Janne Lounatvuori / Kaiku Studios. Photo Johannes Ekholm.
Indie is the new mainstream, and electro is the new dance. Finnish electro artists and record companies are making club-goers and electronic music fans dance all over the world.
Seven years ago, Finnish rock made its way into more ears around the world than ever before. The Rasmus made their breakthrough with Dead Letters, the most successful Finnish record ever, selling platinum in five and gold in eight countries. A couple of years later, HIM broke into the US top 20 with their album Love Metal.
After that, Finland’s mainstream rock factory started to slow down. After Sunrise Avenue’s short hit career, the last couple of years haven’t been a blast for Finnish rock bands – at least measured by success abroad.
What’s often called real metal is of course another thing. Hardly anyone will deny that it’s the pride of Finland, its trademark and number one export.
The music industry has of course gone through significant changes during this period. Mainstream arena rock isn’t a tempting product in its ancient form. Instead the demand for smaller genres keeps on growing: in the early 2000s, electronic dance music was a marginal genre, but at least to a younger generation, it’s starting to be the standard soundtrack for parties.
Produced by JAAKKO ”JS16” SALOVAARA, hits by Darude and Bomfunk MC’s put Finnish dance music onto charts all over the world already 10 years ago. In 2010, Finnish electro, techno, house and synth pop are plentiful and of high quality. Finnish electronic music has also been noticed abroad – even better than in Finland.
Le Corps Mince de Francoise. Photo Johannes Ekholm.
Varieties of electro
The amount of different electronic club music and pop is impressive. Perhaps one of the most active parties is Top Billin, a label producing more club music in digital form than anyone else in Finland. Songs both by Top Billin as a label as well as its artists like Femme En Fourrure are making their way around the world with travelling DJs and music blogs. Top Billin’s sublabel Nightrunners focuses on the more melodic, italodisco-influenced house produced by e.g. Helsinki 78–82 and Koobra. Top Billin also publishes a lot of fresh music from abroad.
The artists of label New Judas, such as Huoratron, Les Gillettes, Downtown and Le Corps Mince De Françoise, are travelling the world constantly, even though the company isn’t as steady with its releases. The side project of Downtown a.k.a. VILLE HAIMALA, the duo Renaissance Man, specializing in house, blew up almost overnight.
New electronic pop duos are perhaps more prevalent in the media because their style of music pleases a broader audience. Alongside this year’s biggest name Villa Nah, indie-oriented Zebra and Snake, perky TV Off and humoristic synth duo Jesse have been in the public eye. Awaiting larger attention are Shine 2009, a ‘90s club pop wiz, and Hannulelauri, who is doing epic instrumental disco.
Skweee and electronic funk artists such as Eero Johannes and Randy Barracuda gather much more attention abroad than in Finland. Of the older names at least JORI HULKKONEN and Op:l Bastards still make relevant music.
Into Berlin
However, many artists have left Finland in favor of greener electro pastures. Although in the early 2000s masses of artists fled to Barcelona, Berlin has now become the unofficial second home of Finnish musicians.
“I don’t know if it’s easier in Berlin, but at least there are more opportunities and professionals there. At least for our genre there are more venues, people, artists and collegues,” says JONAS VERWIJNEN of the Kaiku studio founded in Berlin by Finnish musicians.
“I also love Helsinki, but somehow I can work more in Berlin, although there’s a lot of unemployment here. That doesn’t mean that I couldn’t work from Helsinki, but it’s more like a personal preference,” say Verwijnen, who produces music and manages bands through Kaiku.
Kaiku works hard for Finnish bands abroad by offering them production, contacts, tours and consulting. Their clients include Norwegian Whitest Boy Alive, King Of Convenience and Annie, and Finnish Joensuu 1685, Zebra and Snake, Le Corps Mince De Françoise as well as many New Judas artists.
Obi Blanche. Photo Johannes Ekholm.
Aiming for the wrong market?
Earlier this year, HIM released their seventh album Screamworks: Love In Theory And Practice, which quite expectedly went to the top of the charts in Finland and even in Britain. Despite this, the album was a disappointment even to old fans, and it has sold less than HIM’s previous release.
A less anticipated release, Villa Nah’s debut album Origin launched in March. Surprisingly the album reached the number seven spot on the Finnish list. As 2010 rolled around, few people even knew what Villa Nah was. The album has been received very positively in the media abroad, and music blogs have noted it as well. The band’s success is still very marginal compared to a giant like HIM.
“Maybe it’s an illusion of sorts. Renaissance Man, Top Billin and the like are still underground phenomena. However, it does tell you that there are contacts, and we know how to export Finnish electronic music. That’s fucking cool, because if we don’t, someone will,” ponders electro musician Randy Barracuda a.k.a. PERTTU HÄKKINEN, who was part of Imatran Voima and recently released his solo debut
The phenomenon is clearly visible: Finnish electronic dance music has more demand abroad than ever before.
“We don’t think about the market or understand it at all. We make music just out of the joy of making it. I think of us as this weird little band,” says JUHO PAALOSMAA of Villa Nah. however, the album of ‘this weird little band’ was called ‘timeless pop’ in British Q magazine, and according to NME, they are ‘reigniting electropop’s romantic flame’.
Ten years ago pioneers like Jori Hulkkonen, Jimi Tenor and Pan Sonic were more like funny curiosities to Finns, although they garnered appreciation elsewhere. The attitudes have drastically changed in the last couple of years, and today’s artists have a much brighter future to look forward to also in Finland.†
Text Teemu Fiilin Photos Johannes Ekholm
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