Tag: Villa Nah (Page 4 of 6)

5 Years of ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK – WHILE MY SYNTH GENTLY BLEEPS

14 March 2015 /

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK celebrates its fifth anniversary and it has been a glorious journey.

The site came into being on 15th March 2010 after the founding team discussed having an online platform to feature the best in new and classic electronic pop music. After weeks of deliberation, the decision to finally launch the site came at the HEAVEN 17 aftershow party for their triumphant gig at The Magna Science Park on 6th March 2010.

That evening, ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK met and chatted with HEAVEN 17’s Glenn Gregory and Martyn Ware, OMD’s Paul Humphreys and Claudia Brücken, best known as the singer of PROPAGANDA… by the end of the year, all four had given insightful interviews to the site.

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK received a major boost in profile in May 2010 when its interview with Paul Humphreys was quoted by The Guardian as part of a news item announcing the release of OMD’s comeback album ‘History Of Modern’.

Key interviews with DUBSTAR and CLIENT’s Sarah Blackwood, LANDSCAPE’s Richard James Burgess, THE ART OF NOISE’s Gary Langan and ULTRAVOX’s Warren Cann also followed. Later in the year, ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK featured promising new act VILE ELECTRODES for the very first time; they were soon to become a stalwart of the UK independent electronic scene.

But the first act to formally be reviewed was MARINA & THE DIAMONDS, reflecting the kooky female fronted keyboard based pop like LA ROUX, LITTLE BOOTS, LADYHAWKE and LADY GAGA that was prevalent at the time. However, there was a changing of the guard on the horizon as new astute male fronted electronic based acts such as HURTS, VILLA NAH and MIRRORS appeared which the site took a keen interest in.

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK has always prided itself in asking the questions that have never usually been asked, but which fans want to know the answers to. And it was with this reputation for intelligent and well researched interviewing that the site was granted its biggest coup yet when it spoke to NEW ORDER’s Stephen Morris. In the ensuing chat, Morris cryptically hinted that Manchester’s finest would return… and that is exactly what happened in Autumn of that year when concerts in aid of the band’s late friend Michael Shamberg were announced.

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK was on a roll in 2011 as OMD’s Andy McCluskey, RECOIL mainman Alan Wilder, BLANCMANGE’s Neil Arthur, Mira Aroyo of LADYTRON, Howard Jones, Thomas Dolby and Chris Payne all gave interviews. And in rather bizarre throwback to 1981, DURAN DURAN, THE HUMAN LEAGUE and Johnn Foxx released new albums on the same day in March. Meanwhile, up-and-coming acts such as AUSTRA, SOFT METALS, ELEVEN: ELEVEN and QUEEN OF HEARTS made a good first impression.

Events like ‘Return To The Blitz Club’, ‘Short Circuit Presents Mute’, ‘Back To The Phuture – Tomorrow Is Today’, ‘The Electronic Phuture Revue’ and the BEF Weekender reinforced the new found profile for music seeded from the Synth Britannia era and kept the team busy. ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK even found time to curate its own live event featuring VILE ELECTRODES.

2012 paled in comparison after such a fruitful year and several acts who were featured probably would not have gained as much coverage in more competitive periods. But the year did unearth talents such as CHVRCHES, GAZELLE TWIN, GRIMES, TRUST, METROLAND, IAMAMIWHOAMI and Karin Park who were eventually make a lasting impact. During this time though, MIRRORS sadly lost momentum and appeared to wind down after the departure of founder member Ally Young while VILLA NAH mutated into SIN COS TAN.

Ahead of ULTRAVOX’s recorded return with ‘Brilliant’, Billy Currie spoke to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK and MARSHEAUX headlined a sold out second event with The Blitz Club’s legendary DJ Rusty Egan as its special guest. EDM was also becoming big news internationally. But ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK stood its ground and showed little interest in this largely repetitive sub-genre as parties within the industry desperately tried to centralise synthpop and dance music with misguided promotional campaigns such as ‘Electrospective’. It was quite obvious the industry was struggling to come to terms with a changing marketplace, as well as failing to distinguish between dance music and electronic pop.

Contrary to general perception that music using synthesizers was 80s, ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK maintained a stance that electronic pop music didn’t start in that decade and certainly didn’t end there either. In fact, there was even an editorial diktat that banned its writers from using that horrific and lazy term of reference.

