Music & Media Special

on 2006-10-20

WHAT’S POPPIN’ IN THE STATE OF FINLAND?
- FI News Music & Media Special pimped by the Original Script Doctor Paleface

- Features:
* Music & Media 2006 - The Best Kept Secrets Revealed!
- Binezz
- Live News
- Behind them Scenes
- Behind them Numbas


Music & Media 2006 on October 27-29 - The Best Kept Secrets Revealed!

It’s again time for the movers and shakers in international and Finnish music business to brace themselves and start preparing for that annual three-day rumble at the Music & Media conference in Tampere, Finland. It’s gonna be banging!

Known for its kick-ass live shows, topical panels and madhouse partying, the event is all that a conference participant can wish for! A total of 31 artists get a chance to rip it for the festival audience live on stage! Ya better recognize!

Showcase schedule and sound samples: www.musiikkimedia.fi/en/live

Complete list of participants: www.musiikkimedia.fi/en/delegates

Music & Media is the place to be this year. So, act like you know!

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BINEZZ
The undisputed head honchoes of love metal; HIM (HMC/SIRE) have a reason to kick back and pop their collars - having made recorded history with their latest full-length Dark Light. They’re the first Finnish band ever to reach a gold record in the US. Mad props to dem hard-working mother-rockers!

The soundtrack of the street gangster-themed game The Sopranos: Road to Respect features a track from the Finnish heavy artillery rockers Lullacry (SPINEFARM). Their melodic, yet roughneck sounds, spiced up with their front-woman Tanja’s distinctive voice make a perfect match with the game’s chilling atmosphere. Whaddaya looking at?!

First Aid Kit, the acclaimed long-play from the Finnish firehouse of neo punk, Disco Ensemble (FULLSTEAM / UNIVERSAL) has been released through Universal in
the following countries: Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Indonesia, Korea, Norway, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and The Netherlands. Releases in Austria Germany, Japan and the UK will be included in November. Hotness!

The Helsinki-based Aito Records has been chosen in the 2006 Top 20 of world music labels. The selection was made by Womex and World Music Charts Europe, the two leading world music authorities in Europe. The most successful Aito Records album so far has been Maria Kalaniemi’s Bellow Poetry, which spent a respectable three months on the World Music Charts Europe. So, again you better act like you know!

The good people of the GAS countries should prepare for a dark-ass trip to the macabre, as goth/grunge rockers Bloodpit (MERCEEDEES) are about to drop their debut album Mental Circus on November 3. The four-piece outfit is also heading out to tour Germany and Italy, so shit is about to get hectic! Bring yer garlic and some wooden pegs!

Poets of the Fall (SAM AGENCY) are on a roll. These fellas are pursuing the big-time and headed for international success. Their album Carnival of Rust, which just about reached platinum status has now been released in Australia,
Scandinavia, Russia and the Ukraine. The German release is due in the early 2007. You can’t afford to miss this one, so don’t sleep, B!

Luomo (HUUME RECORDINGS), a long-time project of the Finnish experimental beatmaker Vladislav Delay, is about to release a new full-length entitled Paper Tigers. The album is out worldwide on Huume Recordings, except in South America, where the record will be released by Casa Del Puente Discos. Keep it moving!

Them 303 fondlin’, sampler toting cats at the Exogenic Music Group are getting busy with at least three brand-spanking-new releases in the following season. Outing are at new albums from Accu, Fat Beat Sound System and Headphonics. Make sure you check out the brand new Exogenic website at www.exogenic.com!

Without even releasing their debut album yet, the melo-metal outfit Widescreen Mode (KIVI MUSIC GROUP) has gained notable success on MySpace. In terms of the total number of ‘friends’, they’re currently the third most popular Finnish band on the web community, right after the global rock monsters HIM (HMC/SIRE) and Children of Bodom (SPINEFARM). Keep your eyes open and watch out for their debut release in Finland sometime 2007.

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LIVE
Having performed for stadium-sized audiences in Argentina and Chile in March, The Rasmus (PLAYGROUND) will return to South America on November 9 - 19. Scheduled dates include four gigs in Brazil (São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Mineirão and Curitiba) as well as two festival appearances at Personal Festival in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Entel Fest in Santiago, Chile.

Negative (GBFAM) raises profile by launching tours in Japan, Russia and GAS countries. On October 15 - 21, the first phase includes dates in Tokyo, Nagoya, Hiroshima,
St. Petersburg and Moscow. On two of these gigs Negative will share bill with Hardcore Superstar. Back in Europe, the second destination will be in Germany, Switzerland and Austria on November 2 - 21.

The relentless post-hardcore act Disco Ensemble will give a large-scale tour in Europe on October 31 - November 27. The co-headlining Eastpak Antidote Tour featuring also Gogol Bordello, Bedouin Soundclash and Danko Jones will penetrate the UK, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, Italy,
Switzerland, Austria and Sweden.

The Finnish metal scene is going as strong as ever with several international tours being kicked off in October and November. These include the ongoing tour of stoner rockers Mannhai (BUCKSHOTMUSIC) in Europe (October 11 - November 3), Entwine (SPINEFARM) in Germany (November 1 - 11), Bloodpit in Germany and Italy (November 3 - 11), and, last but not least, To/Die/For (SPINEFARM) in Russia, Germany, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Hungary, France and Switzerland (November 11 - 30).

Fast-speed and ruthless hardcore punk is the name of the game on the US tour of Hero Dishonest (IF SOCIETY) on October 19 - November 11. In sync with the tour will be released the fourth album of the group, ‘When The Shit Hits The Man’.

Finns shake the ground in Londontown in November when a whole fleet of Finnish acts are set to play shows in various venues in the UK capital. Among the artists playing are Husky Rescue (Catskills), Ilmiliekki (TUM RECORDS), Jean Sibelius Quartet, Lordi (MONSTEREO MANAGEMENT), UMO, Viva Finlandia and YL.

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Behind them Scenes
Big in Beijing? The electronically oriented alternative bands’ tour Sounds Like Suomi is to hit China for the second time. The tour can be followed on the internet on an actively updated tour blog, where the bands report their continuing endeavours in the Far East. This time around, travelling across China are Jimi Tenor, Bangkok Impact, Them Shepherds and Helsinki Ghetto Bass Patrol. It’s a revolution, homez!

Behind them Numbas
He started his career as a No. 3 but now he is both No. 2 and No. 1. In the first Finnish Idols-competition Antti Tuisku ended up third, but his fourth and fifth album, released simultaneously this October, charted at the top of the Finnish chart. No other Finnish artist has ever had two albums at the top of the Finnish album chart at the same time before. Tuisku’s albums are called New York and Rovaniemi, the latter named after his former hometown in the North of Finland.


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