October 2003:
- Features:
1) Finnish electronica on parade in Amsterdam
2) Musiikki & Media, showcasing fun fair in Tampere 16-19 October
- Business news
- Live news
- Behind the Numbers / Behind the Scenes
FEATURES
Finnish electronica showing off at ADE
Finnish electronic music will be powerplayed at Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) at the turn of the month. The biggest European music event specializing in dance and electronic music will host the Electric FINland showcase featuring Koneveljet, Mac Mavis, Quintessence, ToneKroup plus DJ’s Borzin and Jean-Pierre at Desmet Studio (Plantage Middenlaan 4a) on Friday 31 October. Furthermore, Finnish nujazz pioneer RinneRadio plays at ADE’s NU LIVE DANCE club at Winston (Warmoesstraat 129) on Saturday 1 November.
Finnish Musiikki & Media´s showcasing delight
The traditional meeting place for all the movers and shakers of the Finnish music industry is called Musiikki & Media (yes, indeed this means Music & Media…), arranged for the fourteenth consecutive year! 17-18 October the international discussion will be focusing on the Scandinavian music market with Nordic main geezers coming to discuss the topic. Check out the website for the live programme with Redrama, Nerdee etc.; a list of bands worth paying attention to!
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BUSINESS
SPINEFARMS death metal mayhem Charon will have a European wide release for their The Dying Daylights album. Already out in Finland for two weeks, the album will be in stores also in Sweden, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, Italy, Greece, Norway as well as Canada and Argentina on 10th October. Russian release will follow on October 17th.
Another Spinefarm act, Nightwish ended their fourteen-country Summer of Innocence tour in sold-out gigs in St. Petersburg and Moscow. The tour is captured on DVD titled End Of Innocence, which contains material spanning their entire career. Among other bits, the massive DVD includes over a two-hour long documentary on the band. The following winter Nightwish will be recording their upcoming album due to release on spring 2004.
EXOGENIC is having a busy time as the upcoming Amsterdam Dance Event is closing in. Exogenic is one of the leading lights in the Finnish showcase on Friday 31 of October at Desmet Studio with two live acts, ambient mastermind Mac Mavis (Exogenic Records) and techno outfit Koneveljet (Exogenic Breaks Records). Both exogeneous labels have lots of interesting new material to offer either for distribution or licensing. Please contact kristian@exogenic.com">Kristian Bergstrom to set up an appointment during ADE or drop an email for more information.
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CHART
ROCKADILLOS superb jazz experimentalists RinneRadio won the MTV3 Levyraati (The Finnish Jukebox and Video Jury) with their new video Airo with a record breaking 39 points out of 40 with only one of the jury members giving Airo a nine instead of a full ten! The track is from RinneRadio’s latest album Lumix which also received an exceptional 4-star review in the Dutch Aloha Magazine: “From beat driven atmospheric tracks to etherical film music, displaying an unearthly, fairytale-like feeling thanks to Rinne’s bass clarinet. Lumix is a rich and timeless album.”
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LIVE
A cappella group Rajaton of MUSICMAKERS is undisputedly one of the finest among its vocal music peers. Their warm and unerring sound is exported to Tokyo October 13 18. More>>>
Quickly climbing the ladders of the northern metal scene, Norther supports the Dimmu Borgir European tour in October. For their extensive tour in North America in November and December, Dimmu rely on another Finnish opening act, Children of Bodom. More>>>
A recent nominee for Best Nordic Act of MTV Europe Music Awards, The Rasmus strengthens its position by touring in Scandinavia, Germany, Austria and Switzerland from the end of October on. More>>>
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Behind the numbers: Rapper Pikku G took everyone over 17 by surprise when his debut Räjähdysvaara shot to No. 3 in early June, and later topped the Finnish album charts. Where did this 16-year old, who raps about family values, come from? He hadn’t received any radio play, and virtually nothing in the press. Pikku G is a good example that there are ways to make it even without the backing of traditional media. Teens are still buying: Pikku G recently returned to No. 1. “When the word gets out, and people want a record, they don’t need to hear it first,” the rapper comments. 
Behind the scenes: Juhani Merimaa is the most influential person in the Finnish music business, according to an annual poll organised by rock biweekly Rumba. Voters said that it’s hard to become big in Finland without at some point being involved with the managing director of Helsinki’s Tavastia club, and organiser of the Ankkarock and Ruisrock festivals. Seppo Vesterinen, the manager of HIM and The Rasmus, was voted second in the poll for his international merits.