Toinen kadunpoika. Photo Antti Ahtiluoto.

During the past year Finland has seen the emergence of several rap artists with an immigrant background. Who are they and why are they talked about right now?

Anyone who follows the Finnish hip hop scene actively must have heard of GRACIAS. Soon after Gracias’ debut EP was released, another young Finnish guy, NOAH KIN, who raps in English, appeared on YouTube. In early 2011, the spotlight turned to a Finnish language rapper called TOINEN KADUNPOIKA who made a record deal and released a couple of high-profile videos.

They all have African roots, are based in Helsinki and make hip hop music. None of them are new to the business, quite the opposite. They all have many rap years and songs under their belt, but for some reason they haven’t been noticed until now.

“Finland hasn’t had much to offer when it comes to English hip hop. There was a vacuum that was easy to fill. There was a need for an international sound and now people have learned to be proud of it. Above all, I want to promote myself as a Finnish artist,” says Gracias, aka DEOGRACIAS MASOMI.

Gracias (left) and Noah Kin. Photo Antti Ahtiluoto.

24-year-old Gracias moved to Finland from Congo 20 years ago. However, he denies that his country of origin had anything to do with his music. Gracias’ songs, like HKI and Mon€y which have spread as videos, sound like authentic 1990s American rap. The most common question asked about Gracias’ music is: “Can this really come from Finland?”

KEVIN TANDU rhymes in Finnish under the name of KEVIN T and agrees that it’s time to give a voice to immigrants. Tandu moved to Finland from Congo when he was nine.

“Finland is so behind. Everything comes here late. They have already understood that in Sweden. We have to get all nationalities involved,” says almost 18-year-old Tandu.

“You gotta have the balls to do it yourself”

In the light of the short history of Finnish hip hop, the small market and the Finnish immigration policy, it’s not difficult to understand why immigrants’ rap has only surfaced now.

“Everything changes when people like us take control. We have to work hard, take big chances and build our own record companies,” says 20-year-old Toinen Kadunpoika, aka ERASMO TILSON AMON. He’s currently working on his debut album, due in the summer of 2012.

“We don’t have people taking our music to radio stations and so on. You gotta have the balls to do it yourself. Finland is a small country and we all want the same thing. You can’t just sit at home waiting for someone to call you and say ‘Hey wassup, here’s a record deal’,” Toinen Kadunpoika continues.

Kofi (left), Kevin T and Toinen Kadunpoika. Photo Antti Ahtiluoto.

Nothing happens overnight. KOFI ASARE knows that maybe better than anyone. He has performed with the Rähinä posse under the name of KOFI and toured with ISO H from Fintelligens for years, but hasn’t released any of his own music. He understands the harsh realities.

“I can’t solely focus on music. I’m in my thirties, so I have to put effort into other things as well, for example, applying to the School of Economics. Once I have everything else in order, I can concentrate on music again. I have never done music with the intention that I should make a living from it,” says Kofi who pays his bills by working as a club promoter.

Ghanaian-born Kofi has lived in Finland for 22 years and says that only now people have begun to understand the rap he likes.

“There will be new guys”

17-year-old Noah Kin represents the younger generation of the Helsinki-based multicultural hip hop artists, even though he has already held a mic in his hand for five years.

“Considering my age, I’m an old hand at this. My songs have been on MySpace forever. But in reality you’re nothing until you have a video on YouTube,” says Noah Kin whose songs Intro and Underground gave him the first taste of success. Nigerian on his father’s side, Noah’s debut album No Matter The Season was released in November 2011.

Formed by producer SIMON SOUND and rap artist EKOW, The Megaphone State has aroused interest outside of the Finnish borders as well. Liberian-born Ekow, alias JESSE MARKIN, ended up in Helsinki after first living in Viljakkala and Tampere. These are his thoughts on the emergence of multicultural Finnish rappers:

“I’m sure that the immigration matters have had an effect as they have been discussed so much in the media. It just happened to be the time for this and we happened to be the first ones, but there will be many new guys.”

“Many others have tried to do what we’re doing, but there’s something fake about it. Many Finns have begun in English, but it’s easier for us.” †

www.gracias.fi
www.soundcloud.com/noah-kin
www.toinenkadunpoika.fi
www.facebook.com/kevin.tandu
www.megaphonestate.com

Text Teemu Fiilin  Photos Antti Ahtiluoto

Kalasatama container square. Photo Noora Lehtovuori.

One night only theater performances, new poetry, music, visual arts, open-air cinema, this summer the Kalasatama Container Square is full of events and people.

The multi-colored containers have been sprinkled around the sunny, empty port area, forming a little block town which is surrounded by a one hundred meter long graffiti wall and the Muu wall on which people can paint anything else expect graffiti. The Guggenheim for Hel sheet spreads the message that Helsinki may join the network of Guggenheim museum cities in the near future.

