FREE! Magazine

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Kinetik Control has been one of the nicest new surprises in the Finnish music scene during the past months; a band with a very personal style not afraid of provoking the audience with risky covers from old dance classics. Their first album has scored top high in the charts, and Tweak, one of the founders of the band, explains everything you need to know exclusively for the readers of FREE! Magazine.

Hello Tweak. Can you please explain a bit more about the formation of the band, Kinetik Control, and your personal past story in the music business?

I formed Kinetik Control in the beginning of the century with the aim of making music that would be totally honest and largely varied. The idea was to combine all kinds of music styles that have been important for me and not set any limits to what we could do. I've played in some extreme metal and rock bands in the past and done all kinds of music business related odd jobs, but now I'm 100% focused on Kinetik Control.

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There are tones of hard rock and metal bands in Finland nowadays, but when listening to Kinetik Control, I have the impression you have achieved quite a personal style, a bit more electronic and "dark" oriented. Which are your influences when creating your music (if we put aside the lack of divine inspiration…), and what do you think of the "boom" of heavy metal music in Finland nowadays?

I cannot hear darkness in our music, just light. The album title reflects the current state of the humankind; selfishness, materialism and superficiality, when it seems that people have abandoned their spiritual values. My influences vary; when I write the songs, I aim to tell a story. I do not write about my personal experiences but rather about things that I see and observe. I am merely an observer, not a judge. The boom of course helps in the sense that no one is scared for heavy guitars these days. I consider our music to be indie pop, the distorted guitar sound is the only thing we have in common with traditional metal bands. I do not either listen to metal that much anymore these days even if I did when I was younger. Frankly speaking, I am getting a bit tired of the metal boom. A lot of people get away writing uninteresting music simply by hanging on to the metal anthems. Freak singers can win the Idols because they say they are metal… I think it will all harm itself in the end.

Your second singles has as a title No one knows about us, but certainly that is not the case with the band, since although you are pretty new in the scene, your singles are hitting very high in the Finnish charts. Which are the reasons of this early success?

I don't know. We aim to make honest music with a lot of heart behind it, and I hope people can see that in today's impatient world.

Are the new members Medusa and Shades going to remain as permanent musicians in the band, or are more changes expected in the near future?

Shades has been clearly imprinted in the band and will remain as a permanent member. We also have a new guitarist to help me out: L-G, who used to play for a Swedish Spinefarm death metal act Arise.

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If I am not mistaken, you have worked with the recording of the album in the famous Finnvox studios, a place of reference for many well known Finnish and international bands. How was the experience there?

It was really learningful and the people there were friendly. I couldn't imagine us working anywhere else.

There is an interesting and curious cover in the album from Haddaway´s: What is Love. Who had the idea to cover this song?

Provocation. We chose a song that was a bit disgusting, and wanted to try the sense of humor of the listener. How low can you go? Do the limbo dance!

Are you able to focus your life just on your music now, or do you have other jobs/activities apart from Kinetik Control?<

We have no obligatory desire to focus solely on music. I love my day job and as long as it is possible to combine both, I will most surely do it. The other members have quite similar situations, but when the time comes, we are not afraid to put emphasis on the music.

I am getting a bit tired of the metal boom in Finland" -Tweak. Kinetik Control-

Is Helsinki the best place on earth to write depressing music?

Helsinki is a bit depressing in its own way, but I am originally from the north of Finland, Oulu, the most beautiful city of Finland. Oulu is a perfect setting for a melancholic frame of mind, but I tend to travel to various places inside my mind, and writing songs does not demand any certain type of feeling, atmosphere or place to happen.

In your official website we can still not find information about incoming gigs and tours. Is there anything already planned that you could share with us? Surely fans would like to know where to see you on live.

We are currently making rehearsal shows under secret name(s). The official tour will be published late this summer and performed during the autumn.

What are your future plans? Are you going to take advantage of the good welcoming of your first album to release soon a second one?

The only thing we are going to take advantage is the fact that I already have so many songs ready for the next album that we are kind of forced to do it so that we can move on, and I don't think you have to wait for a new album that long.

Anything else you want to add for the readers of FREE! Magazine?

Have a warm, music-filled summer and remember to lotion yourselves!

For more information visit:

http://www.kinetikcontrol.com

Disco Ensemble is the band that dominates the indie rock scene in Finland. Their latest album is selling really well and soon they will start a tour in the United States after playing at the Ruisrock festival this weekend. Right before the start of their tour Finland, FREE! met Lasse Lindfors (bass) and Miikka Koivisto (vocals and keys) in the backstage at Klubi in Tampere. Their music edgy, with hardcore and punk roots, but Lasse and Mikko speak calmly, almost shy of their success. They are just some normal guys from Pori.

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You just played in Germany

Miikka: Yeah, we came a couple of days ago. We just had the time to make the laundry at home. It was good there.

Who does it feel to play the first gig of the tour in Finland?

Miikka: We are a bit more nervous. In Germany we were the supporting act and here we are the headliners. The audience know us better, so it feels like they expect more from us.

Lasse: It’s a different feeling. We have a history here. It’s easier to make an impression when nobody knows you and doesn’t know what to expect. Here it feels that we have to push it even further.

How do you think the audience will react to the new songs?

Lasse: We have to see. We don’t know.

Miikka: We are happy with the album, of course. But we haven’t played any shows with the album being released. The reaction is different when people don’t know the songs, like it happened in Germany.

Lasse: In a way we don’t want to think about the audience too much. We are happy about the record is out.

You kept a video blog while recording the album, how was the experience?

Lasse: We didn’t plan it much. We just kept the camera there and try to capture something so we could give people a taste of how working in the studio is. But it came pretty weird.