80s is neither an instrumentation style or a genre of music… tellingly, several PR representatives told ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK that one of the site’s main appeals was that it avoided the whole nostalgia bent as represented by events such as ‘Here & Now’ and other media, both virtual and physical.

What ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK did in 2013 would take up a whole article in itself… 2013 turned out to be one of the best years for electronic pop since 1981.  Interviews with Alison Moyet, Gary Numan, Karl Bartos, Marnie and Miss Kittin confirmed the site’s impact.

Meanwhile new releases from OMD, NINE INCH NAILS, BEF, PET SHOP BOYS, GOLDFRAPP, MESH, MARSHEAUX, SIN COS TAN and VISAGE reflected the vibrancy of the modern electronic scene. But the biggest recognition of how influential the site had become was when VILE ELECTRODES were chosen to support OMD after being spotted by Andy McCluskey while he was perusing the site’s webpages.

Over the years, ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK has written about a number of talents whose promise was never fully realised despite producing great music… THE SOUND OF ARROWS, SUNDAY GIRL, KATJA VON KASSEL and THE VANITY CLAUSE all featured several times, but timing and in the cases of the first three, record company interference stifled potential. Whether signed or independent, nothing can be guaranteed in the today’s music world.

Although the year started tremendously with an invitation to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK to meet Karl Bartos and Wolfgang Flur in Cologne, 2014 suffered next to quality of 2013. But  more key figures from the Synth Britannia era were  interviewed including Midge Ure, ex-CABARET VOLTAIRE frontman Stephen Mallinder and the often forgotten man of the period Jo Callis, who was a key member of THE HUMAN LEAGUE during their imperial phase.

For the 25th Anniversary of DEPECHE MODE’s ‘101’, Alan Wilder spoke exclusively to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK about how that live document became a major game changer for the band. And at his autobiography launch in London, Bernard Sumner revealed that NEW ORDER’s next album would be more electronic than the band’s last couple of offerings. Meanwhile, Susanne Sundfør’s various collaborations with RÖYKSOPP and KLEERUP enhanced her profile in readiness for ‘Ten Love Songs’, her most accomplished work yet. Also riding high were Glasgow’s ANALOG ANGEL with their third album ‘Trinity’ and a support tour with Swedish veterans COVENANT in 2015 was their reward.

The live circuit was vibrant and there was a third event which had a DEPECHE MODE flavour thanks to tribute band SPEAK & SPELL playing ‘Speak & Spell’ and ‘101’ sets. There was also a DJ set by Sarah Blackwood. At the same event VILE ELECTRODES celebrated the first anniversary of their debut album ‘The future through a lens’ having snapped up two Schallwelle awards in Germany for ‘Best International Album’ and ‘Best International Artist’.

As 2015 settles in, highly regarded acts within the electronic community continue to engage with ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK. German trio CAMOUFLAGE used an edit of ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK’s career retrospective on the band as liner notes for their CD ‘The Singles’. Meanwhile studio legend John Fryer, who worked with FAD GADGET, DEPECHE MODE, COCTEAU TWINS and NINE INCH NAILS, also stopped by for a chat as did BLANCMANGE’s Neil Arthur, securing a site record with his fourth interview for the site.

Newer artists over the last few years as varied as FEATHERS, KID MOXIE, HANNAH PEEL, I AM SNOW ANGEL, TWINS NATALIA, NIGHT CLUB, PAWWS, MACHINISTA, QUIETER THAN SPIDERS, PRIEST and TRAIN TO SPAIN have proved that electronic music is still very much alive. ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK appears to have reflected the interests of people who love the Synth Britannia era and have a desire to hear new music rooted in that ilk. 🙂

While things cannot carry on for ever, there is a belief that there is much more excellent music still to be created and discovered.

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its warmest thanks to all who have contributed over the last five years, be they writers, musicians, commentators, photographers, artists or models And a big thank you to everyone who has taken the time read an article on the site

Text by Chi Ming Lai
14th March 2015

SIN COS TAN Blown Away

1 August 2014 /


‘Blown Away’ is the third album in as many years from Finnish electronic duo SIN COS TAN.

Juho Paalosmaa and Jori Hulkkonen first worked together on ‘Origin’, the only album so far from VILLA NAH who Paalosmaa was one half of. Although they supported OMD in 2010, VILLA NAH lost momentum attempting a follow-up. But as the album’s producer, Hulkkonen got on so well with Paalosmaa during those sessions, they came together as SIN COS TAN. The “disco you can cry to” magnificence of 2012’s ‘Trust’ from their self-titled debut album was their calling card and cemented their reputation.

