FINNISH MILLION-SELLING SUPER-ALBUM SEASON STARTS NOW!
- Features
* Over 150 Finns @ Popkomm 2007
* Music and Media Festival Totally Renewed
- Highlights
- Business News
- Live News
* Finns Around the Globe
- Behind the Scenes
- Behind the Numbers
Over 150 Finns @ Popkomm 2007 - September 19-21, Berlin, Germany
Over 150 Finns will be attending Popkomm looking for new deals, contacts and ideas. Additional NEW Finnish showcase artists have been announced:
- Hanoi Rocks (WOLFGANG RECORDS) listen here>>>
- Stalingrad Cowgirls (WARNER MUSIC) listen here>>>
- The Valkyrians (BREAK A LEG ENTERTAINMENT) listen here>>>
- Op:l Bastards (LEFTA/JUPITER) [MySpace]
- Frozen North Special ft. Jussi Pekka [MySpace]
- Roberto Rodriguez ft. The Future Beat Investigators [MySpace]
- Samuli Kemppi [MySpace]
- Valium77 [MySpace]
Check full Finnish showcase information and listen to the artists at www.musex.fi/popkomm2007
Music and Media Festival Totally Renewed - October 18-20, Tampere, Finland
Finland’s most popular music industry event Music & Media is expanding even further. As a part of M&M, the Lost in Music festival will present the cream of the crop of Finnish music in venues around the conference venue, Sokos Hotel Ilves. So, if you’re attending Music and Media, be prepared not just for good music, but also for the crazy atmosphere generated by the natives!
Lost in Music festival lineup as of August 15:
Damn Seagulls (FULLSTEAM) listen here>>>
Deep Insight (HMC) listen here>>>
Endstand (COMBAT ROCK) listen here>>>
Fun (IF SOCIETY) listen here>>>
Husky Rescue (CATSKILLS) listen here>>>
Kemialliset ystävät (FONAL) listen here>>>
Manboy (DRIVER 8) listen here>>>
Manifesto Jukebox (COMBAT ROCK)
Manna (SUOMEN MUSIIKKI) listen here>>>
Stalingrad Cowgirls (WARNER) listen here>>>
Sturm und Drang (HMC) listen here>>>
Tuomo (TEXICALLI) listen here>>>
Turisas (CENTURY MEDIA) listen here>>>
Underwater Sleeping Society (SIAMESE SOUNDS) listen here>>>
For more info on the event, please contact Ville Kilpeläinen at Music Export Finland: email: ville(at)musex.fi, tel +358 (0)20 730 2230.
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Highlights
In September the fantastic four HIM, Nightwish, Apocalyptica and Amorphis will all release highly anticipated albums. With their combined total of nine million record sales these bands have the unbelievable possibility of making Finnish rock music history once again. 
Music Week (11.08.07) spotlights Apocalyptica‘s (SonyBMG) new album release Worlds Collide via Epic Records in the UK. The album boasts hardcore featured artists, such as Slipknot vocalist Corey Taylor, Slayer’s Dave Lombardo, and Cristina Scabbia from Lacuna Coil. And the name-dropping isn’t over yet: the album is also “the brainchild of veteran A&R man Martin Dodd” who has signed the group to his 20-20 label. Apocalyptica are to headline at the Astoria in London December 11.
Nightwish‘s (SPINEFARM) new album Dark Passion Play follows their million-selling Once album. Release parties will be held in several locations in Germany in late September. New lead singer Anette Olzon is sure to give the sound a heavenly spark.
After touring the US with LINKIN PARK and MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, HIM‘s (SIRE/HMC) dark album Venus Doom, a follow-up to their gold-selling record, will be out on September 18. This 6th studio album has been produced by Tim Palmer, also familiar from HIM’s previous albums. Finns will be given a head start, as they will be able to buy Venus Doom four days before of rest of the world.
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Business News
The Finnish teenage heavy sensation Sturm und Drang (HMC) will be giving Germans special treatment, as they release two singles, Breaking The Law (yes, the one by Judas Priest) and Forever featuring Udo Dirkschneider, exclusively in Germany. Their debut album Learning to Rock was in the Finnish charts for ten weeks in a row, and is now to be released in Germany on August 24. The band has been busy showcasing and performing at numerous festivals, and the onslaught will not end there: in the fall, we will be seeing a new music video from the upcoming single Indian.
The master of sweaty beatpunk Sweatmaster (FULLSTEAM RECORDS) just released their album Animal in Canada, BeNeLux, Germany, and in Sweden. They are also confirmed for POPKOMM opening night in Berlin on September 19. Added to that, the trio will be the one and only live act at Hamburg’s extraordinary Dirty Dancing Club on September 21. An extended tour throughout Germany and other countries is in the plans for later this year.
Private Line‘s (BAD HABITS RECORDS) Evel Knievel Factor album has been licensed to Brazilian DYNAMO RECORDS. The album release will be in September 17 in Brazil, and Dynamo Records will distribute the record also to Chile and Argentina. The band’s manager King Foo Entertainment and Dynamo Records have arranged a promotional trip for the band to Sao Paulo in September 10-17.
A portrait of Lapko (FULLSTEAM RECORDS) will be aired on the German and French TV collaboration ARTE TV on August 17, primetime. The portrait includes excerpts from the band’s performance at this year’s Ruisrock Festival in Turku, Finland, as well as interviews and music clips. Young Desire is due for release outside of Finland in October 2007.
