Sometimes album names tell you everything you need to know about an album. At least, in the case of “Instrumental” by GG Caravan, the name tells at least half of the story. This hip-hop super-group is known for collaborating with names like Paleface and Roni True, and has been at the forefront of anti-racist movements, particularly relating to anti-Romani sentiments, which are still unfortunately very common, especially in Finland. “Instrumental” is a unique release, in that it is indeed an instrumental album, but also focuses largely on ethnic music, most of which has come from Romani culture.
This album is a pretty spectacular collection of tracks, starting off with the very lively “Becherovka – Live Himos 2012” – which is extremely energetic and has that aforementioned strong flavor in its sound, paired with fabulous drumming and wonderful guitar lines – and wrapping up with the punchy and dramatic “In Deep.” It boasts all sorts of interesting instrumental additions, from various percussion instruments, to accordion and violin.
As mentioned, GG CARAVAN has always been a collective, organized by Tero Roininen, featuring a multitude of guests. This time, however, the guests are obviously not vocalists/MCs but musicians, with artists like saxophonist Joonatan Rautio and vocalist/guitarist Darwin Johnson (on bass) appearing in “Who We Are”; jazz guitarist Olli Soikkeli in both “After Years” and “Gypsy Soul”; Eicca Toppinen of APOCALYPTICA fame in “Lost Tribe,” and bassist Sami Yaffa in “Zarkus.” The rest of the tracks are listed as GG CARAVAN alone.
The album is perhaps at its best when it’s at its bounciest, showing off how fun and exciting this type of music can be, in tracks like “Becherovka,” “Who We Are,” “After Years,” and “Zarkus” to name a few (one must assume that the last of these was written as a tribute to one of the band’s collaborators, Zarkus Poussa, who performed percussions in “Becherovka” but sadly passed away in 2017), but shows a further sensitive and emotional side in slower pieces like “Lost Tribe,” “Gelem Gelem,” and “From Shadow to Shadow.”
What stands out best is perhaps the individuality of all of the tracks. Though there is a clear stylistic through-line in their influences, each song is its own musical adventure with its own mood and pep, making for a very fun instrumental journey through various styles and sounds, all derived from minority culture. If you’re looking for something wordless to spice up your playlist that isn’t your usual instrumental collection, this is definitely worth giving a spin!
Written by Bear Wiseman
Tracklist
- Becherovka – Live Himos 2012
- Who We Are (ft. Joonatan Rautio & Darwin Johnson)
- Unworthy
- After Years (ft. Olli Soikkeli)
- Lost Tribe (ft. Eicca Toppinen)
- Gelem Gelem
- Lonely Wanderer
- Gypsy Soul (ft. Olli Soikkeli)
- From Shadow to Shadow
- Zarkus (ft. Sami Yaffa)
- The Party
- In Deep
Lineup
Tero Roininen – band coordinator, acoustic guitar
Toni Porthen – drums
Abdissa ”Mamba” Assefa – percussion
Jorma Rantalainen – bass
Marzi Nyman – electric guitar, grand piano, keyboards
Miika Colliander – electric guitar
Niko Kumpuvaara – accordion
Antti Untamala – violin
Joonas Kasurinen – keyboards
Samu Wuori – acoustic guitar
Guest List
Joonatan Rautio
Darwin Johnson
Olli Soikkeli
Eicca Toppinen
Sami Yaffa
Other Musicians
J-P Virtane – hammond
Jay Kortehisto – draw trombone
Jukka Tiirikainen – trumpet and ja flugelhorn
Zarkus Poussa (1975-2016) – percussion (Becherovka – Himos 2012)
Label
Independent / Menevä Records
