Thursday, October 25, 2007

NSI. Plays Non Standards.



A new Sähkö Recordings release...

Artist: NSI (Non Standard Institute)
Title: Plays Non Standards
Format: CD
Cat.no: SÄHKÖ-022
Date: October 2007

Tracklist:
(23 untitled piano pieces)


Press release info:

Non Standard Institute
Plays Non Standards

Non Standard Institute is a piano drone project by sound engineers Max Loderbauer (Sun Electric) and Tobias Freund (Pink Elln, Sieg Üeber Die Sonne), both prominent techno producers whose careers date back the mid-1980s.

Compared to their earlier work in, Plays Non Standards is an exploration into a completely different direction. The music is based on the sounds of the grand piano played by Loderbauer and the subtle electronic "treatments" by Freund, with the help of vintage Roland DEP-5 and Roland TR-808 machines.

Very minimalistic and Spartan, yet rich in its attention to detail and sound, Plays Non Standards is a soundwork in the tradition of Brian Eno's Music For Airports. Yet, the music produced by Non Standard Institute is fully improvised, with "mistakes" being a vital part of their ambient experience.

Recorded over a two-year period in Berlin, Plays Non Standards does an outstanding job in blurring the line between modern acoustic piano music and the more philosophical end of electronic music.

  • Info & sound samples @ Sähkö Recordings
  • Entry @ Discogs

  • Sähkö Recordings: official site
  • Sähkö Recordings @ pHinnWeb
  • Wednesday, October 24, 2007

    Mauno Paajanen





    Mauno Paajanen
    Psyko - Kaikki levytykset 1977-1980 (2-CD)
    Rocket Records
    ROK-004
    24 Oct 2007

    1CD:
    Poste Restante (Titan 1978)
    01. Kasikympin lätkä
    02. Yamaha ja Havanna
    03. Siirry vähän James
    04. Kadun väärällä puolella
    05. He veivät lapset pois
    06. Kaikki kulkee niin hiljaa
    07. Poste restante
    08. Aito suomalainen ranskatar
    09. Patakuningatar
    10. Bonnie & Clyde
    11. Tyttö pieni (pelkäätkö mua?)
    12. Haavelintu

    2CD:
    Psyko (Silver Blue 1979)
    01. Omena
    02. Missä Liisa on?
    03. Mrs. Brook
    04. Yksin
    05. Kundi meikkaa
    06. Claudia Cardinale
    07. Billyn lähtö
    08. Nauruihminen
    09. Puuttuva rengas
    10. Alfa, Romeo
    11. Anne
    12. Vain tuskaako tein?
    13. Omena
    'Yläkerran psyko' 7" (JP-Musiikki 1980)
    14. Yläkerran psyko
    15. Hait tyttöjä syö
    Unreleased tracks (1980)
    16. Fahrenheit 451
    17. Sähköinen soturi
    18. Avoin ovi

    Mauno Paajanen (b. 1960), also known as Twiggy Oliver, is a Finnish artist known as the writer of the song 'Kundi meikkaa' ("A guy makes up") that was later famously covered by the synthpop act Organ (who will have their comeback gig at Avanto 2007 Festival). Now Tampere's Rocket Records has released a 30-track retrospective 2-CD of Paajanen, called Psyko - Kaikki levytykset 1977-1980, which includes in their entirety Paajanen's LPs Poste Restante (1978) and Psyko (1979), also the single 'Yläkerran Psyko' ("Upstairs psycho") and some previously unreleased tracks from 1979-80. Furthermore, Rocket Records is going to release the CD I Can't Sleep In Hell (ROK-005, late '07) of Paajanen/Twiggy Oliver's other project provocatively named The Voice of Mengele, who finished this debut LP of theirs in summer 1987, though the album was eventually shelved except for one promo single from it. Alongside Paajanen, the band's line-up featured among all Antti Reini, Jesu Hämäläinen, Måns Kullman, Ilkka Rantamäki, Frej Stenfors and Vesa Häkli. Also a Twiggy Oliver solo album is promised by Rocket Records for 2008.

