Come hear. Finland. No. 2
- Hottest News
* A personal picture souvenir of Midem
* Nokia’s Anssi Vanjoki keynote speaker at MidemNet Mobile
- Artist Focus
* Värttinä (HOEDOWN)
* The 69 Eyes (EMI MUSIC FINLAND)
* Darude (HMC-HELSINKI MUSIC COMPANY)
* RinneRadio (ROCKADILLO RECORDS)
- Company Focus
- Feel Finland @ Midem
* Come and wet your whistle with the Finns
A personal picture souvenir of Midem
We want you to have something to remind you of your visit to the 40th anniversary Midem. At the end of the main trade-fair corridor, strike your best pose against the Finnish star map, and a Nokia NSeries phone will take your picture and output it on a Hewlett Packard printer. Voilá - a perfect souvenir.
Nokia’s Anssi Vanjoki keynote speaker at MidemNet Mobile
On Sunday, January 22, MidemNet Mobile presents a respected keynote speaker from Nokia Corporation, when Ted Cohen, SVP Digital Development and Distribution from EMI Music (US) interviews Anssi Vanjoki. As Executive Vice President and General Manager of Multimedia, Nokia, Anssi Vanjoki heads a business group responsible for offering devices and content for bringing mobile multimedia to consumers in the form of images, games and, yes, music.
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ARTIST FOCUS
Värttinä - new album Miero on Real World Records
Värttinä, one of worlds leading world music artists will release their 10th studio album with Peter Gabriel‘s Real World Records (distributed by EMI) in January 2006. The focus of Miero (“Outcast”) is on voices; Värttinä collaborated with producer Aija Puurtinen to create the most vocally exciting album in the band’s twenty-three-year history.
The release of Miero coincides with the World Premiere of the first major stage adaption of The Lord of the Rings featuring music co-written by Värttinä and Indian composer A.R. Rahman. J.R.R. Tolkiens trilogy has sold in excess of 200 million copies and the upcoming production is the biggest, most ambitious theatrical production ever staged.
Loud’n'proud: The 69 Eyes 
Ever since the early 90’s, The 69 Eyes have trusted in the unholy combination of black hair, leather jackets and sunglasses after dark. And in influences from high-energy punk rock to glam rock and all the way to gothic that have gained them a loyal and ever-increasing fan base all around the world.
Devils, their 7th album, is the first release on a major label (Virgin) and released in Europe, the USA, South America, Japan and Russia. The album introduces The 69 Eyes at their best - loud ‘n’ proud, but with a melancholy soul. In 2005 the group toured extensively in Europe, Japan, South America and Russia a conquest of the USA will follow in the coming year, as well as a new album in fall 2006.
Darude beats you onto the dance floor
It all started with a brilliantly engineered sound that increased in frequency until it sounded like an alarm. Sandstorm then developed into one of the most popular dance tracks in Europe in 2000. Its success started from Finland, in a tidal wave that eventually swept over the UK and USA, selling platinum in Scandinavia and Ireland, gold in the UK and Germany.
Sandstorm was the world’s best selling 12” vinyl in 2000 with worldwide sales of almost 2 million units by now. An amazing result for a totally instrumental, trance music track. Darude‘s continuing success has kept him on the road around the globe ever since hes currently back from another successful tour of the USA and getting ready to hit the decks at Jimmyz on Sunday, January 22.
Dance-floor dementia or tranced-out tranquillity with RinneRadio
RinneRadio fuses electronic underground beats with progressive jazz. As the rhythms of drumnbass and hip hop are fermented with dark dub, lush ambient soundscapes and timeless soprano sax and clarinet textures, the resulting brew becomes equal parts sexy trance jazz and surreal dance music.
Following high profile perfomances like at the London Barbican (with Herbie Hancock), North Sea Jazz in Holland and the London Jazz Festival and more, Finlands electronica pioneers are ready to take 2006 by storm with a performance at Midem and a new CD. “Theres the astounishing Rinneradio, a hard-edged techno band led by a cool jazz sax player (
) the reality is spiralling, mesmerising which induces dance-floor dementia in some and tranced-out tranquillity in others” -Melody Maker
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COMPANY FOCUS
RUBATO MUSIC: is a dynamic Helsinki-based record company with a mission - to release great music from talented artists! Rubato Music’s roster includes: pop-rock newcomer Sara Nunes (1st single the Idols spoof hit Simon Can’t Sing); the critically acclaimed eclectic pop/rock of Mummypowder; and their newest artist, hip-hop rapper (and MTV VJ) Axl Smith. They also license international artists in Scandinavia.
