- Features:
* Finns Movin’ Up in the City of Angels
* Spring Brings Finns to Three Events - Listen to the Showcasing Artists on the Musex Player
- Business - Companies
- Business - Artists
- Live News
- Behind The Scenes
- Behind The Numbers
Finns Movin’ Up in the City of Angels
Finnish music will be at its best at the second edition of Musexpo April 30 - May 3. In fact, 15 percent of the showcases are from Finland, due to the high quality of Finnish rock, pop and hip-hop. All those top-level executives will definitely get a great chance to discover some new, talented artists.
May 1, Monday
8pm@The Roxy: The Winyls (SAM AGENCY) will knock you out with their pure rockin vibes, sounds and attitude. Their first single Lets Sing, released in March 2005, went straight into the Top Five in the official Finnish singles chart. Still available for signing, licensing and publishing in most territories, but not for long..
10.55pm@The Viper Room: Redrama (EMI MUSIC FINLAND) has already caught the ears of several US-based A&R executives with his unique, infectious, commercially viable full-length hip-hop album Street Music. Rap royalty such as D-12 and Gangstarr has already adopted the newcomer as one of their own… Combine that with his riveting on-stage antics, and worldwide success is certain.May 2, Tuesday
8.35pm@The Roxy: Kwan
10.55pm@The Roxy: Bloodpit (MERCEEDEES) has been tipped by most of the Scandinavian and European rock press as the band to watch in 2006. The cross-boundary sound of Marilyn-Manson-meets-Alice-in-Chains-inspired-rock is ready to sink its teeth into the global rock market. And theyre still available for signing, licensing and publishing in most territories. Spring Brings the Best Finnish Music to Three Events - Listen to the Showcasing Artists on the Musex Player
It is now totally possible to get a taste of the best showcasing artists before the event. Go to http://www.musex.fi, where the Musex Player has the hottest links to Finnish music. Its quick and easy. Try it for yourself. Just click on the titles!
www.musex.fi/musexpo2006: Bloodpit | Kwan | Redrama | The Winyls
www.musex.fi/greatescape2006: Disco Ensemble | Lodger | Sister Flo
www.musex.fi/japan2006: Amoral | Don Johnson Big Band | Mummypowder | Norther | Pain Confessor | Private Line | Slow
フィンランド音楽の日々・イン・東京（５月24～26日）はミュージックエクスポート・フィンランドとフィンランド音楽情報センター（FIMIC）の共同主催です。イベントに関する情報や参加各社、音楽サンプルについてはサイトでもご覧いただけます。>>>> www.musex.fi/nihongo
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BUSINESS - Companies
Sony/ATV Music Publishing Scandinavia and Eastborder Promotion Ltd have set up a joint-venture publishing company Frontera Music Publishing. “Finland has a great roster of bands and composers for international market as well, but as a Scandinavian publisher located in Stockholm, we need constant presence and that is what Eastborder can do for us in terms of rock bands” says Jonas Holst, A&R for Sony/ATV in Stockholm.
One of the Finland’s leading indie labels, Fullsteam Records, has broadened its repertoire to include booking, organizing events and importing artists. So, if you want to book Disco Ensemble, Lapko, Damn Seagulls or No Shame, to name but a few, just contact Fullsteam Agency.
Hard work and unshakeable faith in Finnish rap music has resulted in the worldwide distribution of the whole Kool Kat Records catalogue by UK based Timewarp Distribution Ltd. One of the labels pearls, Kollabo Brothers, will also have their latest album For My Peoples licensed by Handcuts in Japan, where it will be distributed by Universal Music. Watch out for this raw album in late May.
BUSINESS - Artists
Accordionist Maria Kalaniemis (HOEDOWN/AITO RECORDS) new solo album Bellow Poetry has enjoyed its third straight month in the World Music Chart Europe Top 10. It entered at Number 10 in January, jumped to Number 5 in February, and hovered at Number 6 in March. Well be waiting to see how it does in April! The album is also soon to be released by Trees Music in Taiwan.
The Finnish rock combo, Echo Is Your Love (IF SOCIETY), are to release their fourth album Humansize on May 3 in five countries: the US, Germany, Australia, the UK and Finland. After that, they head for a three-week US tour in tandem with American Stickfigure-label artist Blame Game. Get a taste of this Finnish noise rock in Mid-West and East Coast cities such as Chicago, Pittsburgh and New York.