    Finnish Wikipedia tells that Paajanen's recording career was started in 1976 when as a member of a band called Claudie three of their tracks were released on a various artists compilation Fireball. In 1977 Paajanen released his first solo single, '80 lätkä'/'Poste Restante', and his debut album Poste Restante was to follow on the Fonovox sublabel Titan in 1978. Paajanen's second album, the 1979 Psyko for Silver Blue label, gained a cult reputation, having 'Kundi meikkaa' as one of its tracks. 1980 saw the single 'Yläkerran psyko'/'Hait tyttöjä syö' ("Sharks eat girls") which received little attention, so it took years before Mauno Paajanen would record under his own name again. In 1986 Kaktus label released a compilation record Aito suomalainen ranskatar ("A genuine Finnish Frenchwoman") featuring tracks from his two albums and the 7" track 'Hait tyttöjä syö'. There were also some promo singles in 2003 and 2005, respectively called 'Musta kuu'("Black moon") and 'Sokea mies ruusun toi' ("A blind man brought a rose"). Paajanen has penned songs for such Finnish artists as Tulip, Maria Hänninen, Tarja Merivirta, Esa Saarinen (better known as a philosopher and celebrity), Frederik, Outi Popp and Tin Janine.

    Mauno Paajanen's other incarnation as Twiggy Oliver represented Finnish new wave/New Romantic synth pop of the early 80s, releasing on Q label the singles 'Play With Fire' ('81) and 'Pick Up Girls' ('82), and being featured on the 1983 compilation The Art of Breeding (tracklist at pHinnWeb Early Years: Synthpop).

    Update: I just purchased this 2-CD, and musically it's Suomirock-style guitar pop with some occasional electronic flavour (Moog synth) on Psyko; Poste Restante also features some well-known studio musicians and even occasional string arrangements. Paajanen's vocals and lyrical approach (with tragicomic, bittersweet and even morbid song subjects combining dark romance and everyday kitchen sink realism, often described with a certain charming naivistic style) make me think of such names as the late Gösta Sundqvist of Leevi and the Leevings, Kari Peitsamo (and Peitsamo's "son"/musical heir apparent, Risto) or even Kauko Röyhkä. David Bowie influences are apparent all the way through, though Paajanen clearly developed an original style, which came into fruition on Psyko. Perhaps Finnish audiences of the day weren't exactly ready for Paajanen's twisted vision, so here's hoping this release will find the artist vindicated.

    Listen:

  • Mauno Paajanen @ MySpace
  • 'Kundi meikkaa' & other Paajanen tracks @ Rocket Records MySpace site

    Links (in Finnish):

  • Mauno Paajanen thread @ Pop-lehti
  • The Voice of Mengele album info @ Rocket Records MySpace site
  • Mauno Paajanen @ YLE Äänilevystö
  • Mauno Paajanen @ Finnish Wikipedia
  • The Voice of Mengele @ Finnish Wikipedia

    Bonus Video:

    Bela Lugosi club @ YLE Elävä Arkisto
  • Tuesday, October 23, 2007

    "Only Neurotics Will Survive The Future..."


    "It is now obvious that only neurotics will survive the future. Only fragmented personalities will be able to withstand the fragmented world produced by our over-sophisticated technology. What we consider today as pathological thoughts and behaviours are actually evolutionary advances that allow people to cope with urban alienation and its barrage of movie/video icons, computerised surveillance systems and nuclear threats. In place of raw emotion and instinct, we are increasingly compelled to cultivate a repertoire of artificial responses, amending the noble savage with a neurasthenic itinerary that consists of obsession, introversion and paranoia."