Tuomo (TEXICALLI) visited Japan at the end of July to promote his My Thing album, and the reception was very enthusiastic. My Thing has been climbing steadily (65-25-10), and is currently #5 in the TOKYO HOT 100 list even better than Prince’s newbie. BBC Ones Gilles Peterson made it his Record of the Week. This may be the next big thing!
Love-punkrockers No Shame (FULLSTEAM RECORDS) are to hit German, Austrian and Swiss ground for the second time this year to promote their album White Of Hope Turning Black. Together with local band BITUME they will be rocking clubs and bars senseless between September 27 and October 8.
The legendary electro group Op:l Bastards (JUPITER) is back after half a decades hibernation. Their bass-heavy, organic, melodic sound is more contemporary than ever. Their comeback can be heard on the re-release of the original The Job album by Jupiter/Lefta, including four bonus tracks. This month, the band will perform their first gig for five years, at the Flow Festival in Helsinki.
The harmonica ensemble Sväng (AITO RECORDS) has been chosen to represent Finland at WOMEX, the World Music Expo. Sväng will showcase on Saturday 27.10. WOMEX 2007 takes place in Spain, Sevialla on October 24-28.
Passionworks‘s (ROWAN3) latest album Blue Play reached the shops in the GSA and Benelux countries July 20, through its new European licensing deal with German ZYX MUSIC. The licence deal covers ten European countries: Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, the UK, France, Russia, Ukraine and Poland.
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Live News
The 69 Eyes (EMI) a.k.a Helsinki Vampires are to go on tour alongside WITHIN TEMPTATION. The tour will take in Germany, Austria and Switzerland October 1-10, and the UK November 27-30. The 69 Eyes have been touring solo this year, giving over 100 shows on their The Angels tour of the USA and Europe.
In September, four Finnish bands representing different branches of metal music will be touring the US and Canada:
The most widely travelled group, Sonata Arctica (NUCLEAR BLAST), will put on a headlining tour September 12 - October 10. This power metal outfit will arrive via Mexico, where additional shows have been scheduled for September 7-9.
Folk metallers Finntroll (SPINEFARM) will make a two-gig stop in Reykjavik, Iceland, before launching the tour of the US and Canada (Sep 18 - Oct 11) and Mexico (Oct 13 -14). In addition, Swallow The Sun (SPINEFARM)and Insomnium (CANDLELIGHT) will be presenting blends of doom and death metal on a joint tour headlined by Swedish group KATATONIA. The dates have been set for September 4-26.
On August 14, Värttinä (HOEDOWN ARTS) takes the world music stage at the Sziget Festival, Budapest in front of 20,000 people. This is the third time the band has headlined at this venue.
FINNS AROUND THE GLOBE (For detailed info click on the band name)
Europe
- Boomhauer (STUPIDO):
Germany, Cologne, September 1 (garage)
- Endstand (COMBAT ROCK):
Spain and Portugal tour, September 8 - 15 (hardcore)
- Jimi Tenor (Sähkö):
France tour, September 21 - 29 (eclectic)
- JPP (HOEDOWN ARTS) :
Switzerland tour, September 6-11 (world)
- Kimmo Pohjonen (HOEDOWN ARTS):
European tour: Austria, August 16, and September 15-29 (world)
- Leningrad Cowboys (SonyBMG):
Germany, Düsseldorf, September 15 (rock)
- Maria Kalaniemi (HOEDOWN ARTS):
Switzerland tour, October 5-7 (world)
- Negative with Day Eleven (HYPE PRODUCTIONS):
Germany tour, September 14 - 23 (rock)
- Rubik (FULLSTEAM):
UK and Ireland tour, September 3 -13 (indie pop)
- The Valkyrians (BREAK-A-LEG ENTERTAINMENT):
Germany and Austria tour, September 20 - 23 (ska/rock)
- Turisas (CENTURY MEDIA):
UK tour, September 15 -23 (metal)
Russia
- I Walk The Line (COMBAT ROCK INDUSTRY):
Petrozavodsk and St. Petersburg, September 2 - 3 (punk/rock)
- Luomo (HUUME RECORDINGS):
Moscow, IKRA, September 15 (electronic)
- Poets of the Fall (SAM AGENCY):
Moscow, IKRA, August 28 (pop/rock)
- So Called Plan (HYPE PRODUCTIONS):
Moscow, Russian Exhibition Centre, September 1 (punk/rock)
North America
- Finntroll (SPINEFARM):
US, Canada and Mexico tour, September 18 - October 14 (metal)
- JPP (HOEDOWN ARTS):
Canada and US tour, October 1-7
- Sonata Arctica (NUCLEAR BLAST):
US, Canada and Mexico tour, September 7 - October 10 (metal)
- Swallow The Sun (SPINEFARM) and Insomnium (CANDLELIGHT):
US and Canada tour, September 4 - 26 (metal)
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Behind the Scenes
China wants Negative. Impressed by the Anorectic album the Finnish glam rockers have been invited to take the long haul and perform three gigs in Chinese metropolises in October. Let’s hope that the band that early in its career had a tendency for some traditional rock star antics (such as throwing tellies out of hotel windows) has learned a little bit of constraint. It seems so. In the end maybe it doesnt matter, because vocalist Jonne Aaron is forgiven for anything because hes so cute.
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Behind the Numbers
Finland is said to be a country of a thousand lakes. That’s true, but it’s also a land of a thousand festivals and hundreds of thousands of music fans: in 2007 the major festivals such as Pori Jazz, Provinssirock, Ruisrock and Ankkarock gathered over 700 000 punters. This wouldn’t be a huge number in bigger countries, but in Finland this means 12% of the whole population - take that, China!