Meanwhile, their creative chemistry has continued with a prolific work rate that shows no sign of waning in quantity or, most importantly, quality.

The new album sees SIN COS TAN not only expand their sound palette even further as showcased on previous long player ‘Afterlife’ but also adopt a concept. It follows a quirky narrative, telling the fictional story of Michael Burana: a middle-aged American facing a dead-end job and a failed marriage. Having taken a trip to Mexico to convalesce, Burana soon discovers a new career opportunity – becoming a drug courier between the United States and South America. The album follows his journey of newfound excess, fast money and hedonism. In effect, ‘Blown Away’ is sort of like a synthpop version of ‘Breaking Bad’…

Opening track ‘Divorcee’ sees Burana leaving his spouse and setting off on his adventure to an optimistically perky soundtrack of synths, marimbas, acoustic guitars and Banda horns. It’s a strangely incongruous but enjoyable mix, setting the tone for a natural progression from songs like ‘Limbo’ and ‘Ritual’ off ‘Afterlife’. The frantically paced but dreamy lead single ‘Love Sees No Colour’ is like a classic NEW ORDER song with beautifully intense and breathy vocals from Paalosmaa. It is a combination that is a perfect accompaniment for a Tex Mex sunset.

‘A New World’ though is where things get a bit more serious with a sombre house template along the darker lines of the ‘Sin Cos Tan’ debut. As the drugs start to work, ‘Colombia’ drifts into the atmospheric sub-PET SHOP BOYS territory that Hulkkonen always does so well; stabs of melody, and gorgeous string sweeps are held together over a gently percussive backbone.

‘Lifestyle’ moves towards NEW ORDER’s Italo disco leanings supplemented by minimal guitar and a strong piano motif. The mix of sunshine and melancholy on this album easily could make it SIN COS TAN’s answer to ‘Technique’. Meanwhile, ‘Traffic’ is perhaps more like Bernard Sumner’s side project ELECTRONIC; the instrumental dance leanings are more overt like one of his and Johnny Marr’s B-sides. It acts as a fitting interlude before the narcotic induced breakdown begins…

Photo by Vilhelm Sjostrom

‘Addiction’ takes the tempo down as our anti-hero slips into the downward spiral. The eerily danceable and nocturnal ‘Cocaine’ captures a corrupted panic embodied by Paalosmaa while an unexpected saxophone solo adds a suitably sleazy heat to proceedings.

As the album moves towards its inevitable grim conclusion, the ‘Blown Away’ title track adopts the template of OMD with a pulsing synthbass propelling the sinister mood with a strangely looming beauty.

It rather bizarrely sounds like Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys covering U2’s ‘With Or Without You’! As the closing ‘Heart Of America’ makes its presence felt with ‘The Star Spangled Banner’, the distinctive squelch of a TB303, clattering analogue drum machines and the building cascades of ‘Trans Europe Express’ cast doubt on the true value of The American Dream and its way of life.

‘Blown Away’ shows SIN COS TAN at their height of their powers with an adventurous musical streak that mixes synthetic and organic instrumentation with confidence, all while emotively held together by the voice of Juho Paalosmaa, Will these boys ever sit down? But when the music is as good as this, why should they?

Special thanks to Marietta Longley at Outpost Media

‘Blown Away’ is released in CD digipak, gatefold vinyl LP and download formats by Solina Records

http://sincostan.net/

https://www.facebook.com/homeofsincostan

http://solinarecords.com/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
1st August 2014

SIN COS TAN Afterlife

28 October 2013 /


Less than a year after their eponymous debut, SIN COS TAN are back with another quality collection of emotive songs reflecting further broken dreams but in a slightly lighter setting where there are “spirits awoken”.

With a surplus of material from those first sessions, Juho Paalosmaa and Jori Hulkkonen have capitalised on the momentum of their working chemistry in the studio by recording a swift follow-up. Entitled ‘Afterlife’, this second volume expands the instrumental palette and this is signified by the album’s opening gambit ‘Limbo’.

With its conventional bass guitar mantra, prominent ivories and staccato organ lines, it has the air of Bryan Ferry who coincidentally had a song with the same name. But despite the musical shift, as ever with Hulkkonen’s work, he can’t help slipping a classic PET SHOP BOYS styled middle eight into proceedings. Meanwhile, Paalosmaa is a little more relaxed than before, resulting in their most defined pop statement yet.