In a couple of years’ time the port square will get a new lease on life as a park area between the Kalasatama residential and business areas when Helsinki expands to the coastline. At the moment the area is living an intermediate stage as the Kalasatama Container Square, a place for grass roots level urban culture near the old gas plant site in Suvilahti, now used as a festival and event area.

Kalasatama container square. Photo Noora Lehtovuori.

The Container Square is all about non-commercial events, including theater performances, music, parties and visual arts as well as bicycle brunches, flea markets and summer dances. All events are free and open for everyone without age limits.

Between the grass roots and decision-makers

The Container Square is part of the Kalasatama Temporary project. The square consists of seven containers that the city has rented to various operators interested in the project. The cultural events in the area are managed by the design company Part together with the city. The actual activities in the containers are run by a bunch of other organizations. One container is a home to Ihana Kahvila (Lovely Café).

JOHANNA HYRKÄS from the design company Part has been involved in coordinating the Kalasatama art and cultural scene from the beginning. Hyrkäs, an artist and architect by profession, wants to give the residents of Helsinki an opportunity to leave a mark on the city.

“Kalasatama is a unique area in Helsinki. Hopefully the events, such as flea markets and gigs, repeated throughout the summer encourage people to come here,” she says.

It’s not always simple to work between the grass roots level and the city’s decision-makers. Hyrkäs has noticed that the leaders of Helsinki do want to show the city as a vibrant cultural city and invest in spontaneous activities, but even the best of intentions tend to get stuck in the bureaucratic machine. She hopes to see a clearer strategic approach and continuity in the Kalasatama operations.

Out of love for the city

One of the operators in the area is Bermuda Helsinki which has collected a large number of fans on Facebook. It hosts its own container and offers it to others. The only condition for using the container is that the events have to be non-commercial and everyone interested has to be welcome.

Kalasatama container square. Photo Noora Lehtovuori.

Bermuda’s EEVA ASTALA and TIMO WRIGHT have been surprised to find how wide and varied the interest has been to put the container to use.

The event calendar for July and August looks promisingly full. It doesn’t matter that the Bermuda duo isn’t quite sure what the Local Underground DJ grilling in July or the Huikkaillat (Draught Evenings) event in August involve. They hope that people learn to come to the Container Square to hang out, always ready for new experiences.

Bermuda got involved in the Container Square project out of love for the city. They are also fascinated by the temporary nature of the Kalasatama operations.

“No one knows what is going to happen after the summer. On the other hand, the city is full of waste land, potential event places where we could continue Bermuda’s activities,” Astala and Wright say.

Bermuda’s container is run with the help of a small cultural grant given by the city, but the costs are quite minimal as well. Oranssi Ry loaned Bermuda Helsinki a PA system for the summer and others have donated blankets, dishes and furniture.

“Someone just positioned a couch outside one of the containers. We should probably protect it from the rain,” Wright says.

Punk ass attitude

On the first weekend of July, the Container Square welcomed the Helsinki-based The Duplo, who can be called a cult band for good reason. The band has returned to its punk and garage roots and the guys, now in their thirties, got excited immediately after hearing about Bermuda Helsinki’s container. A group of bands, DJs and other old friends were invited to play at the party.

Kalasatama container square. Photo Noora Lehtovuori.

From The Duplo’s point of view, playing in an open, free and non-discriminating environment was both a return to the attitude of the band’s starting year, 1996, and a statement about Finland’s increasingly racist, homophobic and otherwise gloomy atmosphere. The last straw was the discussion that singer-guitarist ALEKS DUPLEE heard on a tram about how the containers and the Romanian refugees inside should be thrown in the sea.

“I had to do something because I’m pissed off,” Duplee says.

From a punk band’s perspective the city has become more commercial and closed since the ’90s.

“They took away Lepakko, Oranssi in Katajanokka and other places. Our city needs more activism. Even though we are now a little fatter adults with day jobs, we want to be involved in things.”

According to drummer TOMMI FORCESTRÖM, those who do spontaneous things have a hard time in a city that emphasizes institutionalized culture, even though the best experiences are often created in unofficial places and spontaneous situations.

“I have played the best gigs in garages, basements and living rooms. No rock club can reach that atmosphere when 30 people squeeze into a space that can barely fit 20 people and the band plays too loud and too fast. No stage or other shit, just the volume.” †

www.kalasatamanvaliaika.fi

http://bermudahelsinki.blogspot.com

www.ihanakahvila.fi

Text Taru Torikka  Photos Noora Lehtovuori

The Dø.

