Bands such as Frifot (literally Footloose) and Hedningarna (The Heathens) have certainly helped pique an international interest in Swedish folk music over the years.
Hedningarna: Höglorfen
Hedningarna blend electronics and rock into their folk tunes. Frifot, meanwhile, are something of a super-group in the genre. They rely on more traditional instruments such as fiddle, accordion and nyckelharpa, a traditional Swedish string instrument.
Swedish folk music has a lot in common with other European folk music styles and is based on dance music such as the Polska. But there is also another type of Swedish folk music — that of the Sami people. Often vocal, with a yodeling style known as joik, Sami music differs quite a bit from other Swedish folk music. Mythical in its sound, it recalls the traditional life of nomadic reindeer herders, serving as an important part of an ancient oral tradition.
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