Although initially a more of a classic synthpop pairing with Paalosmaa handling the majority of the lyrical chores and Hulkkonen focussing on production, ‘Afterlife’ sees the duo combine their roles in a more collaborative fashion with a much looser feel than its predecessor. The opening third is delightful with ‘Part Of Me’ being a natural progression of sunnier tunes such as ‘Calendar’ from the SIN COS TAN debut while ‘Ritual’ gives an interesting Nordic interpretation on how to use a Latin shuffle while dressing the structure with pretty but understated melodies that recall CHINA CRISIS.

Despite this being a less nocturnal offering, darkness does have its place on ‘Afterlife’ and the middle section adopts a much sombre shade. The sparse ‘Heat’ premieres this darker side but it doesn’t go the full hog until ‘Destroyer’ which amusingly appears to have borrowed its verse vocal topline from JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE’s ‘Sexy Back’ or LADYHAWKE’s ‘Professional Suicide’, depending on your mindset! ‘Fair Rewards’ continues this maturer pace while ‘Heart On A Plate’ adopts a beatier groove.

The next trio of numbers however spring the album back to life. Hulkkonen first found fame as part of TIGA & ZYNTHERIUS back in 2001 at the height of the Electroclash movement; partly recalling that era, ‘Avant Garde’features Casey Spooner from the scene’s flag bearers FISCHERSPOONER. One of the album’s key tracks, it’s a moment which Paalosmaa described as “a very cool honour”. ‘Avant Garde’ itself though is not club oriented at all though, much more like THE CURE being produced by PET SHOP BOYS with Spooner providing a suitably cynical snarl to contrast Paalosmaa’s lost boy cry.

Meanwhile, the wondrous ‘Television’ intros with some Hooky six string bass and jumps into a danceable number that wouldn’t sound of place on NEW ORDER’s ‘Technique’ with CHIC-styled rhythm guitars syncopated against Moroder-esque sequencers. The following ‘Moonstruck’ ends this marvellous trilogy with a gorgeous ballad in the Tennant/Lowe tradition, smothered in synthetic strings while driven by a steady drum machine.

To close ‘Afterlife’, there is the building drone drama of ‘Burning Man’, probably the starkest thing Paalosmaa and Hulkkonen have attempted together so far. It would be fair to say that while there isn’t a track like ‘Trust’ on the album, ‘Afterlife’ is a colourful but no less impassioned body of work.

Paalosmaa still sounds emblazoned in sorrow but the adoption of more live instruments adds some brightness to the SIN COS TAN sound. While the spectre of PET SHOP BOYS looms, CHINA CRISIS and post-Roxy BRYAN FERRY are pointers to this more organic but still synth-friendly record.

Special thanks to Tom Riski of Solina Records

‘Afterlife’ is released by Solina Records in Europe and Sugarcane Records for the rest of the world on CD, vinyl and download with a street date of 22nd November 2013 for the UK

http://sincostan.net/

https://www.facebook.com/homeofsincostan

http://solinarecords.com/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
28th October 2013

SIN COS TAN Interview

22 January 2013 /

One of the best albums of 2012 has been the eponymous debut by SIN COS TAN, “a synthesized duo of great promise, broken dreams, and long nights”.

This brooding, electronic meisterwerk is the creation of Juho Paalosmaa and Jori Hulkkonen, both highly regarded figures within the Finnish music scene. Paalosmaa is the singer and songwriter from VILLA NAH who released the crystalline genius of ‘Origin’, one of the best synthpop albums of 2010.

They consolidated that success by supporting OMD that same year. Hulkkonen meanwhile is the highly regarded producer who released his first album ‘Selkäsaari Tracks’ in 1996. He came to the world’s wider attention though as ZYNTHERIUS with TIGA on their 2001 electroclash cover of COREY HART’s ‘Sunglasses At Night’ which was a UK Top30 hit.

He has since also worked with JOHN FOXX and PET SHOP BOYS as well as remixing THE PRESETS, CLIENT and best of all, the late BILLY MACKENZIE on his cover of RANDY NEWMAN’s ‘Boltimore’. His PROCESSORY project with the reclusive vocalist Jerry Valuri delivered an album ‘Change Is Gradual’ in 2011 which was an ambitious Sci-Fi concept album about seeking new life and new civilisations.