Three years ago, the French-Finnish band The Dø delighted us with their experimental and slightly naive indie pop of their debut album. The likable duo will make a comeback at Flow Festival in August, with the second album that will be released in the fall

The Dø’s OLIVIA BOUYSSOU MERILAHTI is a Finn who now calls Paris home. Even though she doesn’t have time to visit Finland too often, her Finnish is good and only occasionally does she have to use English words

On the other hand, The Dø hasn’t had much time to stay in their hometown either. After releasing their debut album A Mouthful in 2008, the band has spent the last two years either on tour or in the studio making the new album

“It was all new and existing,” Merilahti says. “Suddenly we were touring in Europe, Australia, Mexico and the United States. Every day was full of surprises and there was no way to be prepared for everything. With hindsight, it was all great. Music means so much to us and finally we got a chance to play it to people around the world.

An old house in southern France

After the first album, singer/guitarist/keyboard player Merilahti and her fellow band member, multi-instrumentalist DAN LEVY toured with only a drummer as backup. The sometimes too demanding live gigs taught them a lesson and now they have a six-member ensemble supporting them.

“After the first album, the gigs were a little frustrating. We had been booked to play on big festival stages and it was just the three of us up there,” Merilahti says. ”The Dø’s music is also filled with details, so a small band is not enough to reproduce them live.”

“Now we have at least a trombone, saxophone and vibraphone player, as well as a violinist, percussionist and a drummer with his kitchenware. Let’s just hope that they can all make it to our gig at Flow Festival.”

The Dø’s record making process is also different from that of an average band. When they began to make their second album called Both Ways Open Jaws, the duo rented an empty old house in the south of France instead of a studio and took their instruments and recording equipment there. That is where Dan and Olivia prepared their album for an entire year. One reason why the process took so long is undoubtedly the band’s unorthodox composition method.

“We both had our own studio rooms in different parts of the house. I wrote some lyrics in my room and sang them. Dan sat in his room and composed music in his room. In the evening, we would listen to the treasures that we had created during the day. We are practically always together, so it was good to have some alone time in the studio,” Merilahti says.

A farewell to rap

Both Ways Open Jaws was released in France during March 2011, but the rest of the world has to wait till the fall – or buy the album through The Dø’s website. The Dø will also re-record the entire album with a live band.

Olivia Merilahti promises that the album will be stylistically a follow-up to the debut album, on which the duo courageously pushed back the indie pop boundaries. Some things, however, have been eliminated, such as rapping which apparently is not Merilahti’s forte.

“Rapping began as a joke. I’ve always listened to hip hop but I never dared to rap myself, until Dan suggested it,” Merilahti laughs.

“That was three years ago. I wouldn’t do it anymore.”

In addition to The Dø’s albums, the two musicians have composed music for movies and modern dance performances. Merilahti says that modern dance is an art form that is close to her heart. Her voice can also be heard on the soundtrack of a Dutch animated musical called The Monster of Nix, together with TOM WAITS and TERRY GILLIAM. This says a lot about the duo’s attitude and open-minded enthusiasm for making music.

“Writing music has to be fun. An essential part is curiosity about new things. We get excited about new sounds and new instruments that Dan buys and builds for us. If we cannot play something, we’ll try,” Merilahti explains.

“We are not virtuosos. One note is enough for us as long as that note has enough soul.” †

The Dø plays at Flow Festival on Saturday 13 August 2011. www.thedo.info, www.flowfestival.com

Teppo Mäkynen. Photo Johannes Romppanen.

During the past 15 years, the Finnish jazz and rhythm talent TEPPO MÄKYNEN has played in a number of bands and recorded albums under different names, however never under his own name.

Musician, composer and producer Teppo Mäkynen’s latest big project was soul chick Jo Stance’s debut album recorded in 2010. Mäkynen composed, produced and played every single chord on the album together with Jo Stance aka JOHANNA FÖRSTI.

Last spring Mäkynen did not only tour with Jo Stance and TIMO LASSY’s bands, but he also played the drums on KERKKO KOSKINEN’s upcoming jazz album and the Italian jazz producer NICOLA CONTE’s newest album. A ten-day tour with Conte began the day following the interview.

In other words, Mäkynen is always busy – even when he doesn’t have any of his own projects under way.

“I love it that I can just be one of the musicians without too much responsibility because in some projects I’m responsible for too much,” he laughs.

Teppo Mäkynen. Photo Johannes Romppanen

Spoilt for choice

Teppo Mäkynen is in a privileged position as a Finnish musician. He is able to make a living by playing and making music he loves so much. In fact, he doesn’t even have time to do everything he is asked to do. He has the option of choosing which projects interest him the most.

“I’ve had to say no to many production projects and bands just because I don’t have enough time. I rather do one really good thing than three okay things,” Mäkynen says.

And there have been plenty of good things. As a drummer, Mäkynen has played at NuSpirit Helsinki and with The Five Corners Quintet, with JUKKA ESKOLA and Timo Lassy’s bands as well as on countless jazz albums. As a producer, he has done Jo Stance’s debut album as well as various other projects, including Reuna, Stance Brothers and Teddy Rok Seven, the two latter ones basically made by Mäkynen alone.

