Come hear. Finland. No. 3
- Hottest News
* Come hear. Finland. video blog powered by HP
* Finnish moosic just a few clicks away
- Artist Focus
* Apocalyptica (UNIVERSAL)
* Kimmo Pohjonen/Samuli Kosminen Kluster (ROCKADILLO/HOWDOWN)
* Redrama (EMI MUSIC FINLAND)
* The Five Corners Quintet (RICKY-TICK RECORDS)
- Company Focus
- Feel Finland @ Midem
* Experience high-class Finnish design at Midem
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Come hear. Finland. video blog welcomes you all to the Midem Opening Night Party on January 22, 2006
Visit your own Midem channel on the web at: http://ptv.bazaar.hp.fi/ComeHear.Finland.blog/. Watch all the Opening Night artists introduce themselves on video posts produced by HP Bazaar. Music, interviews and greetings a few moments for each artist to say hi and welcome you all to the Midem 2006 Opening Night Party. The first videos are already there, check regularly to see what’s new!
Finnish moosic just a few clicks away
The Finnish Moosic Player at www.musex.fi/midem2006 is an easy-to-use internet radio with a full playlist of the best music that Finland has to offer: over 60 artists, including all the Opening Night artists, ranging from groovy urban sounds to aggressive heavy metal and hypnotic folk-pop. Just click on any song title to add it to your playlist. This free-of-charge, on-demand streaming radio plays only complete, good-quality tracks. This unique service, powered by Tezoma Solutions, is available until the end of February.
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ARTIST FOCUS
Apocalyptica - the hellish cellists
Never before have a group of classically-trained cellists, metal fans to a man, attempted to fuse the seemingly disparate worlds of classical music & hard rock - Prokofiev & Pantera, Shostakovich & Slayer - seeking the middle ground between the mosh pit & the orchestra pit, the dinner jacket & the denim jacket, while being 100 percent respectful to both. Apocalyptica have done this.
These Finnish metal cellists are not afraid of hard work and really strike while the irons hot: Albums released in over 60 countries worldwide; Over 140 shows in over 35 countries in 2005 alone; A live DVD and tour of North America, plus summer festivals throughout Europe in 2006; The rest of 2006 year recording a new studio album.
Kimmo Pohjonen/Samuli Kosminen Kluster making the accordion sexy
These men take accordion music and exploration to the limit. Pohjonen‘s accordion, with Midi sampler, effects and devices, combined with Kosminen‘s electronic drum-pad samples of Pohjonen‘s accordion and voice, all with featuring surround sound and lights, wrap the listener in “a tornado of a thousand accordions”.
Kluster have collaborated with the Kronos Quartet on the Uniko project, featuring Pohjonen/Kosminen compositions. Kluster have also teamed up with King Crimson members Pat Mastelotto and Trey Gunn in the double-duo band KTU (say “K2”), whose debut CD 8 Armed Monkey was released in Europe, North America and Japan in 2005. Kluster have their own album out in Europe, on the Rockadillo and Westpark labels, and toured Europe and Japan.
Redrama, the border-breaking no-coast rapper
The term “No Coast” is a mighty subtext to Redrama‘s “No Borders, No Boundaries” approach. He has already won the prestigious 2005 European Border Breaker Award at Cannes for his hard-hitting debut album Everyday Soundtrack, released throughout Europe.
The message of the new album, Street Music, due out in Europe in spring 2006, is pure and simple - give the music back to the people. As much as he loves the hardcore New York sound, equally important are elements of Reggae, Hip Hop, Rock, Old School R&B/Soul and, of course, Jazz. He has performed at the biggest European music festivals, including Roskilde, Splash, Pori Jazz, Spot, Transmusicales, etc. The man has also toured Europe with Gangstarr, leaving a trail of 24 sold-out knock-out shows.
Everybody loves The Five Corners Quintet
The Five Corners Quintet is a Helsinki-based postmodern jazz outfit influenced by early-sixties straight-ahead and Latin jazz. Live, the band is a phenomenal jazz quintet or sometimes a sextet or bigger that appeals to both critical seated jazz audiences and dance-club crowds. The debut album Chasin The Jazz Gone By was released this fall via a worldwide network of record labels and distribution partners. It features two world-class guest vocalists, one being none other than six-time Grammy nominee, the Jazz singers jazz singer, Mark Murphy. The albums female voice is Paris-based Okou, who has worked with lots of people, from Mick Jagger to Keziah Jones. The ensemble will tour Europe in January and February, and Japan in February.