SIN COS TAN’s debut is more straightforward, developing on the pop instincts of both Paalosmaa and Hulkkonen but adding an organic edge to the electronic framework. With a rich filmic quality permeating amongst all the synths and drum machines, the album is possibly varied than either has attempted previously. However, ‘Sin Cos Tan’ still maintains a continuity that is both immediate and thoughtful. With songs such as ‘Trust’, ‘In Binary’ and ‘Book Of Love’, it is a contemporary electronic soundtrack which is ideal for that drive home on a rainy night…

Functionally, SIN COS TAN are a classic synth duo; Paalosmaa is intense and committed while Hulkkonen is more laid back and unassuming. Their contrasts compliment each other perfectly. Following their impressive debut UK performance at Nordic music night ‘Ja Ja Ja’ and with a new single ‘Bittersweet’ on the way, Juho Paalosmaa and Jori Hulkkonen kindly talked to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK about their album’s trigonometrical solutions…

How was SIN COS TAN conceived?

Juho: Me and Jori wanted to try and work on something new together, as we’d previously co-operated on each other’s own projects. We soon discovered that recording material together was very effortless – in just a few days we squeezed out 15-20 tracks.

Jori: Yeah, basically the idea was first just to try to write music together and see how it works; “is there chemistry in the studio” and “are the results something that’s more than the sum of its parts?” I was quite surprised how effortlessly the whole thing came together.

The project appears perhaps darker than VILLA NAH and more dance influenced than PROCESSORY. In your opinion, what are the differences?

Juho: VILLA NAH’s sound is somewhat an ode to the music of my childhood, hence the naivety and nostalgia that surrounds it. SIN COS TAN is sonically more modern and mature, so perhaps that explains the darker texture. I’d say SIN COS TAN is more emphasised on straightforward pop than PROCESSORY, but Jori is a better judge on that…

Jori: …with PROCESSORY, we wanted to experiment with the pop formula very intentionally, and although a lot of the songs were quite poppy, the arrangements were not, which made it maybe not so accessible; but in a way that was the whole idea of that record. With SIN COS TAN, we really wanted to focus on strong songs, and have a production and arrangement that supports the song, rather than distracting from it. And as opposed to VILLA NAH, I guess the keyword is “mature”.

How is the dynamic between you both in SIN COS TAN compared with the other occasions you’ve worked together?

Juho: With VILLA NAH, I’ve been solely responsible for the songwriting, so I knew that would be different with SIN COS TAN. With Jori, we both bring our ideas to the table and let them mix together…for me, that is the key ingredient of SIN COS TAN.

Jori: Yeah exactly. We had an idea what we might sound like, but when we actually got in the studio and started writing songs from scratch, that was the most rewarding thing for the whole process, as the end result took a slightly surprising direction; there’s a bit of R’n’B influence and it’s quite soulful at times.

Saxophones and guitars feature on several songs…was this willingness to use some conventional instrumentation a key part of your sonic exploration?

Juho: I try not to put any rules on instrumentations – I find that very limiting. So I’m not a synth purist, nor any purist, for that matter. My philosophy in music is simple: if it sounds good, just use it.

Jori: A lot of my favourite pop records are not limited to strictly electronics, and when I put my producer hat on, I’m always interested in expanding the sonic palette. I like the tension a tight drum machine and organic guitar can have. I love the idea of programming and creating the basic groove, but then colouring it with a bit more organic touch; on a lot my productions there are acoustic percussions, and little things played live and left a bit loose, just to add a bit of extra spice.

What about the types of synth textures you wanted?

Juho: Jori probably has a more detailed answer…I think we generally wanted SIN COS TAN to be sonically very clear and clean – stripped of any excessive production, relying more on the dynamic between just the vocals and the bass.

Jori: Again, it wasn’t really that planned. When we were writing songs, it soon became clear that we wanted to keep the production kind of minimal and leave space for the vocals to breathe. I think one of the strengths of the album is that the soundscape is also very honest; we didn’t go after any specific direction but worked on each song on its own terms, rather than trying to make the song fit a certain formula we might’ve wanted to have. It was only afterwards when we started going through the songs we’d done, we kind of noticed a certain “sound” emerging, and then tried to tie the album together by picking the songs that fitted together.

‘Book Of Love’ is a pleasant surprise with its sub-R’n’B beat template?

Juho: That’s very much Jori’s input. I found it a refreshing angle when compared to anything I’ve done before…vocally, it opens a completely different approach as well.

