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[2008] Authentic Suomisound and global beats in FINLAND
- Article from "Trancer's Guide To The Galaxy" 2008 written by Inkeri Tähti
With its past firmly rooted in what is commonly referred to as “old school Suomisound” (Suomi, being the native name for Finland), the Finnish psy-trance phenomenon, ironically, made its first appearance under the balmy shade of palm trees growing in Goa.
Artists
Finnish psy-trance culture has its roots in the early 90´s first wave of electronic music to 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, Torakka 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. 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. This is most likely to happen somewhere in the dancefloors of Eastern Europe, Russia, Israel, Japan, Belgium or sometimes even quite odd corners of the world such as Siberia.
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. For example Kiwa, Highpersonic Whomen, Lemon Slide, Astroschnautzer, Troll Scientists, Vishnudata 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 yet unsigned but are making amazingly creative sounds.
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
Parties
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.
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.
Konemetsä grew up from the forest trance scene but is nowadays more festival oriented event 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.
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 Exogenic, 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.
Labels
The legendary label Exogenic Records is still doing good, releases running currently over thirty. Sister label Exogenic Breaks is releasing as well 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. Antiscarp Records is also full alive with freestyle psysounds and new releases on the way.
As mentioned, Finnish trance made it´s way abroad as well, as far as Japan. 6 Dimension Soundz is a Japan based label run by a great friend of suomisound, mr. Hiro Sharaku. Hongkong based Sonic Dragon founded a sublabel called Faerie Dragon couple of years ago. It´s specialized on suomisound and has done some reprints of Freakdance releases. Russia has as well their own Suomi music label Hippie Killer Productions, which is based in Moscow.
Finnish artists have had quite much appearances on international labels as well, for example Kiwa on Ministry of Sound, Interchill Records and Liquid Sound Design and Highpersonic Whomen on Com.Pact, Phonokol and Backroom Beats.
Media
In the world wide web Finnish scene is mostly chatting on Elixiria.com. Klubitus is another big dance music forum, but is more concentrated on techno, trance, house and such. Back To Mad is a twice a month radioshow featuring psy trance and psychedelic influenced music and culture from the domestic specialties to the currents from the other places of the planet(s).