    - Joseph Lanz at RE/Search #8/9: J. G. Ballard (RE/Search Publications, 1984)

    Monday, October 22, 2007

    Fonal Night, 19 October 2007


    Islaja: 'Rohkaisulaulu'

    I checked out the theme night of Fonal Records at the Lost In Music festival of Yo-Talo on Friday. I haven't heard the latest releases of Islaja (a.k.a. Merja Kokkonen) but even some Stooges-like moments and some machine rhythms were heard now. This time the set of Kemialliset Ystävät [about whose manSEDANse set and the rest of the festival some weeks ago I would still like to get something together for this blog before too long - the procrastinating pH.] consisted of some sort of tribal blues sound, and on the black & white background video the boys were seen running around in the woods, looking like it was part of some sort of live role-playing ritual? Eleanoora Rosenholm (who will release their album on Fonal soon) I had never heard before. Their live sound paradoxically made me describe it as "lounge meets 70s Eurovision pop with some progrock flavour", so it will be interesting to hear what this will sound like on record. One song surprisingly made me think of Regina and their chanteuse Iisa Pajula. I think Eleanoora Rosenholm does hold some potential, and the audience seemed eventually to warm up to the songs, even though being unfamiliar with them. Some extra delights for a friend of old analogue electronics like me were spared to the end of the night when after around 2:30 am Shogun Kunitoki entered the stage with their arsenal of vintage keyboards. Playing an intense set, perhaps in the style of the late 60s proto-electronic veterans like Silver Apples and Lothar and the Hand People, I just had to watch it to the end, even though I was already starting to feel extremely drowsy at this late hour. A nice night, all in all.

    Thursday, October 18, 2007

    Käytöskukka (1966-67)


    Käytöskukka #1 - Ylpeys ("Pride")


    Käytöskukka #2 - Rohkeus ("Courage")


    Käytöskukka #3 - Huomaavaisuus ("Consideration")


    Käytöskukka #4 - Ahneus ("Greed")


    Käytöskukka #5 - Laiskuus ("Sloth")


    Käytöskukka #6 - Kateus ("Envy")


    Käytöskukka #7 - Sinisilmäisyys ("Gullibility")


    Käytöskukka #8 - Turhamaisuus ("Vanity")


    Käytöskukka #9 - Murjotus ("A Sulk")

    [Other episodes -- #10: Kiire ("A Hurry"), #11: Apua ("Help!"), #12: Ystävyys ("Friendship"), #13: Persoonallisuus ("Personality").]

    Käytöskukka ("Behaviour Blossom") was a Finnish 13-part series of didactic short animations made with cutout technique; created by Heikki Partanen (1942-1990) in 1966 and 1967, intending to teach good manners to children. The series, which was like "Seven Deadly Sins for Infants", had every episode starring a domestic piglet called Hinku and a wild piglet called Vinku, encountering such surreal creatures as the angry Suursyömäri (might be translated as "Gargantuan Eater") who devours everything coming its way, and other characters behaving, for example, in a lazy or vain way but learning some valuable lesson in each episode's end. South Park this was not. And the theme music is a classic, too!

  • Käytöskukka @ Finnish Wikipedia
  • Käytöskukka @ Suomen Elokuvakontakti
  • Heikki Partanen filmography @ Elonet
  • Heikki Partanen filmography @ IMDB
  • Wednesday, October 17, 2007

    Consumer Electronics (UK) Replacing Whitehouse


    Philip Best

    Consumer Electronics (UK)
    Mika Vainio (FIN)


    live

    @ Tavastia (Urho Kekkosen katu 4-6, Helsinki)
    28 October 2007
    doors open 20:00 hours
    tickets 15 euros

    Organised by Charm of Sound

    ---

    A change of schedule to the Whitehouse gig in Helsinki announced earlier on:

    Philip Best's (Whitehouse) solo project Consumer Electronics will replace Whitehouse because William Bennett is recovering from an injury, as announced on Bennett's blog.

