Tartelet Records kicks off 2020 with the re-issue of a rare Discogs gem from the early 80s by the legendary Danish composer and music educator Lotte Kærså and her band of young musicians, “Græsrødderne.”
Breathing new life into old recordings, Tartelet Records has collaborated with famed Danish composer Lotte Kærså and her family to restore and re-master an iconic production, digitizing twelve outsanding tracks from the family’s extensive musical archives for the very first time.
The re-issued LP entitled Jubiiilæum (Anniversary) consists of songs taken from Lotte Kærså two first albums “Jeg Har Set Det Selv” (I’ve Seen It Myself) from 1979 and “Hjemme I Vores Gade” (On Our Street) from 1981 – both of which have long been sought after items among diggers and vinyl collectors.
In the nascent stages of her musical journey, Lotte Kærså’s music was already imbued with a new kind of sound. Weaving genres from near and far, elements of exotic sounds such as samba, jazz funk, and dub-reggae come together with a distinctly Danish cheerfulness in the songs’ lyrics.
Stand out tracks in the 2020 release include “Prøv og Gør Ligesom Jeg” (Do As I Do), which has been heard in Nu Guinea’s DJ sets, the Brazilian funk escapade ‘Karneval’ (Carnival), reggae-inspired “Du Kan Bruge Din Krop” (You Can Move Your Body), the brilliant late night dub-not-dub tune “Byen Er Stille” (The City is Silent), and many more.
“All tracks from Lotte Kærså and her family are simply great. The music is psychedelic and tribal, and composed with very peculiar instruments. This is a unique music experience that is very hard to pin down to a specific music genre,” says Massimo Di Lena of Nu Guinea.
Born in 1929, Lotte Kærså showed great musical promise from an early age. However, instead of pursuing her planned education at the Royal Danish Conservatory of Music, she chose another path: early childhood education. Starting out her career as a kindergarten teacher, a lifelong commitment to children and their musical education was in the making.
Throughout the 1970s and 80s, Lotte Kærså pioneered innovative pedagogical methods. Combing rhythmical music with dance and movement-based activities, she helped promote their development in novel ways. In the following years, Kærså went on to produce TV for children, write music, and teach music education. To this day, Kærså has remained one of the most progressive music educators of her time, and continues to compose and teach.
In the summer of 2019, Kærså turned 90 years old. To celebrate her life’s work, a reissue of her greatest songs was compiled on a brand new release – Jubiiilæum. In collaboration with the Kærså family, Tartelet Records has brought new energy to a rare and unusual musical treasure, echoing her sound to a new generation of listeners.
Jubiiilæum will be available 20th February 2020 on vinyl and all digital platforms.