To be entirely honest, the size and quality of the music scene in the Faroe Islands totally took me by surprise. At just under 20,000 people, Tórshavn is the world’s smallest capital.  Despite the small population, there are dozens of bands and musical projects active in the Faroes, and at the center of it all is the prolific Tutl Records.

Tutl (Faroese for “whisper”) was founded by a Danish Jazz composer named Kristian Blak, and in the last 35+ years has put out hundreds of releases for 100 or so artists. The roster is mostly comprised of Faroese bands, but Tutl has released albums for bands from outside the Faroes as well: from Italy, Iceland, and Estonia, to name just a few. Their releases cover an impressive range of genres, from traditional Faroese ethnic music, to folk, metal, jazz, reggae, and many more. [Read more…]