Electronic Music in Finland
Finnish Electronica and Dance Music from Helsinki and Beyond
Aug 22, 2008
Finns like it all: trance, house, techno, d'n'b, hip hop, hard NRG, industrial and chillout, among others. Goa/psychedelic trance is a particular favorite and Finns have even created their own version of the genre known as Suomisoundi. Unlike Russians, they are not so fond of "dark" psytrance.
Artists and DJs in Finnish Electronic Music
The most internationally famous Finnish DJs are DJ Proteus and DJ Orkidea. Proteus plays hard dance and is known for his energetic stage appearance. He was voted into DJ Mag's TOP-100 DJs in 2004 and 2005. His new album is titled "Nature of the Beast." Orkidea mostly spins trance and progressive house and has released two albums, "Taika" and "Metaverse."
Finnish ambient/IDM/downtempo artist Lackluster is a common sight at European festivals. D'n'b fans have surely heard from Muffler and Takomo. Psytrance artists like Texas Faggott and Eraser vs. Yöjalka (EvsY) have played gigs all over the world.
In 1999 Darude put Finland to the map of mainstream electronica with his smash hit Sandstorm. He still occasionally plays gigs. His producer Jaakko Salovaara is involved with several other projects, including JS16, Bomfunk MC's and Dallas Superstars, with styles varying from house to electro.
Some of the Finns' favorite DJs who are not well known abroad include Genki (breaks), Infekto (breaks), Milla Lehto (house), Mr. A (house), Neon (hard dance), Rx (hard dance), Tab (trance) and Miazu (psytrance). Eliot Ness is a true veteran of the scene who started spinning techno at underground warehouse parties in the late 1980s.
Finnish Dance Music Events
There are many clubs, raves and parties held in Helsinki, Turku and Tampere every weekend. Lahti, Oulu and Jyväskylä also have regular parties at least monthly. In other areas electronica events are held less regularly. Many record stores carry flyers for upcoming events.
Parties start at 9 or 10 PM, sometimes even earlier. Nightclubs close at 3 AM or 4 AM, smaller bars often as early as 2 AM. Bigger events are commonly followed by a morning party starting at 5 AM and lasting until noon, though the sale of alcohol is not allowed until 9 in the morning.
Entrance fee for smaller parties is usually 3-10 euros, with larger events costing 15-40 euros. Most clubs have an age limit of 18, but some may be restricted to people over 20, 22 or 24. The latter restrictions are often not strictly enforced. Most events have no dresscode.
The Helsinki and Tampere regions have a large underground party scene. In the summer (and sometimes even in the winter) parks and forests become popular party venues. Usually forest parties are only announced via word of mouth.
Finnish Dance Music Radios and Websites
There are two electronic music radio stations in Finland: Basso and KLF. Both are audible on the FM waves as well as the Internet. Basso focuses on hip hop and breaks while KLF mostly plays mainstream dance music. Basso also publishes a magazine about the electronica scene.
Klubitus.org is a website with a good event calendar. The forums of the site are in Finnish, though there is one section for English discussion. Elixiria is another forum focusing on psytrance events and discussion. Junglists may want to visit Stealthunit.
See Also
Public Transportation in Finland
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