folktronica

{{short description|Indie electronic genre comprising elements of indie folk and electronica}}

{{redirect|Folktronic|the Momus album|Folktronic (album)}}

{{Use British English|date=June 2017}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}

{{Infobox music genre

| name = Folktronica

| stylistic_origins =

• Ambient pop
• downtempo
• electronica
• folk
• IDM
• indie folk
• glitch
• post-rock

| cultural_origins = 1990s–2000s

| instruments = * Electronic

• acoustic

| other_topics = * Botanica{{cite web|last= Shimazu |first=Harrison |title=Botanica Music: What it is and How to Make it |url=https://splice.com/blog/what-is-botanica-music/}}

• freak folk

}}

Folktronica is a genre of indie electronic music comprising various elements of folk music and electronica, often featuring uses of acoustic instruments—especially stringed instruments—deploying hip hop, electronic or dance rhythms, and incorporating delicate, textural sound design, although it varies based on influences and choice of sounds.Smyth, David (23 April 2004). "Electrifying folk: Folktronica, new folk, fuzzy folk – call it what you will. Laptops are replacing lutes to create a whole new sound", Evening Standard, p. 31.Empire, Kitty (27 April 2003). "Up front on the verge: Four Tet, aka Kieran Hebden", The Observer, p. 14. The Ashgate Research Companion to Popular Musicology describes folktronica as "a catch-all [term] for all manner of artists who have combined mechanical dance beats with elements of acoustic rock or folk".{{cite book|editor-first=Derek B. |editor-last=Scott|title=The Ashgate Research Companion to Popular Musicology|publisher=Routledge|location=Abingdon, UK|year=2016|page=90|isbn=978-0-7546-6476-5}}

The 1991 album Every Man and Woman is a Star by Ultramarine is credited as a progenitor of the genre; it featured a pastoral sound and incorporated traditional instruments such as violin and harmonica with techno and house elements. In the early 2000s, indie electronic acts such as Múm, Four Tet, Isan, Bibio and the Books began releasing formative music in the genre.{{cite web|title = Interviews: Four Tet|url = https://pitchfork.com/features/interviews/9132-four-tet/|access-date = 2015-10-17|language = en|publisher = Pitchfork Media|date = 13 May 2013|first = Andy|last = Beta|url-status = live|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151103110507/http://pitchfork.com/features/interviews/9132-four-tet/|archive-date = 3 November 2015|df = dmy-all}} According to The Sunday Times Culture's Encyclopedia of Modern Music, essential albums of the genre are Four Tet's Pause and Rounds (2001), Tunng's Mother's Daughter and Other Songs (2005), and Caribou's The Milk of Human Kindness (2005).{{cite news | url=http://entertainment.TimesOnline.co.UK/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article5597809.ece| title = Folktronica: Encyclopedia of Modern Music| date = 1 February 2009| first = Richard| last = Clayton| newspaper = Times Online| access-date = 9 March 2010| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110615061923/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article5597809.ece| archive-date= 15 June 2011|url-access=subscription}}