    ---

    Tavastialla 28.10. tapahtuvan Äänen Lumon konsertin ohjelmassa on tapahtunut muutos. Whitehousen esiintyminen on peruuntunut yhtyeen William Bennettin loukkaantumisen vuoksi. Pan Sonicista tutun Mika Vainion lisäksi tapahtumassa esiintyy Whitehousen toisen osapuolen, Philip Bestin pitkäaikainen sooloprojekti Consumer Electronics.

    Philip Bestin 80-luvun alussa teini-ikäisenä perustama Consumer Electronics on toisen sukupolven brittiläisen industrialin keskeisiä ja rujoimpia alullepanijoita. Samoista vuosista lähtien Whitehousessa vaikuttanut Best on musiikkihankkeidensa ohella toiminut myös keskeisenä ideologina legendaaristen ja uraauurtavien Iphar- ja Broken Flag-kasettimerkkien taustalla. Sittemmin kirjallisuuden tohtoriksi
    itsensä lukenut Best on viime vuosina vienyt ilmaisuaan hienovaraisempaan suuntaan menettämättä terävää intensiteettiään ja vinoa huumoriaan.

    Mika Vainio on tunnetuimpia ja arvostetuimpia suomalaisia elektronisen musiikin tekijöitä maailmalla. Erityisesti Pan Sonic -yhtyeestä tuttu Vainio on vaikuttanut ja esiintynyt käytännössä koko aktiiviuransa pääasiassa Suomen rajojen ulkopuolella. Ensimmäiset julkaisunsa 90-luvun alussa tehneen Vainion soolotuontanto on laaja ja ulottuu tyylillisesti vähäeleisistä, kuulaan sähköisistä tunnelmista karuun houseen ja puhtaaseen noiseen, ja hänen musiikilliset linjauksensa vaikuttivat keskeisesti lengendaarisen Sähkö Recordingsin alkutaipaleen suuntaan. Harvoin Suomessa esiintymässä nähty Vainio on tehnyt yhteistyötä lukuisten alan huippunimien kanssa, muun muassa remiksannut Björkin tuotantoa.

    Tavastia 28.10. klo 20:00, liput 15 e

    Consumer Electronics (UK)
    Mika Vainio

    ---------------

    Tavastian konsertin kanssa samana viikonloppuna Äänen Lumo järjestää Helsingin Vanhalla ylioppilastalolla 27.10. islantilaisen Adapter-yhtyeen konsertin, missä kuullaan Morton Feldmanin musiikkia. Konsertti alkaa kello 15:00 ja liput maksavat 15 euroa.

    Äänen Lumon syksyyn kuuluu myös pohjoismaiden suurimman kokeellisen elokuvan ja musiikin festivaalin Avannon perjatai-illan klubin tuottaminen. Kuudennassa linjassa 16.11. pidettävässä tilaisuudessa todistetaan Organin, suomalaisen futupopin legendan, comeback-keikka, japanilaisen noisen huippunimen Pain Jerkin värikästä sähkömyrskyä, Tapen syksyisen orgaanista instrumentaalimusiikkia ja Petri Kuljuntaustan avaruusäänisinfoniaa.

    Äänen Lumo
    http://www.charmofsound.org

    Monday, October 15, 2007

    Whitehouse (UK) & Mika Vainio @ Tavastia, Helsinki - CANCELLED


    Whitehouse


    Mika Vainio talks to Brainwashed, part 1 (of 3)
    Part 2 (of 3)
    Part 3 (of 3)

    NOTE: Whitehouse has cancelled, the solo project Consumer Electronics of the other Whitehouse member, Philip Best, replacing Whitehouse. Mika Vainio will perform as announced earlier on. More info here.

    Whitehouse (UK)
    Mika Vainio (FIN)


    live

    @ Tavastia (Urho Kekkosen katu 4-6, Helsinki)
    28 October 2007
    doors open 20:00 hours
    tickets 15 euros

    Organised by Charm of Sound

    ---

    Press info from Charm of Sound:

    Whitehouse ja Mika Vainio Helsingissä

    Yksi kokeellisen elektronimusiikin keskeisimmistä pioneeriyhtyeistä, englantilainen Whitehouse saapuu ensimmäistä kertaa Suomeen. Tavastialla 28.10. pidettävässä konsertissa esiintyy myös Pan Sonic-yhtyeestä tuttu, harvakseltaan Suomessa esiintymässä nähty Mika Vainio.