EKSs goal is to corner significant shares of professional audio equipment sales during the next five years. Backed by experience (since 1955), innovation, user-friendliness and cost-effective philosophy in design and manufacturing, they create state-of-the-art cutting-edge audio technology including the XP10 Digital DJ Player.
EXOGENIC MUSIC GROUP started as a label for Goa trance in 1996, but with over 40 releases under the belt, the company has branched out into four labels, also embracing publishing and management, and reaches into most genres of electronic music, as well as rock and urban. Exogenic’s artists include: Accu, Fat Beat Sound System, Koneveljet, Squaremeat and Texas Faggott.
DICENTIA: when SDC and DCM merged, Dicentia became northern Europe’s largest all-inclusive supplier of digital media. Dicentia produces CDs, DVDs and VHS, but also offer special packages, a graphic-design studio, DVD authoring, mastering, digitisation, conversion, and systems for digital distribution over the Internet. Dicentia Finland Oy (former CD-Linja, Digital Communication Media Oy) offers local service and fast delivery in Helsinki.
BLUE MAGNUM LTD: Magnum Music Ltd is part of the Blue Magnum Entertainment Group in Finland. Blue Magnum Entertainment produces music as well as television programming and live events. The company also has its own production firm, Extra Promotions. Besides Finnish artists, Magnum Music has also worked on international music production. Its latest exports include the band Blueborn, as well as the Italian singer Flavio Cristilli.
PLASTINKA RECORDS: is an independent label specializing in Finnish pop/rock sung in English. Plastinka operates under the wings of MUSICMAKERS, a music-production company founded in 1983 artists include names such as Kemopetrol, Rajaton, Slowhill and Zarkus. In February 2006, Plastinka will release the rocknroll quartet Soul Tattoo‘s 2nd album Pile of Bones. The album has been produced by Hiili Hiilesmaa, the man behind major intl successes such as HIM and Apocalyptica.
HOEDOWN‘s mission is to promote Finnish music and musicians of the highest calibre in terms of craftsmanship, compositional skills, artistic vision and adventure, innovation and uncompromising integrity. Hoedown’s artists include names such as Finlands internationally acclaimed contemporary folk-music phenomenon Värttinä, and Kimmo Pohjonen, the accordion wizard recently nominated for the BBC Radio 3 Planet Award in the Culture Crossing category.
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FEEL FINLAND @ MIDEM
Come and wet your whistle with the Finns
The full-bodied experience of the Finnish presence at Midem this year, both at the Opening Night Party and in the Finnish pavilion, also tickles the taste buds and satisfies the urgent need for liquids. 
Laitilan Brewery is the rock’n'roll micro-brewery known for its high-quality, innovative products. Kukko, a delicacy among beers, has been brewed since 2001, and has three times been voted best beer in Finland. At our stand you can also taste their refreshing apple and pear ciders, as well as sweet lemonades, if non-alcoholic drinks are more up your alley. Even if you’re a coeliac, you won’t be disappointed, since you can share the enjoyment of Kukko with its gluten-free product trademark.
http://musex.fi/midem2006/imgs/nl/stand-front1.jpg " align=left vspace=4 border=0>The (Infamous) Finnish Black Monday Party on Monday, the 23rd, as one part of its curiosity-filled programme, will introduce an exclusive drink speciality, Salmiakki vodka. This consists of Koskenkorva, a legendary Finnish clear spirit originating in the early 1950’s, beefed up with salty liquorice flavour. Salmiakki Koskenkorva, or Salmari as it is known to its friends, is brought to you by popular demand. But be careful, it really kicks!
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Music Export Finland wishes you a very successful New Year 2006!
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18 DAYS TO “Come. hear. Finland.” MIDEM OPENING NIGHT
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