Miikka: We speak Finnish to each other, so it feels weird to change to English in front of the camera. That’s why the videos were weird. We didn’t say much.

Lasse: We just don’t have the genes to be in front of the camera.

Will you repeat with the next recording?

Both: Probably

The artwork of Magic Recoveries is pretty special. It even includes a poster. How did it come up?

Miikka: It’s made by a designer we met some time ago, Inka Järvinen. We had some discussions about the meaning of our music and the lyrics and he designed some ideas.

What is that meaning?

Miikka: Nothing really specific. We wanted to reflect the attitude.

Your schedule for the next months looks pretty busy.

Lasse:That’s what we do. We’re excited. We don’t get shows for granted. We are excited and grateful.

What about playing in the United States?

Lasse: We’ve played in a couple of showcases, but this are going to be the first real tour there.

Do you prefer playing festivals or clubs?

Miikka: Both have good and bad things.

How is playing early in a festival?

Miikka: It’s strange to set your mind to play that early. It’s difficult to get in the mood in the daytime.

Could you tell me a little bit about the early days of the band?

Miikka: I joined the band in 2000 and Lasse in 2002. The other two guys (Mikko Hakila, drums, and Jussi Ylikoski, guitar) have played together longer. It seems like it’s a long time, but it’s not that much. In the early days, the music was hardcore punk, with shouting lyrics. As a hardcore punk band from Pori , we just played, we didn’t expect instant success. It has evolved pretty slowly, very naturally.

What is your favourite venue in Finland?

Miikka: The obvious answer is Tavastia. Lutakko in Jyväskylä is good too. Both Klubis in Tampere and Turku.

Lasse: It’s different if I’m going to see a show. I prefer smaller places like Semifinal or Kuudes Linja

What is the funniest festival you have played?

Miikka: It was up North, in Tornio. The stage was high up on a hill, the sun didn’t set at all. Really surreal.

What is the craziest band you have toured with?

Lasse: Gogol Bordello. No doubt about it. It was fun to see them every night and mess around.

Did you get to meet groupies while being on the road?

Both: We don’t have any groupies! But there are beautiful girls in every country.

If you would have to pick up only one record…

Miikka: On the band’s behalf that would be The Shape of Punk to Come by Refused.

What band would you like to see in concert nowadays?

Both: Radiohead.

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Alec Empire, former member of Atari Teenage Riot, is a versatile artist: musician, producer (with his label Eat Your Heart Out Records), remixer, DJ… He has played and collaborated with an astonishing list of great bands and musicians and shook many consciences with the charged political statements of his previous band. Now, after having released his new album The Golden Foretaste of Heaven and toured all over Europe, he kindly had time to answer the questions that I shot at him.

Hello Alec. How was the recent European Tour?

It was great… this band is really what I want to do now. It feels so right. The energy, the crowd reception…everything. I wish I had thought of this much earlier. We have found a way to bring all the different elements of my music together. 

Is there any gig or venue that you specially liked? 

I never look at shows like this. We control the atmosphere with the crowd together. So we can go into any venue in the world and do it! I really liked Manchester.

I have seen that you re-scheduled more shows in Germany and France. You played in Helsinki on February. What is your opinion about Finland and the Finnish audience?  

We try to play there again. The routing didn’t make any sense this time round. But of course we kept it on our plan for this year. There is no other country which can be compared to Finland. Finland is dark, nobody is laughing…everybody is drinking haha…I love it….but there all have a strong sense of design, architecture and a certain kind of music.

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What has changed for Alex Empire´s attitude when going on stage from the times of Atari Teenage Riot?

Not that much actually. I am still me….I don’t compromise. I always do what I feel is right.

I interviewed recently Alex from Einstürzende Neubauten, and he commented that the spirit of creativity in Berlin is getting lost and it is not what used to be. Do you agree with that, or how do you see the artistic scene in Berlin nowadays?  

No I disagree with him. He belongs to another generation. And for that generation it is perhaps true, but there is so much energy where I am at…Berlin is the future capitol of music in Europe. There is no doubt about that. In Berlin artists always think towards the future. In no other city in the world there is that creative power right now.

There is no other country which can be compared to Finland" -Alec Empire-

What got you inspired for creating this new album?

Berlin. I wanted to build a bridge between the past and the present. I pushed a new side of my music, combined with my ideas about electronic music this has created a new mixture. It is funny, everybody says it sounds familiar but nobody knows what to compare it to…

You have very different roles: musician, promoter, booking agent, DJ…  How do you find time to cope with everything?

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I am not a booking agent. I also don’t promote in the traditional sense. I put nights together. But I always did that. I feel I always have to come in when other people lack the imagination. I think it’s easy. Someone once said to me it’s how my brain is wired haha…. it’s just different.

 
If you would have the chance to choose a perfect place, time and musicians colleagues to play with you the last concert of your life, what would your decisions be?

I would play for myself alone in my place. This sounds strange to other people, but I would love the chance to play and really remember my life and the situations I played these songs in…

Do you have any concert or venue confirmed for the summer festivals?

There are talks right now, but I got offered two film soundtracks, so I might have to do those (It was just confirmed that Alec Empire has composed the soundtrack for Japanese director Tadanobu Asano´s new film). I could play some festivals but somehow the line ups have become so boring… I don’t know… I am looking for new challenges in my life. Every time I go to a festival it feels like a graveyard….Festivals used to be adventurous and exciting. Now I just see sponsorship and bands on many stages… it doesn’t feel like one big party…more like watching little adverts on TV…. When I go to a concert I want to come out as a different person on the other end…

For more information:

http://www.eat-your-heart-out.com