    Vuonna 1980 perustettu brittiläinen Whitehouse on kokeellisen elektronisen musiikin keskeisiä pioneereja. Alunperin ensimmäisen aallon industrialista (kuten Throbbing Gristle) ja punk-nihilismistä vaikutteensa ammentanut Whitehouse halusi viedä musiikkinsa lisäksi myös kappaleidensa teemat edeltäjiään pidemmälle. Yhtyeen varhaisvuosien alkukantainen ja -voimainen halpissyntetisaattorien ruudittama musiikki on kehittynyt hienovaraisemmaksi ja monipuolisemmaksi menettämättä piiruakaan intensiteetistään. Kesällä 2007 julkaistu tuorein albumi Racket on kerännyt laajalti innostunutta huomiota erityisesti primitiivisten lyömäsoitinten käytön ansiosta. Osoituksena kulttisuosiota laajemmasta huomiosta on yhtyeelle vuonna 2003 myönnetty elektronisen musiikin yksi tärkeimmistä palkinnoista, Ars Electronica -kunniamaininta albumille Bird Seed. Vuosien mittaan yleisöään (ja muitakin) provosoinutta ja hämmentänyttä yhtyettä on syytetty mm. sarjamurhaajien, kidutuksen, fasismin, misogynian ja seksuaalisen väkivallan kritiikittömästä ihannoinnista, mutta yhtye itse on sanoutunut jyrkästi irti poliittisuudesta ja käsitellyt aiheitaan huomattavasti pintaraapaisua hienovaraisemmin.

    Mika Vainio on tunnetuimpia ja arvostetuimpia suomalaisia elektronisen musiikin tekijöitä maailmalla. Erityisesti Pan Sonic -yhtyeestä tuttu Vainio on vaikuttanut ja esiintynyt käytännössä koko aktiiviuransa pääasiassa Suomen rajojen ulkopuolella. Ensimmäiset julkaisunsa 90-luvun alussa tehneen Vainion soolotuontanto on laaja ja ulottuu tyylillisesti vähäeleisistä, kuulaan sähköisistä tunnelmista karuun houseen ja puhtaaseen noiseen, ja hänen musiikilliset linjauksensa vaikuttivat keskeisesti lengendaarisen Sähkö Recordingsin alkutaipaleen suuntaan. Harvoin Suomessa esiintymässä nähty Vainio on tehnyt yhteistyötä lukuisten alan huippunimien kanssa, muun muassa remiksannut Björkin tuotantoa.

    V/A: Moody Electronic Stuff (Sirius Stuff Records)




    [forwarded message]

    MOODY ELECTRONIC STUFF:

    - Comprehensive Electronic Atmosphere
    - Big Beat / Disco / Techno / Downbeat / Chill Out
    - Like "Moby / Prodigy / Depeche Mode / Air"
    - Finnish Music For International Taste & International Music For Finnish Taste

    A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE ALBUM AND SIRIUS STUFF RECORDS:

    Moody Electronic Stuff album includes 12 different kind of electronic songs and artists. The album's atmosphere is based on somewhere between melancholy longing and powerful angst and it offers experiences almost for everybody... Just as much for a few electronic underground music-lovers as for millions of mainstream radio and music chart listeners.

    Moody Electronic Stuff album's national releasing time in Finland is the 9th of November 2007 but you may order the album even now if you like. Just send a message to siriusstuffrecords@gmail.com. Introductory discount is only 15€ (including taxes and posting). Sirius Stuff Records is waiting for your call. Thank you.

