Feature of the Month: MOI! Stockholm & You Say Hej We Say Moi

If one were to characterize one’s relationship with one’s own neighbors on Facebook, “It’s complicated” would work much of the time. This is, to a degree, an accurate description of the relationship between Finnish music exports and Sweden, the musical superpower right next door. MOI! Sounds from Suomi project is all about turning this relationship into a full-on love affair! And the four-day MOI! Stockholm festival and YouSay Hej We Say Moi conference is the cherry on top!

During 2010 and 2011 Music Export Finland has made a concentrated effort to support bands, companies and artists looking to tour, release records and network in the Nordic Territory. The aim of the MOI! Sounds from Suomi flagship project has been to boost the networking between Finnish music industry professionals and their colleagues in other Nordic countries. This two-year push is now about to climax with the 3-day festival MOI! Stockholm and the You Say Hej We Say Moi conference for music business professionals.

Finnish bands will be taking over Stockholm’s top clubs Nalen, Debaser Slussen, Södra Teatern and a few venues in the pipeline on the 5^th through the 8^th of October. As far as music (that’s the main thing, right? Right!?) goes, you’ll get to feast your ears, in alphabetical order, on the dark electronic pop beats of Bendagram, the atmospheric indie of Burning Hearts (Solina Records), Cats On Fire’s (Soliti) zen master level pop hook writing skills, Hannulelauri’s (Flexx Recordings) propulsive modern disco, Jaakko Eino Kalevi’s (Helmi Levyt) funky and uncategorizable songs, the sweethearts of the international music press LCMDF (Heavenly Recordings), acclaimed folk music duo Lepistö & Lehti (Aito Records),Shine 2009(EXPO) with its smooth soul, downtempo and hip hop-influenced pop sounds, the dark and danceable rock of Kap Kap, the crown jewel of the Finnish indie scene Magenta Skycode (Solina Records), Nightsatan’s (Solina Records) John Carpenter meets Kraftwerk in a metal bar mental instrumentals, Siinai’s (Splendour) Cinemascope-scale soundscapes peppered with kraut-hooks, Teeth’s explorations into cutting-edge dubstep and far beyond and the eight-piece contemporary world music ensemble Tsuumi Sound System. And there’s more to come..

The You Say Hej We Say Moi conference takes place on October 6 and it’s a unique opportunity for Finnish and Swedish music business professionals to meet each other and hatch plans for future business. The conference will put 60 top movers and shakers from both sides of the Gulf on the same room for a couple of days to listen to keynotes dealing with some successful cases, followed by roundtable discussions. Good things will happen.

MOI! Stockholm & You Say Hej We Say Moi, October 5-8
- The MOI! Stockholm festival runs from October 5 to 8
- The You Say Hej We Say Moi conference takes place on October 6
- The event is produced by Music Export Finland, together with Fritz’s Corner, Mokoma, Södra Teatern, Debaser, Finlands Institutet, Mother, Airwaves Music and Nalen.
- Contact: Ms. Jannika Joutsenniemi, jannika@musex.fi, Tel. +46 (0)76 7744140
- Festival website: www.moistockholm.se
- Festival accreditation for Swedish music industry professionals and media: www.moistockholm.se/info/media
- MOI! Sounds from Suomi: www.musex.fi/moi