“In my own projects, I dogmatically limit what I do to a certain style, sound or thought. There’s something really cool about making music alone,” he says.

“In a way, all the personalities in me form a one man band. I’m not the most outgoing guy, so I don’t mind working like a hermit. Besides, then I can do my own thing when I have time and I don’t have to waste my energy waiting for other people.”

In addition to Mäkynen himself, what his projects have in common is the strong reliance on electronic music and sampling.

From jazz to electronic

Mäkynen has played the drums since he got into a music school in Salo at the age of ten. A few years later, he became interested in jazz while taking drum lessons at a band school. That is how he ended up in the Sibelius Academy years later, although he never graduated from there. At the beginning of the ’90s, Mäkynen found hip hop and electronic music had revolutionized his view on music.

“It hit me after the mid-1990s when I discovered drum ‘n’ bass. Then I got into DJ Shadow and house music. I wanted to understand how music is made and what it is related to,” Mäkynen says.

He bought a sampler and a Technics turntable and began to learn more about the DJ culture.

“I was under 25 years old and I was wondering whether I wanted to play jazz to people two or three times older than me at a Finnish-German society’s gathering or make my own generation’s music. I decided to leave the bands and focus on learning to use the sample and turntable as a DJ, just like I play the drums,” Mäkynen explains.

Still some cards to play

Playing with NuSpirit Helsinki and The Five Corners Quintet, Mäkynen got a front-row view of the international break of the new, grooving jazz. The Five Corners Quintet took him to play around the world.

“NuSpirit Helsinki and FCQ were merging different styles and taking music in a new direction. FCQ is an interesting example of how a band can be created. First, a single is made by sampling based on producer TUOMAS KALLIO’s vision and then the band is put together. That had not been done before,” Mäkynen says.

Even though Teppo Mäkynen has proved himself as a musician and producer, there is still something that he has not done. Mäkynen admits that he is itching to make a jazz album under his own name.

“I’ve been hatching the idea for years and waited till I’m older and more mature, waited till I feel that I have something to say about what I am as a jazz musician. I guess I’ve been saving my name as a band leader through all my alter egos. As long as it exists, I haven’t played all my cards,” Mäkynen laughs. †

Text Teemu Fiilin  Photos Johannes Romppanen

Mirel Wagner. Photo Hertta Kiiski.

Mirel Wagner is like a music lover’s daydream. The young singer-songwriter from Espoo appeared out of the blue in 2010 and managed to convince even the most dedicated music lovers with her blues-folk sound. Now, Wagner is moving on to win the hearts of the rest of the world’s population.

MIREL WAGNER’s music is definitely not similar to that of many other young musicians. 23-year-old Wagner has adopted her unassuming, yet intensive raw folk expression from the spiritual heritage of BOB DYLAN, LEONARD COHEN, PJ HARVEY, NICK CAVE and TOM WAITS. In other words, she doesn’t make music that could be heard on hit radio stations or on television talent shows.

“I have been listening to Dylan and JONI MITCHELL since I was a kid and I’m still influenced by the same artists. I also listened to the Spice Girls, but I don’t think it has affected my music that much,” Wagner laughs.

Mirel Wagner began to play the violin at the age of seven. When she was thirteen, she switched the violin for a guitar and began to write songs. Wagner was 16 or 17 years old when she wrote some of the songs on her debut album released in February. It’s mind-blowing, considering that the album’s main themes are agonizing sorrow, yearning and death. It’s difficult to take her music lightly, especially when she sings lyrics like “It’s a hard and crooked life, when you’re a dead man’s unwedded wife”.

“The lyrics usually come from my imagination and sometimes from dreams,” Wagner explains. “People shouldn’t take them too seriously. I find it interesting when things are going so wrong that the line between a tragedy and comedy becomes blurry. You don’t know whether you should laugh or cry.”

On the way into the depths

Wagner assures that she’s not a gloomy person in her normal life. However, she doesn’t want to explain her lyrics too much. She wants to leave some things untold and give the listeners a freedom to interpret the songs in their own way.

The scenes of her songs include wells with black water as well as deep rivers and lakes. Wagner thinks that they come from her childhood.

“They are all mystical elements and therefore close to my heart. They are probably a link to my Finnish background. Blues singers sing about cotton fields and I sing about lakes,” Wagner says.

Mirel Wagner is music-wise a surprisingly ready and mature artist, which has also inspired the critics to praise the album. For a long time she was unsure of her skills, but now she’s pleased when she’s compared to legendary artists.

“I believed in the album and I was sure it would be good. Of course, it’s a great compliment if someone compares me to, for example, Leonard Cohen. He has, after all, been a strong influence. It also gives a clue of my music to those who haven’t heard it yet,” Wagner says.