    Sincerely,
    Jani Jokinen / Sirius Stuff Records
    siriusstuffrecords@gmail.com
    http://www.myspace.com/siriusstuffrecords

    TRACKLIST:

    01 - Winter Morning by Planeth
    02 - Allright by Trilobiitti
    03 - Never Come Down by Deep Impulse
    04 - Hongkongking by Deadmanshand
    05 - Music In U by Dj Tempo
    06 - Wild Ocean by Chillkix
    07 - New Breed by Machine Dominatrix
    08 - Froggy Weather by Zerone
    09 - Sixshooter by Moosefrog
    10 - Enlightenment of Gaia by Ayahuasca
    11 - Something Revolving by Universum Nationalist
    12 - See You by Sirius Stuff


    ALL ARTISTS ARE FROM FINLAND:

    1. Planeth (TAMPERE / PINSIÖ)

    2. Trilobiitti (KAJAANI)

    3. Deep Impulse (LEMPÄÄLÄ / TAMPERE)

    4) Deadmanshand (KUOPIO)

    5) DJ Tempo (KOKKOLA, MOVING TO TAMPERE)

    6) Chillkix (VAASA)

    7) Machine Dominatrix (TAMPERE)

    8) Zerone (ANJALANKOSKI)

    9) Moosefrog (HELSINKI)

    10) Ayahuasca (JYVÄSKYLÄ)

    11) Universum Nationalist (TAMPERE)

    12) Sirius Stuff (TAMPERE)

    Friday, October 12, 2007

    Joining Facebook


    Do you have Facebook?

    Some time ago I received a mail from a friend who wanted to have me as his Facebook friend. As one proof Finland still remains a monoculture, local media also tends to have a sort of monomania as to what they write about and consider newsworthy at a given time. Whenever a new trend arises, Fenno-Ugric media lemmings immediately hop on the bandwagon, and for a month or two one rarely hears about anything else, when every journo worth their salt wants to give their in-depth analysis (or less than that) on what this shiny new and (supposedly) revolutionary whatchamacallit is all about! Of course, this is how media works all over the globe, but the small population of Finland (5 millions) also means the sandbox is somehow far more limited and it's harder to escape if one does not want that sand to one's eyes.

    As you have gathered by now, the inescapable trend Finnish wheelers and dealers of media have been obsessing about has been this Facebook thing, one of these "social networks", founded in 2004 by an American college student called Mark Zuckerberg, where one can share with the rest of the world all sorts of important and essential facts such as what one watches on the telly and whether one is a pathetic, miserable loser with no friends, no spouse, no job, no education and no money or a super-social and sexually successful mega-networker with a formidable CV, nice annual income and naturally tons of cool friends (however a "friend" is defined), especially those with a heavy name-dropping value.

    Now, I already have registered myself to Yahoo, Blogspot, MySpace, YouTube, Last.FM and Flickr (not to talk about countless mailing lists and forums I may or may not follow actively), so after all this (and having to consider also the fact I still have limited daily hours for my Net activities) I'm wondering how can I have time and energy for all this networking. Not to talk about maintaining and updating the pHinnWeb site, blog and mailing list, and keeping up my daily e-mail correspondence and constantly answering people's inquiries from all over the world about this thing or that. All these newspaper and magazine articles have been prone to emphasize the fact that people have been known to spend (or waste, however you see it) hours and hours daily at Facebook so, really, that's the last thing I need now! And as said, do I really want the rest of the world to know about my humble person anything more than is necessary; always wishing people to rather judge me by my, erm, work (or whatever you can call all this dabbling with music & culcha) than whether my face is pretty or if I have a great ability to whisper sweet nothings to their ears at a cocktail party or not.

    So, I kind of had already sworn I wouldn't add any more of these "social networks" to my already considerable burden of obligations (hah!), but what do you know. Though I didn't want to be a nasty asocial curmudgeon (any more) and do a disservice to this mentioned friend of mine, so as a courtesy (and always being a curious cat and a sucker), I registered at Facebook and accepted his request. So, all you pHinn fans (and haters) can now find me there as "Phinn Kompleksi" (this Facebook member system apparently doesn't allow one to spell "pHinn" correctly). On hearing about my registration, one friend suggested I might next like to join Irc-Galleria, too (a popular Finnish social network favoured by teenagers) -- uhh, touché!