Jori: One of the key elements that came with co-writing was that I could point Juho towards certain directions as a vocalist he might not have tried himself; ‘Book Of Love’ is a prime example of that. I think it also is a great example of that “maturity” we mentioned earlier.

I understand ‘Trust’ started off more downtempo…how did it evolve into the final track?

Juho: ‘Trust’ was actually initially a demo track that I’d played around with my Yamaha organ; it was a bit more uptempo then. But as we took it to Jori’s studio, it transformed into a moody downtempo piece. Afterwards Jori offered a more uptempo mix, which we both agreed upon.

Jori: Yeah, the original version we recorded was very moody, in a way reminiscent of VILLA NAH’s ‘Emerald Hills’, but at the back of my head I felt it might need a different approach. So after trying a few things, it ended up being my favourite style of music: Disco You Can Cry To.

The extended live version of ‘Trust’ is something very special, any plans to release that?

Juho: So far no plans. But anything’s possible, of course…


How are you finding taking SIN COS TAN out live?

Juho: It’s fun and relatively smooth; Jori devised us a rather ingenious set of equipment which we’re able to grab along across the globe fairly easily.

Our live shows also feature visuals, which is a great asset to the music – it brings out an entirely different side of the band.

Jori: For me, it’s quite exciting as I’ve never really played live in a band, and sharing the stage where someone else takes the limelight is quite refreshing. Also, my solo gigs have always been very much based on improvisation, something you can’t really do as a duo doing pop.

‘All I Ever Dream Of’ is quite a bizarre track as it starts with this offbeat before building to a percussive crescendo?

Juho: It’s probably my favourite on the album, it has a nice off-kilter menace to it. I’m quite pleased with the lyrics and vocals on it too. The song actually came about extremely quickly – I think Jori can share how he came up with that tasty rhythm…

Jori: …it’s a very cool track; great example of our co-writing where I had this idea of the relentless rhythm and bassline, and Juho came up with this quite menacing tone to his voice which is a great combo. There’s many ways to approaching writing a song, sometimes interesting ideas come from programming a simple rhythm that has a character of its own and the song just manifests itself. It’s the closest to magic that I know of.

What is ‘History’ about?

Juho: ‘History’ was one of my initial home demos which we recorded for SIN COS TAN. Lyrically I think it deals with discommunication, resignation and the eternal repetition of the former two. Who says I’m not an optimist?

Although there is this melancholy running throughout the album, ‘Calendar’ is quite up, almost euphoric?

Juho: Yes ‘Calendar’ has the most summery vibe on the album. Like a ray of sunshine on a cold winter day…

Jori: …I had a basic idea for a track with that bassline and chord progression which felt very, very poppy and I sent it to Juho who loved it. We felt it was our summer hit.

What is your favourite song on the album?

Juho: As mentioned earlier; ‘All I Ever Dream Of’.

Jori: Tough, but I’d have say ‘Not Over’. If a future me had gone back in time one year from today and played me the song before we even started working on anything, and told me what Juho and I would sound like, I probably wouldn’t have believed him/me. That’s the beauty of this collaboration, it’s a bit unexpected.

What are your future plans, with regards both SIN COS TAN and your own projects?

Juho: More stuff with SIN COS TAN – we have plenty of ideas and tracks to work on from just our previous sessions alone. I’m also working on more VILLA NAH, whenever possible.

Jori: SIN COS TAN is definitely the priority as it has so many facets to the whole thing; more studio work, videos, touring. Apart from SIN COS TAN, I’m putting together some stuff both on solo fronts and collaborations.

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its sincerest thanks to SIN COS TAN

Special thanks to Tom Riski at Solina Records

‘Sin Cos Tan’ is released on CD, vinyl and download by Solina Records in Europe and Sugarcane Records for the rest of the world.

Their cover of ‘My Blue Heaven’, a song from the 1929 musical film ‘Glorifying The American Girl’ not included on the album, is available as a free download

http://www.facebook.com/homeofsincostan

http://www.jorihulkkonen.com

http://www.facebook.com/pages/villa-nah/8854069998

http://solinarecords.com/

Text and Interview by Chi Ming Lai
22nd January 2013

Ja Ja Ja featuring MØ , SIN COS TAN + HIGHASAKITE

5 December 2012 /

London based Nordic website and music night ‘Ja Ja Ja’ celebrated its third birthday at The Lexington in Islington with the first live performance outside Finland of SIN COS TAN, the acclaimed duo who released their self-titled debut recently to great acclaim. In short, it is one of the best albums of 2012.

