Talisk

Scottish instrumental folk trio Talisk fuses dazzling instrumental command with an upbeat, inviting sound that leans gently toward pop structures, earning them multiple honors on the strength of their 2016 debut release, Abyss.

The group came together in Glasgow during 2014 for what was intended as a single performance, uniting fiddler Hayley Keenan, guitarist Craig Irving (who also performs with Mànran), and concertina player Mohsen Amini, an Anglo-Iranian prodigy who defied conventional expectations of the typical trad musician. Drawing primary inspiration from Hans Zimmer and Ludovico Einaudi, Amini accumulated an array of distinguished accolades, among them BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year in 2016 and BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards Musician of the Year in 2018, making him the youngest recipient in the latter category. He additionally established and performed with three further folk ensembles: Fourth Moon, the Lowground, and the widely popular and successful Ímar.

Soon after assembling, Talisk began collecting competitive prizes, opening with a Danny Kyle Award at the Celtic Connections festival before securing a BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award in 2015. They embarked on U.K. tours, and in August 2016 they independently issued their first album, Abyss, an energetic sequence of tune sets that felt contemporary, approachable, and faintly pop-oriented. The record enjoyed strong sales and received a nomination for album of the year at the 2016 MG Alba Scots Trad Music Awards. At the next edition of those awards, the trio claimed the Folk Band of the Year title. Expanding their reach abroad, they appeared at prominent festivals such as Cambridge, Tønder, Celtic Colours, Cropredy, and Celtic Connections. For their follow-up album, Beyond, Irving stepped aside in favor of Graeme Armstrong; the October 2018 release explored slower tempos and introduced a more melancholy tone on several pieces.