    About the myriad ways Facebook has enrichened my life so far: already I have been turned into a vampire and been sent all sorts of invitations, e.g. to join some TV trivia quiz or to compare movie tastes, or to clubs in other towns that I can't possibly attend. And now people also can add all my known nicknames to my profile. Though I haven't sent or been sent any "gifts" (obviously a virtual counterpart to that little tinsel you can find from chocolate Easter eggs) or haven't been "poking" anyone, either, to avoid any possible embarrassing misunderstandings and accusations of sexual harassment. How long will it take before the ecstasy of communication will turn to panic? Well, I adopted a policy of not taking anything here too seriously, as long as there's an "Ignore" button available to any of these offerings. It would be interesting to know how much of the "New Communality" of this much-touted Web 2.0" actually consists of just new technology-enabled ways to talk crap with your friends and waste time (and precious working hours) on trivial activities that were not possible before.

    Talking of the related issues of privacy and Facebook, Juri sent me the YouTube link above. Well, I guess I have to take the risk, then. Besides, if CIA and all these intelligence [sic] organisations want to gather indiscriminating information on someone, aren't there already a million and one other places where to get the dirt if they really need it? Living in the age of information, we have already lost the game of retaining a total control over the life-long data that's in distribution about us, and potentially accessible to anyone with necessary means who just wants to grab it. Perhaps I see fatalism as a better option than paranoia, but we become vulnerable as soon as we are born, become members of society's networks, both formal and informal, and all sorts of personal files (health, education, work, financial) on us are beginning unavoidably to find their way to the system. Not to talk about our own involvement in all sorts of social activities leaving a record somewhere. And as for spreading personal info about oneself to these networks, I suppose it's always a conscious choice. After all, we are all social animals aware of our own self-worth, being unique and with the urge of being recognised by others (there's both narcissism healthy and unhealthy, and in some cases just a fine line separating both).

    Well, gladly there's also now Arsebook as an anti-social alternative!

    Thursday, October 11, 2007

    Kompleksi Video @ The Foundry, London




    Kompleksi's 'Sara Pain' video, directed by Tina Ulevik/Spul Films (Australia) will be shown in London on Saturday 27 October 2007 at an event called Disco_r.dance (at The Foundry club), celebrating the release of We Sing For The Future, a new album of Walter & Sabrina on UK's Danny Dark Records.

    Walter Cardew of Walter & Sabrina and Danny Dark Records tells of the event: "We are going to have a showing of some of our films in a club in London called The Foundry on the 27th of October. It is part of a night called Disco_r.dance which is organised by a couple of guys who are very interested in all kinds of contemporary music. They will be dj-ing upstairs and in a fair size room downstairs we are going to show a couple of our films. There's normally a good crowd of people there; the club is right in the middle of the Old Street area which is very arty/groovy kind of place".

    Saturday 27th October 2007: We Sing For The Future Launch event.

    Downstairs at the Foundry in London as part of disco_r.dance. Danny Dark Records will present films by Sabrina (Walter & Sabrina) and Kompleksi/Spul Films. Also live music from Stefano Tedesco's SOLARIS and SKITANJA.
    9-12pm; Admission Free.

    The Foundry, 86 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3JL, UK.


    Disco_r.dance Links:

  • http://www.discordance.biz/
  • http://www.myspace.com/discordnce
  • http://www.connexionbizarre.net/interviews/m_discordance.htm

    PS. The Wire magazine has some Walter & Sabrina artwork at: http://www.thewire.co.uk/web/picture.php. And one of their videos at: http://www.thewire.co.uk/web/camera.php.
  • Wednesday, October 10, 2007

    "Arenas For Experimental Music In Finland"




    "There are more events for experimental music in Finland than ever before. The majority of clubs are in Helsinki, but there is an active scene in other major cities too. Despite facing financial hardship, the organizers are contagiously enthusiastic."

