English bio - GRIOTproduction

NYNKE comes from Friesland and sings inFrisian,a language with a
rich history and a great poetic quality, which is only spoken in the
northern part of the Netherlands, and is considered by linguists as
being somewhere halfway between English and Dutch.
For a number of years, Nynke has been passionate about all forms of
Mediterranean and Latin music, from fado and flamenco to various
Latin American traditions. She proceeded to create her own
"Mediterranean-Frisian" style, inspired by these musical forms she has
studied intensively, and sung in her mother tongue. She recorded three
albums which became very successful in the Netherlands and earned
her both a gold disc, an Edison (the Dutch Music Awards) and a literary
prize.
Nynke's outstanding vocal talents attracted the attention of the
famous, multiple award-winning producer/guitarist Javier Limón from
Spain. The man who produced benchmark albums by fado star
Mariza, and Spanish phenomenon Buika, by major flamenco artists
such as Paco de Lucia and Diego el Cigala, as well as by Anoushka
Shankar, Luz Casal, Bebo Valdés, Yasmin Levy and Carlinhos Brown.
Limón became fascinated by Nynke's original take on Mediterranean
music, and wanted to work with her on a new album. This is how Alter
was born, from an encounter between two people who were soon
united by their common love for language and poetry, by their
long-time, respective quests for ways to capture emotion in music.
Javier Limón says: “The music of the words in Frisian is very strong and
in the songs you hear the sound of the landscape, the wide expanses,
the huge sky and the overwhelming green. Then there’s this
exceptional voice: when Nynke starts to sing, something happens.”
Alter was recorded and mixed by Javier's younger sister Salomé Limón
in their Casa Limón studio in Madrid. Javier produced and played
flamenco guitar and bouzouki. Sytze Pruiksma played an assortment
of instruments, including the Noardske balke (a Frisian ancestor of the
dulcimer). A handful of Spanish contributors took part in the
recordings, including Manuel Machado on fluegelhorn, Antonio
Serrano on harmonica, Rafael Jiménez ‘El Chispas’ on cajón, flamenco
singer Saúl Quirós and flamenco dancer Belén López. The album was
co-produced by Nynke and Sytze Pruiksma.
The lyrics to all songs were written by Nynke, with the exception of
Foarjiersfers (based on a poem by Rutger Kopland, translated by
Nynke), De Brulloft (a cover of a song by Lhasa de Sela, translated by
Nynke), and Eftereach (co-written with Frisian poet/performer Tsjêbbe
Hettinga, whose voice appears in the piece). With her distinctive style
of poetry, Nynke has created a kind of hymn to Spring, to love, to birth,
to nature, and to the moods and feelings elicited by those peculiar,
broad Frisian landscapes.
The word 'Alter' has multiple significations in different languages: it's
the Frisian word for 'altar', a term connected with rituals around life, an
element which is present in the album. Nynke becoming a mother (a
year before the recording) and her fascination for the continuous
transformation of life are somehow reflected in the English meaning of
alter: the verb 'to change'. Another key to this album may be found in
the Latin signification of the word 'alter': 'other', a word which
epitomizes Nynke's musical endeavours, as well as her personal
commitments in favour of biodiversity and cultural diversity. She
believes that there's an interesting (albeit not immediately obvious)
interconnection between the two. Nynke happens to be a WWF
Ambassador; and, through her work, she is obviously contributing to
the preservation and development of one of the few European minority
languages, a cause which is both local and global.
Nynke has now joined forces with Crammed Discs, who will be
releasing Alter internationally and will present Nynke's unique work to
audiences around the world.
NYNKE IN BRIEF
Nynke grew up in Friesland (northern part of the Netherlands). In 2002
she finished her studies at the School of Performing Arts in Amsterdam.
On her first album Sielesâlt ('Salt of the Soul', 2004) she introduced
‘Frisian fado’, a previously unheard-of combination. She translated
texts by famous Dutch poet J.J. Slauerhoff into Frisian, and sang them
on compositions by Custódio Castelo. The melancholy and pureness of
these songs touched a wide audience, the album turned gold in her
country and Nynke received a literary prize for her translations. In 2005,
she recorded her second album, De Maisfrou ('The Cornwoman').
Together with Frisian poet Albertina Soepboer, who wrote the lyrics,
Nynke traveled to Mexico to develop the project. Mexican, Cuban and
Argentinian influences were incorporated into the music, resulting in a
more exuberant album. The national tour ended in a fully sold out
Concertgebouw hall in Amsterdam. For her third album, Nomade,
Nynke got on the train to Mongolia where she lived in the steppes for
one month with a nomadic family, collecting material and inspiration.
She went on to write new songs (with her own lyrics this time), in
collaboration with guitarist/producer Ward Veenstra, and explored new
musical ground by using beats and electronics, and by working with
renowned Icelandic producer Valgeir Sigurdsson, who mixed some of
the songs on the album. Nomade obtained an Edison (the Dutch Music
Awards) in 2010.
Nynke collaborated as an actress/singer with several theatre and dance
companies. Her latest venture in that area was Tidal, a performance
she developed in 2010 with choreographer Stephen Shropshire and
electronic music composer Anne Parlevliet, a meeting between voice
and body, sound and movement. That same year she translated
Shakespeare's Macbeth into Frisian for a production by theatre
company Tryater.
cram209 CD
COMING OUT IN APRIL 2013
on Crammed Discs
management/booking:
Rob van den Bosch - rob@earthbeat.nl
promo enquiries: promo@crammed.be