This is the third time that game mogul Electronic Arts is exploiting Finnish music in its million-selling games. The latest spring release Fifa Street 2 includes Helsinki-based rhythm collective Giant Robot‘s (STUPIDO RECORDS) Get Up, hand picked from their Domesticity album. Street footballers kick a ball around against a background of great grooves: the soundtrack also includes music from Flaming Lips, Coldcut and Roots Manuva.
The Latebirds (GRANDPOP RECORDS) have finished their March US tour, including a show at Austins SXSW Nordic Night and several dates on the East Coast and in California, plus two shows opening for Wilco in the Midwest; The Latebirds are now officially the first Finnish band ever to play at the original Grand Ole Opry. The band has also signed a new management deal with Undertow Music in the USA.
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LIVE
A Finnish festival in the heart of Transylvania? Yes, it is the Artmania Festival in Sibiu, Romania, which this year is dedicated to The Land of The Thousand Lakes. The line up on July 15 includes HIM (SIRE RECORDS/HMC), Amorphis (NUCLEAR BLAST), Silentivm (DYNAMIC ARTS RECORDS) and Carmen Gray (SONYBMG). So watch out, all you vampires and other blood-sucking beasts, Finnish metal will ensnare your evil souls!
Finnish Music Information Centre (Fimic) following last years success, will be organizing another export event in Moscow, Russia, April 19-21. The Finnish participants will build contacts with Russian music professionals in special networking sessions. The three showcase nights include performances by Jimi Tenor, Hevein, Lodger and DJ Lil’ Tony as part of the News from Helsinki concert series at the new IKRA venue.
HIM (SIRE RECORDS/HMC) will play live dates in Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, Newcastle, Brixton and Dublin April 18-28. This tour of the UK and Ireland was rescheduled from January, due to the fall injury that guitarist Linde suffered after the New Years Eve gig. Right after the UK dates, HIM embark on their fourth lengthy tour of the US and Canada, May 2 - June 17, with over 20 appearances in prominent club venues and theatres.
The rising emo band Deep Insight (FULLSTEAM RECORDS) will give shows in Germany, April 13 - May 6, and make a quick hop to Italy for a gig in Milan, too. Also on their way to Germany are melodic power-metal veterans Sonata Arctica (NUCLEAR BLAST), who are to play two concerts in Herne and Nürnberg, April 15-16, having first appeared in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Lund in Sweden, April 11-13.
The International Pop Overthrow Festival has billed The Sugarrush (KINKT RECORDS) to perform twice in Liverpool, England, May 28-29. Hailing from the west coast of Finland, this energetic power-pop trio has been rushing for that sugar since 1996.
Female blues-guitar ace and vocalist Erja Lyytinen (RUF RECORDS) continues her joint Blues Caravan 2006 tour with Ian Parker and Aynsley Lister. In May, the caravan, on the road since January, will move on to the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria, the UK and France.
Saxophonist Juhani Aaltonen (TUM RECORDS) has been making giant steps for the development of Finnish jazz for five decades. This living legend will appear live with his regular trio at the Ilmenau Jazz Tage, Germany, April 22.
Defuse (TUHMA RECORDS), the band for heavy headbangers, sets sail for Latvia with one of Finlands hardest-rocking bands, Mannhai (BULL’S EYE RECORDS). The visit to Latvia coincides with the Ice Hockey World Championships, and one of Rigas top venues, Club Debo, is expecting a Finnish rush three evenings in a row. Hell, Yes! and GDamn!
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Behind the Scenes: Heavy metal monster Lordi (SONYBMG) is Finland’s represantative in this year’s Eurovision song contest held in Athens. The monster’s participation has caused an uproar especially amongst some priests who have objected to Lordi, because “he doesn’t represent Christian values”. Or maybe it’s just that the masked band members look like they’ve crawled from hell after spending a few long centuries down in the flames. Some members of the Greek church have also pleaded that Lordi’d stay away from their country. Lordi were chosen by an overwhelming 42% share of votes in Finland’s Eurovision preliminaries, and have promised to go to Athens, because they don’t want to let their fans down.