Sähkö Recordings (Bulb 2/1995): English version

SÄHKÖ

Bulb 2/1995

Sähkö Recordings is the only established ambient techno label in Finland. The label started its operations in January 1993 with Röntgen EP by Ø. Founded by Tommi Grönlund, Sähkö (“Electricity”), during its three years, has managed to gather some critical acclaim and a cult reputation, especially in England.

You could say that the albums released by Sähkö belong to the ambient techno genre. These albums have often been described as abstract minimalism. However, these classifications make it difficult to get to grips with the specific nature of this music. Like any other small record label, also Sähkö operates on a very personal level as far as its publishing principles go. The artists have all been found through mutual acquaintances. According to Tommi Grönlund, in order for an album to be released, it must have its "own strange thing". That is, something special that makes it its own, that creates its own identity and makes it interesting. So, the music to be released is chosen according to one's personal preferences, it is a matter of emotion.

Alongside Sähkö Recordings, a sublabel called Puu (“Wood”) has been created, under which only two Jimi Tenor albums have been released so far. With some hesitation, Tommi Grönlund described Puu's releases as "more jazzy", and indeed, compared to Sähkö's normal output, they probably are.

Finland is a very difficult place for a small record company.

Helsinki’s temporary Ambient City radio station was an ideal opportunity to get acquainted with this music. Many people unfamiliar with ambient did listen to the station, and those already interested in ambient were able to make some musical discoveries with the help of Ambient City’s excellent programme booklet. Unfortunately, the radio sessions in autumn 1994 will probably be the last; the radio station project, all in all, having been very costly. Sähkö's Tommi Grönlund worked as the programme curator for the station.

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The move of Sähkö’s distribution to the British Isles was therefore inevitable. Sähkö now has a distribution company and a press secretary there. The company ships the records to other distributors or directly to record stores. Therefore, Sähkö Recordings' releases are now in the same position in Finland as those of any similar British record labels – that is, either their distribution will reach Finland or it won’t.

Sähkö does not invest in promotion at all. The label seems to be constantly advancing with a low profile, as if it were stealthily.

”It would seem impossible to engage in any form of emotional dialogue with such music. Yet the sheer intensity, both of the sounds themselves and of the process behind them, exerts a hypnotic fascination.”

- Magazine articles about Sähkö act as advertisements. The journalists do their thing, so any story about Sähkö also works as an advertisement there, Tommi Grönlund says.

- Finland being such a small country and the local scene being so miniscule, it is just not worthwhile here, says Tommi Grönlund when asked why Sähkö Recordings' records are currently distributed from England. He says that the situation became even more difficult when the record pressing plants in Finland ceased their activities.

- That is a bad thing. There’s now a higher threshold to start your own thing, he says.

Because of this, it seems that no new ambient labels are appearing from Finland - with the exception of some individual releases. The current situation is not really encouraging for such projects, the domestic market for ambient music being so small. Only a few stores sell records of this genre, and there is no press in Finland who would pay much attention to this musical trend. There are few people who are familiar with ambient and have an interest in it. Part of the reason is, of course, that it is easy to fall into the oblivion about this music genre as a result of a kind of information breakdown. Any info about the records is difficult to obtain and the records are equally hard to dig up.

However, it would seem that awareness of the existence of ambient has grown, and with that, interest may increase. Nevertheless, the situation remains very difficult, as it is still hard to come by any info. The RadioMafia channel of YLE has already managed to play Panasonic several times. On Sunday evenings, you can listen to the Avaruusromua (“Space Junk”) radio show on RadioMafia, which serves as an introduction to ambient music.

Sähkö is already becoming a household name in the British press, and we know what to expect if it is a release by Sähkö. In addition to the music, the appearance of the records is also considered distinctive: thanks to Sähkö’s record sleeves and logos. Occasionally Sähkö Recordings' releases have received some glowing reviews, even peppered with fanatical hyperbole. For example, Deadhead's review of Metri by Ø in METEO sounded quite solid, when he wrote, among other things, that: "This is the work of an unadulterated genius."

So what about Sähkö's real popularity? Here in my home country of Finland, of course, it's quite weak, but what about Britain, for example?

The records are sold at around 2.000 copies; the new LP by Jimi Tenor, Europa, has sold 5.000 copies. The record company is only marginally supported even from England. From a local perspective, one easily gets the impression there’s some greater success when a Finnish artist or label manages to reach the international market. A Finnish-centered eye easily focuses on everything domestic, especially the praised kind. But even stripped of domestic sympathies, it seems clear that Sähkö has succeeded quite nicely in establishing its position as one of those solid record labels of its own marginal genre. The record label is very young and there is not a large number of releases yet, so even considering that, Sähkö’s current position is quite admirable.

Text: JGMander. Photos: Antti Kuivalainen.

PANASONIC – the sound of everything.

Panasonic released their debut album Vakio this year (1995), but each of the trio, Mika Vainio, Ilpo Väisänen and Sami Salo, have already released solo projects on Sähkö.

Panasonic performed their music impressively during the Helsinki Festival at the Huvila tent, but only to a handful of people. Their performance was undoubtedly the most convincing thing the Huvila tent had to offer.

Sometimes the bass booms were jarring, sometimes the high-frequency hums were ear-splitting; the soundscapes were, all in all, captivating.

Mika Vainio in the Summer 1995 issue of Lizard magazine:

"The equipment we use is not cheap, but it is lo-tech, we use machines built by a friend and all our music is recorded live. We have never had the opportunity to do it any other way."

Peter McIntyre writes in The Wire (October 1995):

”Pulses are stretched to the limits of the tonal scale while the frequencies employed range from the barely audible to the almost unbearable.

Evidence of human input across the 15 tracks is minimal.

It would seem impossible to engage in any form of emotional dialogue with such music. Yet the sheer intensity, both of the sounds themselves and the process behind them, exerts a hypnotic fascination.”

And it's hard to think of a better recommendation than Technohead's comment about Panasonic at the end of his album review in the September issue of DJ: ”Probably the best fun you can have with your clothes on at the moment.”

JIMI TENOR

Jimi Tenor is Sähkö's most popular artist. A man who, especially as a performer, has always seemed to be ahead of his time. At least that's what it feels like when you look back to the 1980s.

When his new album Europa was released, it was received with interest in the British press. Column space was taken up by, for example, NME, which reported on Jimi Tenor, who had lived in New York for the past couple of years, earning a living in the Empire State Building by taking photographs of tourists. Jimi Tenor, who has now moved back to Finland, started making a documentary about the record company Sähkö, and received a government grant for it, which has however run out. Because he has to use the most expensive film-to-video techniques, Jimi Tenor, who currently lives in a country house not too far from Helsinki, lives without running water and goes to the well to replenish his supplies every morning.

Europa seems to be mostly described as the background music for bad German porn movies, or the soundtrack for monster B-movies...

Discography (1995):

SÄHKÖ

001 Ø RÖNTGEN ep
002 Ø KVANTTI
003 ORCHESTRA GUACAMOLE SAAB 96 ep
004 HERTSI KOHINA 12”
005 PHILUS ep
006 Ø METRI cd
007 PANASONIC 12”
008 MIKE INK ep
009 KIRLIAN PORZELLANGASSE GROOVES cassette
010 SIL ELECTRONICS TAL-S ep

PUU

1 JIMI TENOR SÄHKÖMIES lp
2 JIMI TENOR EUROPA lp/cd

Thanks: Tommi Keränen. Bulb was a free distribution magazine published in Helsinki.