    "Arenas For Experimental Music In Finland", an interesting article by Juuso Paaso and Taneli Tuominen can be found at Finnish Music Quartely #3/2007:

    http://www.fmq.fi/articles/ar_2007_3_jp_tt.html

    The same issue also features "Experimental Music In Finland Enjoying A Renaissance?" by Tanja Uimonen, providing more info about the history of experimental sound and scene in this country, and an interview with Jukka Tiensuu, a Finnish avantgarde composer.

  • FinnScene: The Prehistory @ pHinnWeb
  • Avanto Festival 2007



    Helsinki's Avanto Festival's schedule for this year has been published. Maybe one of the most interesting gigs there from pHinnWeb's point of view is the comeback of Organ, Finnish synthpop pioneers 25 years ago.

    Organ was born when Pekka Tolonen and Seppo Parkkinen's electronic duo Argon — which had already released one of the milestones of Finnish electronic music, Kone kertoo (1981) — was joined by prog-rock bass player Tapani Lahtinen, and Mikko Saarela, previously known as the witty lyricist of popular punk/new wave band Eppu Normaali. In addition to off-the-shelf synthesisers, an important part of their instrumentation was an analogue drum machine called "Zyrgo", built by Tolonen. The year 1982 saw the release of their only album Nekrofiilis (Poko), which is, in retrospect, perhaps the best representative of the short-lived "Futu"(as synthesiser pop was called in Finland at the time) craze. The songs heard on the album were rehearsed in the electronic music studio at the University of Helsinki. The album contains a paean to Regina Linnanheimo, one the most glamorous Finnish film stars from the 1940s; in other songs, Saarela's socially committed lyrics examine topics such as vivisection and aid to developing countries as well as anti-war themes. Parkkinen was also one of the lyricists of their album. Unfortunately, the career of Organ was cut short by the waning of the Futu boom. Representatives of later generations of electronic music have, however, found Organ's music again, and their comeback performance is likely to receive the attention it deserves.

    Organ @ Avanto/Äänen Lumo Club in Kuudes linja on Friday, 16 November from 9 pm to 4 am


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    Avanto Festival 2007
    16-18 November 2007
    various venues, Helsinki

    INTERNATIONAL FREE CINEMA (@ Kiasma & Orion 16.–18.11.):

    MICHAEL SNOW (CA)
    PETER KUBELKA (AT)
    DOUGLAS GORDON (UK) & PHILIPPE PARRENO (FR)
    NÄRA ÖGAT (SE)
    STEKLIANNOE POLE (RU)
    ESKO LÖNNBERG / CIRCLE (FI)
    AVANTOSCOPE

    ÄÄNEN LUMO (@ Kuudes linja 16.11. 21-04):

    PAIN JERK (JP)
    TAPE (SE)
    ORGAN (FI)
    PETRI KULJUNTAUSTA (FI)
    ODJS HARRI & TG (FI)

    POTLACH (@ Gloria 17.11. 21-03):

    VOLCANO THE BEAR (UK)
    EDDIE PRÉVOST & ALAN WILKINSON (UK)
    AVARUS (FI)
    KUUPUU (FI)

    Friday, October 05, 2007

    The Wire Fourth Season Starts In Finland


    The Wire: opening credits and an excerpt from an episode

    The Wire, often called the best cop show of all time, starts its fourth season in Finland (6 October 2007, on MTV3, 1:10 am). But why the show is hidden here to a wolf's hour slot in the middle of night in between Saturday and Sunday is totally beyond me.

    Thursday, October 04, 2007

    Porno Tampere Series: Socialist Realism


    [large image]

    "Porno Tampere Series: Socialist Realism" [3 October 2007]

    © pHinn 2007

    [pHinnMilk Comics] (not for children)

    Monday, October 01, 2007