Archive Project - Archive Project

'The Archive Project' is a whirlwind of pit-stops around the traditional music hubs of Scotland, inspired and informed by the School of Scottish Studies archive.Tasked with creating new music and mentored by award-winning fiddler and composer Mike Vass, seven young traditional musicians have been exploring the School of Scottish Studies Archives at the University of Edinburgh, a vast repository of folklore and heritage. The final product is a full album: a collection of creativity with new tunes and songs (Gaelic, Scots and English) drawn from collected material, old tunes re-worked, and found voices. The aim of the project was to enable young people to get a meaningful understanding of the content of these archives and the context of the recordings; and then creatively respond. Through delving into this repository of heritage, the young musicians hope to make a genuine creative contribution to the living tradition of Scottish music. 'The Archive Projec't hopes to address some of the myth-making that has surrounded the archives. Instead of seeing them as a dusty old repository to be talked about in hushed and hallowed tones, we want to promote them as a varied and valuable resource relevant to everyone in Scotland, and create vibrancy and excitement around them.