here you can find the albums, and buy them I you want to:

http://www.cdon.com/main.phtml?prod=525715&nav=4182&navroot=904&page=product

Personally I haven’t heard that much on Folk og Røvere, and I have not heard the song “Fot i hose”, but the few I have heard I mostly like.

First of all: “Yess!” is about the summer and how great it is with no stress. And second: “Supermann”, which is about a guy who says he’s Superman, but can’t do any of the things which Superman does (and the names are English footballers).

I have also heard “Fru Hagen” and “Utadæsjælåpplevelse”, but I don’t think they are quite as good.

Btw: I guess you can translate “Fot i hose” with “Piece of cake”, when something gets done real easy.

Btw 2: Where are you from, and do they play “Folk og Røvere” on the radio where you are from?

         Mtume says:           
Thanks for all the info, John. And to answer your questions, I’m from New Orleans, Louisiana where they most certainly do not play Folk Og Røvere on the radio.


Anja Says:
April 25th, 2006 at 5:32 am

Folk & Røvere is swedish as far as I can hear 🙂


Johnny Says:
June 3rd, 2006 at 7:20 am

Swedish? Your just teasing us norwegians. Folk og Røvere are Norwegians!


Damian Says:
September 28th, 2006 at 5:02 pm

Nice site!

FyI: Listening to fotihouse reminded me of Bobby Hughes Combinations’ Album “Nhu Golden Era”. It’s also Scandinavian. You might like it..

Greez Damian


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