sakeuttavat

Sakeuttavat is a folk music ensemble that emerged in Finland in the early 1970s. The group was founded in 1974 in the Lapland region, primarily by singer‑songwriter Jari Nieminen and fiddler Aki Lehtinen. Over the decade the quartet expanded to include violinist Seija Koivisto and percussionist Kusti Pölä. From its inception the band focused on reviving traditional Lapland drinking songs and vocal traditions that had largely disappeared from popular performance venues.

The ensemble released its debut studio album, Tahkoiset Laulut, in 1980. The record was spotlighted by the Finnish Broadcasting Corporation and featured a combination of straightforward folk arrangements and subtle jazz influences. Within a few years Sakeuttavat had become a staple of the annual Rovaniemi Folk Festival, and the group toured throughout Finland, performing in both concert halls and folklore circles. Frequent television appearances helped reintroduce these aged songs to a younger generation and positioned the group as an important link between contemporary and traditional Finnish music.

Sakeuttavat released a total of six studio albums throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. Their work has been cited by scholars of folk music as an influential catalyst for the broader Finnish folk revival movement. In the late 1990s the band gradually disbanded, with members returning to solo work and pedagogical roles, but the recordings continue to be available on modern streaming platforms and are frequently used in academic courses on Nordic folk traditions.