The right audience, the right atmosphere

There are various ways for a young musician to make a name for oneself and playing at acoustic singer-songwriter clubs is definitely not the easiest nor the most certain way. Therefore, Wagner’s story is a great and promising example. Everything has gone well for Wagner who played her first gig during the summer of 2010. Her debut album reached number 15 on the Finnish charts the week it was released. The album has also been released in other Nordic countries.

“I have done everything on my own terms. The record company contacted me and I never even sent a single demo. I didn’t want to work with a big record company because I was afraid that they would tell me to make happier music and change my clothes,” Wagner says. “I was nervous when I began to sing to real people instead of walls.”

Wagner is a demanding artist because her music requires quite intensive listening. It’s probably not a good idea to book her to play at a wild student party. However, with the right kind of atmosphere and audience it’s a hit.

“At a gig in Hämeenlinna, the room was so quiet that when someone accidentally tapped a glass with a ring, the entire room heard the clink. It’s such an amazing moment when I hold the audience in my hands and control the listeners with my music.” †

www.myspace.com/mirelwagner

Text Teemu Fiilin Photos Hertta Kiiski

Rubik. Photo Matti Tanskanen.

Rubik can, for a good reason, be called Finland’s biggest indie band. The band’s indie approach is illustrated not only in its style of music but also in its way of thinking and the channel through which it releases its albums.

During the past ten years and with three albums under their belt, Rubik has created a reputation as a band that goes its own way. It has also built up a loyal domestic fan base and received critical acclaim almost without exception.

Following the second album Dada Bandits, two years ago, Rubik took its biggest leap abroad. Tours in North America, Canada and Europe gave the band faith.

“During the tour we realized that our band actually does have an audience. Whether that audience finds us is not up to us, but the music clearly has listeners,” says Rubik singer ARTTURI TAIRA.

Rubik’s venues varied from small art galleries to warm-up gigs at sold-out theaters with an audience of a few thousand people. According to the bass player, JUSSI HIETALA, the positive reception caught them by surprise almost everywhere.

“Especially in Europe, the audience was quite conscious and had checked out the band on the internet before the gig. The atmosphere was less reserved than on a typical Friday night at Tavastia.”

Music from the dark

Rubik’s new album, Solar, takes a few steps away from the hyperactive and meandering kaleidoscope sound of Dada Bandits. A little bit of concentration has paid off because Solar is easily the band’s best album so far. It stretches from the positive and bubbly indie pop song Laws Of Gravity to the 70’s radio rock of Sun’s Eyes and the optimistic wistfulness of World Around You.

“Sound played a major role on our previous album, which probably made it easier to approach for a listener following the indie scene in 2009. This time we had songs that we wanted to respect, which dictated the end result,” Taira says.

Old-fashioned or not, Rubik still believes in the power of a full-length album. Solar is also an album that is meant to be listened to from beginning to end at once and where each song has its own meaning.

Rubik rehearses at New Music Community’s headquarters in Kulttuuritalo, Helsinki, which is also home to female artist BELLE WHO, a number of other musicians and frequently changing ensembles. Alppisali in Kulttuuritalo also accommodates writers and painters – a bit like ANDY WARHOL’s Factory. Alppisali is also where the band recorded Solar in the summer of 2010.

“Every morning we put on our work clothes, had a morning meeting at 9am in the Kulttuuritalo café and then went to work on the songs underground until 3am. It was 25 degrees outside and we were in darkness. Our daily rhythm was a mess,” the Rubik guys laugh.

“Coincidence and a bit of luck”

The hard work during the summer paid off as Solar has been receiving five-star reviews. The Finnish music media has liked the band since day one, but many people seem to have quite unrealistic expectations of how the band will do abroad.

“We’ve often wondered what this highly sought-after breakthrough is. For example, after Nightwish the expectations must be ridiculous, so that a breakthrough means stadium concerts in Brazil with 20,000 people. However, with this kind of music that’s not possible. We are realistic about everything. There’s no reason to brag yet,” Taira says.

Rubik’s success is no longer a question of the music or even chances because the band has skillful agents in the United States and Canada. The band’s bigger success is now a question of luck.

“It comes down to coincidence and a bit of luck. Making good music is never enough and it won’t take you all the way. Music-wise there is nothing that should stop us from being successful.”

Rubik is not a new band in Finland, but as far as foreign music bloggers are concerned the band is still competing with other new artists that have just released their first demo.

“The blog world has no history. You don’t get extra points for having played ten years and ultimately the background work doesn’t matter much. The blog world is also very fickle and artists are forgotten as quickly as they are discovered. A large part of the rock mystery is based on a spur of the moment, on the fact that guys just decided to buy Stratocasters and half by accident made a diamond. I think it’s a more interesting if someone has been playing for ten years in Finnish forests,” Taira says. †

www.rubikband.net

Text Teemu Fiilin Photos Matti Tanskanen

French Films. Photo Sanna Lehto.

