Satumaa are Marti Welp, Jörg Sieper, Christian Runge and Anders Grop and based in Berlin. Since 2001, they perform the classics of Finnish Tango, along with new and their own compositions. Invariably danceable and in minor keys, they also play Walzes, Polkkas and Humppas.
The song satumaa (“fairytale land”) was composed by Unto Mononen in 1955 and is seen as the Finnish Tango par excellence. Originally recorded by Henry Theel, the most famous version is the one from 1962 by Reijo Taipale and there are innumerable others by artists including Olavi Virta and even Frank Zappa.
Satumaa speaks of a dreamland across the ocean, which the singer yearns for and where his
love is forever unreachable. With this melancholy theme, slow rythm and minor key, Satumaa
has become the archetype of Finnish Tango.
The band Satumaa have performed at various FINtango events, including 2015 in Berlin and 2017 in
Flensburg.
