The Reindeer

Available for over a year

Across dense forests of spruce, birch and pine as well as the steep frozen mountains of Sweden, Norway and Finland, there are few traces of humans in the northern parts of the Nordics. What do live there however, are reindeers. In this Slow Radio Christmas special, The Reindeer follows the epic travels of a reindeer mother and her young as they traverse the Nordic landscape. Created in close collaboration with the Sámi people and with as little human interference as possible, a specially created sound device attached by a necklace around the mother reindeer brings to life the audial day-to-day sounds of a reindeer herd. From hooves softly treading snow, and the distant tinkling of reindeer bells through to the sounds of reindeers eating and sleeping in their natural habitats, The Reindeer allows listeners to become intimately acquainted with a creature that has become interwoven with tradition and imagery of Christmas time. The recordings were made by Jakob Munck and Niklas Eurén on two different occasions during summer/autumn 2022. One being in Sweden and the other in Finland.The method has involved close consultation with the reindeer herders in order to minimise the interference with the animals. No animal was harmed during the recording. Gear construction Fredrik Nordin, recordist Niklas Eurén, post production Viktor Bergdahl. Thanks to the Sami village Ruvhten Sijté, Mattias Kant and Sami Tiensuu.