“Wonderful stuff, pure genius” -DJ Magazine; “They have the potential to become a major draw on the European jazz circuit” -The Observer; “About as hip as you can get” -All About Jazz
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COMPANY FOCUS
FULLSTEAM RECORDS: Since its birth in 2002, Fullsteam Records has become a major source of exciting, fresh music from Finland. In 2004 and 2005, Fullsteam Records was named “independent record label of the year” in Finland. One of their pearls, Disco Ensemble, has just returned from a successful European tour, where it was heartily welcomed by audience and media alike: “Fucking awesome” -Kerrang
HITMEDIA INT.: There are enormous opportunities opening up for Hitmedia Int. in the Arabic-speaking world, as they localize the mobile-phone interface for local content providers. A patent for Hitmedia video technology has already been approved, and this is the only company that can offer good-quality picture and sound for the older mobile phones already on the market.
TWU MUSIC: TWU Music is honoured to announce that Swallow The Sun and Amoral have joined TWU Music! This sets the companys future direction, the plan being to build up a solid metal-oriented management agency. More of this after MIDEM 2006.
RICKY-TICK RECORDS: Ricky-Tick is the embodiment of cool; releasing top-notch jazz from Helsinki hipsters (e.g. the Nuspirit Helsinki gang), concentrating especially on dancefloor, soul and Latin jazz. One of its acts, Dalindeo, a Helsinki based Bossa Nova and Latin jazz sextet, are to release their second single Go Ahead, Float / Voodoo fresh for Midem.
BEATS AND STYLES RECORDINGS: not just a 360 company, but a 720 company, spanning publishing, releases, management, touring and video, not to mention animation and production
Just to make it more complicated, their eponymous artist, Beats and Styles´ smash hit Everything is Everything is still going strong in Finland, with the single at #1 in the Disco Chart for the 7th week in a row! Stay tuned for that energy!
DIFFERENT LEVEL: Represents professional musicians who specialise in instrumental, vocal world, vocal jazz, ethno fusion and ethno electro and ambient. Different Level aims to enrich western pop music, to make “marginal” music visible, to work closely with artists, and to create terms for a Fair Music Business. One of their artists, kanteleplayer Timo Väänänen, will now be heard all over the world as Timo will be playing one song in Narnia, a massive up-coming production by Disney.
KOOL KAT RECORDS: Kool Kat Records presents a true testament of talented, original, raw hip hop with a flavouring of new-skool sounds. New, eagerly-awaited Kool Kat releases in early 2006 include real raw sounds by Recluse Crew & Synoptic Pressure The Art of Raw Sound, a tribute to the old school Kollabo Brothers For My Peoples, and something new for the MTV generation, Hi-Fly Who ‘da Thought. Kool Kat Records and Guerrilla Funk Recordings (USA) also have a co-operation deal as of January 2006, so watch out for further news
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FEEL FINLAND @ MIDEM
Experience high-class Finnish design at Midem
The Finnish presence at Midem this year, both at the Opening Night Party and the Finnish pavilion, will be a full-bodied experience with high-class design partners Artek and IVANAhelsinki. 
Artek will provide the furniture to our pavilion and the lounges at the Opening Night Party. The company´s iconic status as a furnisher is founded on innovative design inspired by its founder Alvar Aalto. By blending functionalism with form and sculptural simplicity with the emotional warmth of wood, Artek’s furniture supports and nourishes our physical and psychological wellbeing.
IVANAhelsinki‘s design can be seen in our stand gifts and other decorative elements. Their clothes are works of art with a slow-design identity and a sense of functionality, not to forget ethical production all done in Finland. IVANAhelsinkis young, yet already world-renowned Finnish designer, Paola Suhonen, has created a pattern called Harvest, originally designed for a legendary Finnish vodka brand. But more about drinks in the next Come hear. Finland. newsletter…
Top-notch Finnish design in Midem is also presented by Nokia. You can meet the latest Nokia Nseries product, the Nokia N91, at our stand tables, at the Opening Night Party and even in the hands of some Finnish artists. The Nokia N91 is the perfect mobile jukebox with room for up to 3000 stereo tracks, not to mention its fantastic audio quality. Encased in stainless steel, the Nokia N91 has dedicated music keys on its face, which slide down to reveal the phone keypad. The Nokia N91 is a part of the new Nokia Nseries range, bringing you the latest multimedia technologies and smartphone functionalities.
So, a visit to the Finnish pavilion and the Opening Night Party will be a joy not just for your ears, but also for your eyes and your whole body!
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52 DAYS TO “Come. hear. Finland.” MIDEM OPENING NIGHT
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