French Films has shot to indie fame quite quickly. It’s undoubtedly the most blogged about Finnish pop band and one of the first Finnish bands to make waves outside of Finland thanks to foreign music blogs. This year the band is set to fulfill the expectations they have created.

French Films’ demo song Golden Sea combines Joy Division’s hectic post-punk and bubbly, summery beach pop. Last year, the song enthralled dozens and dozens of music bloggers around the world. Within a week from the song’s release on Myspace, the band had received numerous contacts from all over the world, including some from American record labels.

French Films started off as a demo project by Leaders Of The Republic vocalist JOHANNES LEPPÄNEN. The project piqued the interest of MIKAEL JURMU, then the bassist for Yes Please!, and the two decided to put together a band to breathe new life into the songs. The band grew into a quintet, released Golden Sea on Myspace – and the rest is history. However, instead of American labels, the band chose Finnish label GAEA, who will publish the band’s debut album this year.

”All of us wanted to do something new, because our old bands had gotten stagnant. New ideas were born, and suddenly we had lots of gigs and all sorts of people contacting us,” Jurmu recounts.

Worldwide wonderland

French Films became a household name in just a couple of months. Mikael Jurmu admits that the band caught a lucky break with their contemporary sound.

French Films. Photo Sanna Lehto.

”There were dozens of blog posts a week. At first it was amazing that a Finnish band could create so much interest. In hindsight, Finland may well have been the very thing that interested people. A blogger, or even a gig booker, might be intrigued by a band hailing from a more exotic location.”

French Films also found out the hard way that bloggers are in a rush to be the first to write about a new band.

”There was a lot of nonsense written about us without even checking the facts – such as that we come from Helsinki,” the bassist laughs. In fact, French Films hails from Espoo and Järvenpää.

The band’s four-song debut EP Golden Sea was published in November 2010. After that, French Films have been preparing their debut album for months. The album is set for release in early summer. The schedule has been slowed down by the fact that all members have either school or day jobs to take care of, at least for now.

”We are slowly cutting back on other work, so that we can focus on music full-time. We believe that it’s possible to live on making music, even if it doesn’t make us rich. However, that will take a lot of work. First and foremost we have to accept that music must become a job for us. If you think of it as a hobby, that’s what it will remain,” Mikael Jurmu ponders.

Indie pop exported

French Films hasn’t played too many gigs abroad yet. In the spring and summer they will play in at least Stockholm, Vienna, Berlin, Rome and Barcelona.

Jurmu points out that Finland has quite a few bands that tour the world but are less well known in Finland.

”We get gig offers from abroad constantly. Also, approximately half of our Facebook fans are from abroad,” Jurmu says.

French Films are often linked to precisely the musical and non-musical aspects that have dominated indie rock for the past couple of years: the tropic, beaches, waves, surfing, surf music and punk pop. The band also recognizes this. They admit to liking tsunami-esque reverb effects and tropical guitar sounds, but claim simply to want to make timeless pop music.

”Our goal is to make a good pop song with a good melody. We prefer simple solutions, and want to include something that is truly our own, something Finnish. You don’t want to get too caught up in fads, because they can be out before you know it,” Jurmu sums it up. †

French Films will play a gig in Helsinki at Club YK’s Thursday night YK Live club on 31.3.2011. www.myspace.com/frenchfilmsofficial

Text Teemu Fiilin Photos Sanna Lehto

Le Futur Pompiste. Photo Sauli Sirviö.

These days, geographical distances don’t prevent keeping a band together, although they may slow things down. Le Futur Pompiste’s timeless pop is a good example.

Le Futur Pompiste’s debut album Your Stories and Your Thoughts came out in 2004. Six years passed before the bands second, anonymous album was released in November 2010.

Two albums in a decade can’t be described as a hurried release schedule. In spite of this, the band doesn’t cop to slacking off during this period.

”It’s a continuous slow process. Between releases, we did regular stuff like work, study, make other music – and eat pizza,” Le Futur Pompiste’s drummer VILLE HOPPONEN recollects.

”We’ve never been a very active band. We’ve always been slow workers. It’s such a rare occasion when we can get together to arrange new songs or practice for concerts,” says the band’s bassist JOHANN HÖGLUND.

Le Futur Pompiste. Photo Sauli Sirviö.

From futurism to clean melodies

The six-member group’s music isn’t contemporary, but rather timeless or even old-fashioned. The most common comparisons have been to British avant-garde pop giants Stereolab and Broadcast. The biggest combining factor is a love for the futurism and technology of the 1960s and 70s and clean, timeless melodies.

”Any insignificant detail can spark a new song: commercial jingles, the bass line of an R&B song, a Christmas carol. It’s when we set out to turn that spark into a song that our vintage sound enters the equation,” Le Futur Pompiste’s main songwriter EINAR EKSTRÖM describes the process.

