From Psychedelic Traveller

Finland, officially the Republic of Finland (Finnish: Suomi; Swedish: Finland), is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland. The capital city is Helsinki. Around 5.3 million people reside in Finland, with the majority concentrated in the southern part of the country. It is the eighth largest country in Europe in terms of area and the most sparsely populated country in the European Union. The native language for most of the population is Finnish, a member of the Finno-Ugric language family most closely related to Estonian, and is one of only four official EU languages not of Indo-European origin. The other official language of Finland, Swedish, is the mother tongue of 5.5 percent of the population. Finland is a democratic, parliamentary republic with a mostly Helsinki-based central government and local governments in 348 municipalities. A total of a million residents live in Greater Helsinki (including Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa) and a third of the country's GDP is produced there. Other major cities include Tampere, Turku, Oulu, Jyväskylä and Lahti.

History

Finnish psy-trance culture has its roots in the early 90´s first wave of electronic music in the country as well as in the deep forests of Finland, Goan beaches and places like Helsinki suburbs, Old cottage called Ruskopirtti and sandpits near Porvoo city. The tide of the new sounds and culture were soon reinterpreted, adapted and infused with local flavors, paving the way for artists such as Gad, O-Men, Texas Faggott, Squaremeat, Haltya, Outolintu, Salakavala, Eraser vs Yöjalka, Mandalavandalz, Puoskari, Aavepyörä and others. They soon became considered representing a whole new genre called suomisoundi, which literally means Finnish sound. Music grown from the forests of a country with a nightless summer nights gained soon attention abroad as well. In Finland it has always been all about the forest parties. The psy trance culture grew up from sometimes even quite spontaneously put up nighttime mayhems between the birches and pine trees. Goa trance and psy entered the downtown clubs only after the last years of the 90´s. Around the year 2000 there was a new wave of psy trance rinsing the mostly Helsinki based scene. A lot of new talented artists entered the stages and many albums which are nowadays considered somewhat cornerstones of the psy trance made in Finland, were released.

[2009] In the deep forests of FINLAND

written by Inkeri Tähti

Nowadays suomisoundi artists are frequently traveling abroad to get happy dancers go beyond the mainstream psy trance formulas and enter the freeform world of the genre on the dancefloors of Eastern Europe, Russia, Israel, Japan, Belgium and other places, sometimes even quite odd corners of the world as Siberia. For example Kiwa, Highpersonic Whomen, Lemon Slide, Astroschnautzer, Troll Scientists, Vishnudata, Torakka and Tripteaser took slightly different path in their production taking influences more from continental psy-trance but still having the sound which will probably always tell you even your eyes closed that they have grown in the strange influence of the long dark winter nights of their home country.

Worth checking are as well all those many active underground artists who are still unsigned but are making amazingly creative sounds.

Almost all the aforementioned acts are still very active and alive. EvsY, Troll Scientists, Squaremeat, Texas Faggott, Kiwa and Vishnudata are all working on their next albums, some of them due to be released already in 2009. Many of the Finnish artists can also be seen to perform on international stages in the year ahead.

Aside the live acts Finland features some very talented deejays as well. Anar (Cosmic Theatre), Miazu & Polly (Rudraksh, Exogenic) Jean-Peter (Konemetsä), Aegonox (Agitato)(Sishya (Sunstation), Kolibriscope and Mamooshka (Hypergate) are taking well care of the dancing audiences with their awesome selection of music.

What comes to more chilled out music you can most likely see some of the following artists in the line up: Trollz In Dub, Dreadlock Tales, Indigo, Sunday Groovers, TBO, Soma, Leijona, Inkeri Tähti and Papay

In Finland it has always been all about the forest parties. The psy trance culture grew up from sometimes even quite spontaneously put up nighttime mayhems between the birches and pine trees. Goa trance and psy entered the downtown clubs only after the last years of the 90´s.

Konemetsä grew up from the forest trance scene but is nowadays more festival oriented featuring six different kind of stages and hundreds of artists representing variety of genres ranging from dubstep and minimal techno to breaks, hard trance and electro yet keeping the psy vibe on the main stage and in all around atmosphere. If you are looking for the main event of the summer, this is definitely the place to be.

Summer is of course the best time to come to Finland, and not only due to the more convenient weather conditions. You can find a party almost every weekend, mostly from the forests around Helsinki. These illegal underground events range from the small gatherings in the woods to the more crowded party weekends. Chances are that they are interrupted by the police, but many times authorities leave party goers just to have a small break until music starts again and continues way over midday.

In wintertime the scene either escapes the cold dark Finnish version of Antarctis as a refugees to somewhere warm, usually to India or Thailand or stay in the country trying to keep warm by staying indoors, staying close to each other and dancing a lot. Among other organizations Blow!, Clinic, Goa, Synchro, Cosmic Theatre, Sokeaa Euforiaa, Unfair Fanfair and others are organizing club as well as underground indoor parties with international line ups.

The legendary label Exogenic Records is still doing good, releases running currently over thirty and a sister label Exogenic Breaks releasing new innovative material from Finland and abroad.

Other pioneering Finnish label Freakdance Records launched recently their webshop and provides their cataloque full of weirdest Finnish sounds along with physical releases from other labels sharing the suomisound effect in their production like Japanese 6 Dimension Soundz, Hippie Killer from Russia and Antiscarp. The last mentioned still continues as well their free online release database.

Twice a month radioshow Back To Mad is concentrating on psy trance music and culture in its many forms. Its aired on Bassoradio on webstream and fm around Helsinki area and run by two female party activists and dj´s Mamooshka and Inkeri Tähti.