Headlining the event was Danish post-R’n’B songstress MØ, plus there was additional support from Norway’s HIGHASAKITE. Showcasing the best emerging talents from Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Finland, ‘Ja Ja Ja’ has become an established cultural beacon for the Nordic region and in a totally packed out venue, the beautiful and the bearded mingled alongside musical figures from different generations. The legendary Rusty Egan could be also spotted chatting with up-and-coming electro chanteuse Karin Park.

The evening began with indie popsters HIGHASAKITE, notable for their use of zither in their textural soundboard by vocalist Ingrid Helene Havik. While veering more on the organic spectrum, they have that common thread with many Scandinavian acts of chilly melancholy and a knack for melody plus that dash of Arctic Circle oddness.

SIN COS TAN bring the Finnish weather with them and are dressed appropriately for the conditions. Despite being a new act by definition, the pair are actually experienced hands. On the left is Jori Hulkkonen, the ace music producer who has collaborated with John Foxx  but found Top30 fame as part of TIGA & ZYNHTHERIUS with an electroclash cover of ‘Sunglasses At Night’.

On the right meanwhile is Juho Paalosmaa, lead vocalist with VILLA NAH who supported OMD and produced an album of superbly crystalline pop entitled ‘Origin’. It was ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK’s favourite long player of 2010. Although Hulkkonen was VILLA NAH’s co-producer on ‘Origin’, SIN COS TAN are somewhat different with indie, lounge and R’n’B influences on the table alongside the usual synthpop and dance colours.

For the live showcase however, the audience gets a bias towards the latter, melodic hooks blending with the danceable drum machines and grainy string samples that are very much a Hulkkonen trademark. ‘Sooner Than Now’ acts as a funereal introduction before ‘Bittersweet’ opens out with more conventional instrumentation alongside the synths.

The tracks are segued using dialogue from cult British TV shows with the dulcet tones of Patrick McGoohan among the voices adding a schizophrenic mystery to proceedings. SIN COS TAN make an interesting pair; Paalosmaa – all very intense and committed, Hulkkonen – laid back and almost nonchalant. It’s a classic combination resulting in “a synthesized duo of great promise, broken dreams and long nights”.

A more classic synthpop template a la PET SHOP BOYS arrives appropriately enough with ‘History’, but the brilliantly off-kilter ‘All I Ever Dream Of’ throws people who are looking to dance slightly off the scent. However, the audience is rewarded with the neo-Balearic ‘Calendar’ and an extended workout of ‘Trust’. ‘Trust’ captures a bite that pushes forward the definition of retro-futurism like a 21st Century answer to ‘Enjoy The Silence’. Those who think there are no longer any new ideas in electronic music, please listen again…it’s time to rethink one’s trigonometric functions.

What SIN COS TAN perhaps lack in projection, they make up for in the strength of their songs and their sound. But then again, when you put one of the best producers and one of the best tunesmiths from the Finland station together in a room, this should not be entirely unexpected. The Nordic region is where it’s at with electronic music at the moment. Cold dark evenings and synthesizers…it’s a concoction made in heaven.

Concluding the evening, headliner MØ is impressive. Karen Marie Ørsted’s biography simply says: “The snow nation is eating your brain and your young heart – dark as the apocalypse. So just go perish in the snøw”! She defines her music as “Electronic Soul” and on hearing her live on the singles ‘Maiden’ and ‘Pilgrim’, she comes across like Lana Del Rey trapped in a frozen Fjord.

The resonant synthesized backing hops from hybrid dubstep to Phil Spector gone Sci-Fi while there are also elements of how Amy Winehouse would have sounded under Northern Lights. She uses the stage well to give a charismatically spirited performance which is kooky and profound but very immediate.

Scandinavia may be geographically cold and dark but ‘Ja Ja Ja’ provided a wonderful evening of ambassadorial warmth and intriguing music to savour. So here’s to its fourth year as an influential artistic platform and continuing this Nordic Affair.

With thanks to Debbie Ball at Create Spark

http://www.jajajamusic.com

http://www.facebook.com/MOMOMOYOUTH

http://www.facebook.com/homeofsincostan

http://www.highasakite.no

Text by Chi Ming Lai
Photos by Richard Price
5th December 2012

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