”You can get influenced by so much more than just music. For example, we don’t think about musical genres, but instead make music that feels natural to us. Everything must start off with a great idea,” Ville Hopponen sums up.

Finders, keepers

If you haven’t heard of Le Futur Pompiste, there’s no need to feel bad. The band really doesn’t do promotion. Because they tour so little, they aren’t that much better known in Finland than abroad.

Le Futur Pompiste’s records are released by American label Shelflife, who publish albums by relatively unknown pop bands out of love for music.

”We’re very meticulous about anything relating to music, but quite lazy about promotion. None of us like pushy marketing. I feel bad when I see bands trying to force themselves onto people. It’s more fun just to be available and let people find you,” Hopponen states.

Le Futur Pompiste. Photo Sauli Sirviö.

”When we started out over ten years ago, not many people in Finland understood our music. Over the years, the musical climate here has changed towards a more international direction. Nowadays Finns listen to a lot of good and different music, not just Lemonheads,” laughs lead vocalist JESSIKA RAPO, also familiar from her other band Burning Hearts. ”Now we have a lot more fans over here as well.”

Helsinki–Turku–Stockholm

It’s no wonder Le Futur Pompiste is taking it slow. Although the band was formed in Vaasa in 2000, its members have never really lived in the same city at the same time. Or even practiced with any kind of regularity.

At the moment, band members are situated in Helsinki, Turku and Stockholm. From the early days onwards, the widespread sextet has had to learn to communicate over the internet and send files all around Finland.

Le Futur Pompiste’s main songwriter Einar Ekström lives and works in Stockholm, but he says he is constantly writing new songs. The ten tracks for the second album took four years to make after the first album was complete. Ekström calls the actual recording process ”a never-ending project”. The initial recording phase only took a week, but taking care of overlapping tracks, vocals and details took a whole year.

”That’s how we work, slowly towards the next album,” says bassist Johann Höglund.

It goes without saying that due to geographic distances, gigs are few and far between for Le Futur Pompiste.

”Gigs don’t really matter,” Ekström claims. ”Our main focus has always been making good records.” †

www.myspace.com/lefuturpompiste

Text Teemu Fiilin  Photos Sauli Sirviö

Islaja. Photo Hertta Kiiski.

Islaja is one of the biggest names in the Finnish forest folk genre. Despite this, her music is nothing like forests – or folk.

Islaja a.k.a. MERJA KOKKONEN is probably better known abroad than in Finland. With four albums under her belt, she spends half the year touring all over the world. She settled into Berlin about a year ago.

Kokkonen has come to Finland directly from her Japanese and Chinese tour to play a gig with her other project, the trio Hertta Lussu Ässä, who have an album coming out in the spring. Last summer Kokkonen, who also works as a visual artist, visited Finland thrice, or as she likes to put it, “constantly”.

“I’ve lived in Berlin for a year, but am yet to buy for example a bed,” she says. “I think this kind of life suits me pretty well. The most important thing is not to get stressed out.”

Islaja. Photo Hertta Kiiski.

Swapping scenes

With her new album Keraaminen pää, Islaja has been noticed in Finland as well. Her latest release is quite a radical step away from previous albums. While Islaja’s older records were quickly placed into the forest folk genre, Keraaminen pää is a tougher nut to crack.

And hasn’t that pissed off critics swearing in the name of underground.

“It was to be expected. I actually knew beforehand who would love it and who wouldn’t. The so-called ‘scene mags’ even had some quite rough comments. Change isn’t what they want to see from an artist like myself. They’d prefer me to remain the hippy from the woods of Finland,” Kokkonen laughs.

In the more mainstream media, the reception has been better, quite logically. The previous albums Meritie, Palaa aurinkoon and Ulual Yyy, published between 2004 and 2007, had an experimental sound with rough, hissing outdoors takes. Now Islaja’s music has transformed into a more easily digested, electronic and controlled soundscape. What previously leaned on dark folk is now closer to dreamy, slightly dramatic pop.

“It’s a fact that the more you play, the more popular you get, the more albums you make, the more you develop and improve yourself. Suckiness slowly gives way to skill. It’s good for me to tread the line between experimental and pop music, but it’s confusing for anyone trying to pidgeonhole me,” says Kokkonen, who makes her records practically on her own.

Breaking the language barrier

Right from the start, Islaja got used to being known better abroad than in her home country. Record label Fonal, whose artists also include Paavoharju, TV-Resistori, Eleanoora Rosenholm and Risto, sells around half their records abroad.

Islaja. Photo Hertta Kiiski.

“Even back when my debut album came out, all the attention came from abroad. I’ve grown used to that. The recent interest in Finland has actually surprised me. It’s nice that foreigners have now confirmed that ‘this chick is alright, you can dig her’,” Kokkonen laughs.

