Welcome to life in a rambling house in Oslo where Gabba hangs out, parties, barbecues or just jams in the backyard. Their vibe is driven by the voice of John André Eira who sits in a corner while his søringa ‘southerners’, as he calls them, join in on percussion, guitars, trumpet or harmonium. The music’s spirit, though, comes from over a thousand miles further north, where John was born in the village of Mazé, into a family where Sámi traditions go back several generations.
John is one of many young Sámi musicians passionate about their heritage and the different Sámi languages. His voice is rich with the resonance and ornamentation of the wide-ranging joik vocal traditions, here expressing grief, the life of a newborn, or the realisation…