Valkyrien Allstars

Formed in Oslo in 2003, Valkyrien Allstars built a contemporary sound around the nine-stringed Hardanger fiddle, a folk instrument usually confined to solo tradition-bearing. Led by vocalist and fiddler Tuva Syvertsen alongside fiddler Erik Sollid, with bass and drums driving the rhythm section, the group folds blues, reggae, jazz and rock phrasing into tunes rooted in Norwegian dance music, using collective improvisation to push the fiddle into unfamiliar rhythmic territory. Their debut album went platinum and won Grappa's Debutant prize, followed by To måner and Ingen hverdag, and a Gammleng-prisen for traditional folk music in 2012 confirmed their standing as reinventors of the form.