At first glance, the chances of making it abroad seem quite slim for an artist singing in Finnish. However, Islaja’s music touches people who don’t speak Finnish all over the world, and the market for marginal music is of a completely different caliber abroad. With Keraaminen pää, Islaja has for the first time reached out to her wider audience and included English translations of the Finnish lyrics in the booklet.

“When I’m listening to music, I know I’m interested in what the lyrics mean. I’m also tired of hearing that listeners can’t understand what I’m singing. Of course many foreigners see it as a positive thing: with a foreign language, you don’t even have to try to understand the lyrics. The vocals become just another instrument. Many things are also so universal that you can pick out certain emotions from the tone of voice,” Kokkonen analyzes.

Islaja has received a lot of praise for the translations. For those who have been disappointed by the inclusion of translated lyrics, Kokkonen has one piece of advice: burn or flush the booklet.

Kokkonen says she thought about singing even all of the songs in English, but she discarded the idea after realizing that translating the lyrics inevitably changes the song. Still, the idea of an English album is brewing in her head.

“I’m sure the time will come for that, although writing lyrics in English might be less introspective as in Finnish – in spite of not living in Finland anymore or even using Finnish that much in my daily life.” †

www.islaja.com

Text Teemu Fiilin  Photos Hertta Kiiski

Shine 2009. Photo Kaarle Hurtig.

Shine 2009 makes dance pop with emotion and logic.

It’s a well-known fact that Finns only become interested in Finnish bands after they’ve gained success abroad. Helsinki-based Shine 2009 knows it all too well. The Duo’s 2010 debut ep Associates was reviewed on countless blogs as well as on Pitchfork, a website worshipped by the indie world. They still get reminded about it nearly daily.

“Recognition abroad is really important in Finland. I thought the deciding moment for our band would be when we put our first songs online, but there wasn’t too much interest until Pitchfork’s review hit,” says Shine 2009’s MIKKO PYKÄRI.

Consisting of Pykäri and SAMI SUOVA, Shine 2009 is a relatively young band, as the band’s name would let on. However, the duo met back in 2004 and discussed setting up the band for a long time. Up until the fall of 2009, when they wrote their first songs, all the details were completely open.

Sami Suova, who had no prior singing experience, decided to become the vocalist.

Shine 2009. Photo Kaarle Hurtig.

“I wasn’t even willing to sing in the choir in elementary school,” Suova reminisces. “It was awesome to overcome a fear like that, and after that it was pretty clear that we wouldn’t need anyone else. Our super powers multiplied,” he grins.

Their debut album, up for release in March, was made in Shine 2009’s office bit by bit over the past year. The album will be published in the US by Cascine, an interesting newcomer, and in Finland by minor label Expo.

Logic and emotion

Shine 2009 has been branded repeatedly as a spiritual successor of Swedish bands drawing inspiration from Balearic dance music such as The Embassy and The Tough Alliance. There are some parallels – perhaps the important one being a combination of light club beats and traditional pop compositions that is as much 2010 as it is the 1990s. Shine 2009’s music has been called trendy, but Suova and Pykäri prefer ‘contemporary’.

“People call trendy what they think was made just because it’s popular right now. Our music simply doesn’t fit the definition,” Pykäri laughs.

Ambient synth mats, clinking house pianos, plucked guitars, sampled hip hop beats and Suova’s emotional, laid back vocals ooze the cool mood of 1990s Manchester and Ibiza, but the hedonism is softened by a pondering tone. The production is perfect to a fault, but the songs make sense.

“We have periods when we get inspired by any given thing. These periods can last from half a day to maybe two days. We get tired of many things quickly. Often there is an

inspiring element, maybe just a sequence of chords,” Pykäri continues.

Shine 2009. Photo Kaarle Hurtig.

Simple is beautiful

Finland hasn’t historically produced acts that tread the line between serious pop and club music, and that remains the case. Shine 2009 has the playground all to itself.

“There could be a lot more ambitious pop music. We don’t have too much competition. Even if we look at the whole world, we don’t feel threatened or even contested in any way,” Pykäri ponders.

The music of Shine 2009 isn’t production line material. The production schedule is so slow that the duo says they don’t have any time for misses. Pykäri and Suova have no clearly defined roles in the band, but instead do a lot together. On gigs, things are different: Suova sings and plays the guitar and keyboards. Pykäri takes care of the rest, although a lot of things are automatized. In addition to playing music, the duo handles the playback of visuals created by SANTTU MUSTONEN.

For Shine 2009, the most important thing is the good feeling that making music gives them. Production and composition consists of adding elements and cruelly taking them out.

“You don’t always want to put the whole menu on a single plate. The more focused a song is, and the fewer elements you can cut it down to, the better,” Pykäri analyzes. †

www.myspace.com/2009shine

Text Teemu Fiilin  Photos Kaarle Hurtig