DANIEL ÅHLMAN
TAMBURELLO, TRADITIONAL HAND DRUMS & HISTORICAL PERCUSSION PLAYER BASED IN STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN
I am a Swedish percussionist playing tamburello, other traditional hand drums and historical percussion. My roots are in modern Western music, but folk and early music has now become my home turf. And one of my ultimate goals is to always try and fuse the old with the contemporary, in order to find something truly new and compelling.
I have performed frequently in Sweden and abroad, made a bunch of records and appeared on TV and radio. I have played everything from Nordic, Mid Eastern and Balkan folk to medieval and renaissance music, americana and obscene punk. Besides this, I have performed at horse shows, theatre stages, barbershop conventions and entertained the Swedish king. Also, I've been fortunate enough to study with great teachers, as well as teaching students of my own.
COLLABS
I have performed and recorded with artists and ensembles such as Patrask, Abalone Dots, Kaunan, Skuggsidan, Süperstar Orkestar, Balkan Ekspres, Hakan Vreskala, Falsobordone, Göran Hallmarken, Poeta Magica, Jordbrand, Vox Vulgaris, Loke Nyberg, Olle Gällmo, Vagando, Albin Myrin, Savor de Ladino, Lennart Svensson, Festibyn, Sniglarna, Fornication, Ingrid Hogman, Wolgemut, Kristin Svensson, Rebecka Hjukström, Bruno Andersen, MoveCutClone (beat making collective) and more.
PORTABLE PERCUSSION
Where there's people, there should be music. No matter the size of a venue or its location. Living rooms and street corners are places for music - just like arenas, clubs and bars. And this is one important reason to why I am drawn to small and handy instruments, like the tamburello.
My first hands-on encounter with music was the standard drum kit. But my focus nowadays is on hand drums from Southern Europe and the Mid East. And this clash between traditions has made the process of finding inspiration in any genre a vital part of my playing.
The instruments I use are as adaptive as drum kits, but more flexible in terms of volume and logistics. Also, they always add interesting textures to any musical situation. So, by restricting myself to instruments I can bring on the subway, the limitations seems to have crashed and burned - with new ideas rising from the ashes.
The lovely drums in the photos are hand built by master builders Gianluca Avallone and Bruno Spagna - and I highly recommend them.
LISTEN
From time to time, I have the pleasure of recording in various constellations. Here are some examples of the outcome of such occasions. And more stuff will be added.
Skuggsidan (YouTube)
Fornication (YouTube)
Patrask (Bandcamp)
Kaunan (Spotify)
Jordbrand (Spotify)
Old beats/MoveCutClone (SoundCloud)
