Trad fiddler Ryan Young to Play WOMEX
Three years after releasing his debut CD, produced and engineered by triple Grammy award-winning Jesse Lewis, Scottish fiddler Ryan Young, accompanied by guitarist Jenn Butterworth, will be playing this year’s World Music Expo (WOMEX) in Tampere, Finland.
Ryan, along with Jenn, is the only UK artist to have been selected to play at the prestigious World Music Exhibition on October 24.
WOMEX is the world’s leading international world music support and development project, based in Berlin. Its main event is an exposition held annually in different locations throughout Europe.
In the last three years Ryan has played some of the biggest festivals in the UK and Europe, including the prestigious Cambridge and Sidmouth folk festivals. This culminated in him playing at the highly regarded festival Folk at the Hall in Wales where, due to the audience reaction, he has been invited to play three years in a row, rising from the bottom of the bill to being scheduled to headline the Saturday night in 2020.
Folk at the Hall wrote: ‘We’ve had some incredible acts over the last few years but none that have made the impact that Ryan Young and Jenn Butterworth have. They have been the talking point for our audience for the last two years. We’ve always booked with our heart and so we’re delighted to say that Ryan and Jenn are returning again next year but this time they will be headlining the Saturday evening. We can’t wait.’
Ryan draws heavily from his Scottish roots, while borrowing from Irish fiddle styles, to bring inventive twists to old and forgotten tunes, which fit harmoniously alongside his original compositions. His unique approach to Scottish folk music has prompted descriptions of Ryan leading a ‘new wave’ of Scottish traditional musicians, who aim to bring a fresh and inventive approach to the genre. By melding styles across regions and ages, Ryan delivers uplifting rhythmic drive, depth of dynamics and a bold new heartbeat for Scottish traditional music.
Ryan has just finished recording his second album, which will be available shortly, where he attempts to capture the rhythm and drive of his exciting live act. Ryan takes the listener on a musical adventure, as the tempo moves between slow airs to breathtaking jigs and reels.
For more information visit ryanyoung.scot