Year 2022 began with a new release! I have been working on writing new music the whole 2021 and finally the first single saw the daylight. Released by myself on my label Efni Records, Robertsfors marks a new era on my music making.
Robertsfors was created in my head and soul already in the summer of 2020 when I ended up on Robertsfors beach in Northern Sweden in the middle of the ravaging pandemic. Suddenly it was all clear in the air and in my head - it felt that if I focus on what is important to me and keep the contact with the nature around us, everything will be fine.
It is the first time for me to write and sing in Swedish and for that particular song it felt natural to do so.
The nature in Norrland reminds me of my childhood adventures on the Northern Coast of Estonia - long sandy beaches, deep coniferous forests with blueberries and an open feeling of freedom.
I recorded the core of the song in my little container studio by myself and formed the tune together with Estonian producer Sander Mölder by adding some zither, voice and accordion tracks, playing around with the sound and finding the right balance for it all.
Siim Mäesalu mixed and mastered the result.
The cover is a fragment of Kristi Kongi's painting “Pimeduse ja valguse piiril”/"On the border of darkness and light" graphical design by Piret Parrest.
Many thanks to the whole team Merli Vajakas, Kristel Kolkanen, Sander Mölder, Kertmedia, Siim Mäesalu, Kristi Kongi and Piret Parrest.
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Över djupa blå havet
över himmelska moln.
Jag flyger i luften
tills jag drömmarna når.
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Over the deep blue sea
over celestial clouds.
I'm flying in the air
until I reach the dreams.
International press release for Robertsfors.
Musician and a composer Tuulikki Bartosik surprises her listeners with a new blend of genres
“I’ve always been inspired by nature, I live in a world where things align with the processes that take place in it. For the most part, this inspiration is reflected in my music, as well as in Robertsfors.”
About a year ago musician Tuulikki Bartosik found herself at the Robertsfors beach in Northern Sweden and was fascinated by the beautiful aura it emitted. “The sandy beach with a homely feeling which felt so incredibly warm under my feet, the pine forest with blueberries, the wide and endless sea as well as a beautiful sunset in the background to accompany it. It was such a calm and meditative state.”
She wrote all those feelings into her music and recorded the main core of the song in her studio container using the recorded sounds from Robertsfors beach, voice and a 12-string kannel.
“I feel like I’ve gotten a lot of new tools to play with the sounds and feelings within myself. I have a restless nature and in order to maintain motivation in my activities, I am very curious and constantly looking for new challenges. The more risks and the more exciting the challenges, the more I enjoy what I do.” Bartosik has a background in classical music but she also enjoys different genres like death metal and EDM. So far she has kept these styles out of her own music, allowing only some components of jazz and folk into her mix of classical compositions. This time Tuulikki holds no barriers in creating this new album and allows her inspiration to flow in every way it sees fit. “I originate my music from the world of sounds I encounter and the endless possibilities that a free-bass accordion offers. The accordion is actually a very percussive instrument, I feel a lot of the vibrations while making music as well as let them inspire me.”
Robertsfors is the first single from an upcoming album which will be released in autumn 2022.