Here is a censored version..
If this works I'll try cleaning up my Sonar redux and reposting from June.
STL
--
Subject: [Fwd: Helsinki/Tallin/Turku]
Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 02:14:28 -0400
From: dj Horsepower <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Organization: Full Crate Productions
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
CC: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Once again this looks like it's not gonna make it to 313land again, so I
want to make sure the people who matter get it..
HP
====
Subject: Helsinki/Tallin/Turku
Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 00:37:31 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Steven T Lammers" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: 313@hyperreal.org
CC: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED],
[EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED],
[EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED],
[EMAIL PROTECTED],
[EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED],
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Helsinki, Finland; Tallin, Estonia; Turku, Finland : These are three
world-class cities that deserve attention now...
I was fortunate enough to spend last week in Scandinavia and Baltic Europe, for
the first time in my life. I was on vacation, but I was also spying on their
scene, with hopes of breaking in someday.. :)
Let's start the logbook from arrival and go to departure and tell all that
matters inbetween.
I arrived in the Helsinki airport on a beautiful day, on Thursday August 3rd in
the early morning to meet fellow listmember Ville Hyvonen whom I'd previously
met @ Sonar in June, along with crazy local fan and DJ Lars Relander (DJ
Alkemist). I had planned with many people in Finland and Estonia that I would
be performing during my stay, at the Koneisto festival [ www.koneisto.com ] and
headlining two other parties in the area, as well as my radio appearance. Much
to my dismay when I watched all the luggage go by on the carousel my flight
case was not among the parcels and the airline had no idea where my records
were. This was not good, and not a great way to start things, but my spirits
were so high that nothing would stop my positive attitude and eager
anticipation for the whole experience. Lars made arrangements with the KLM
staff to be contacted on his cell IF {scary thought that I thought I would
never have to face} the record case was found. Luckily it was, 48 hours later,
but I had to travel to Estonia with unfamiliar music and someone else's vibe; A
new experience for me also. ;> We'll get to the details of that adventure in
a minute....
Outside the airport we caught a bus to take us downtown, where we were to meet
local artist "Karri O" or Karri Ojanen, with whom I would be staying in his
aparment while I was in Helsinki, along with his girlfriend Sanna. Karri was
on a break from work and met us at the bus station on his bike with a big
smile. Things were starting to roll. Unfortunately on the bus trip we had to
plan to reschedule my Helsinki debut 24 hours later than planned, so this
particular event wasn't as well planned, but it still was successful! More on
the details of that experience in this letter coming, too.....
So I was with Karri, Lars, and Ville, and limited luggage [being a DJ, I would
have much rather had the stupid airport lose my clothes than my records, and
this would bum me out for the first two days of the trip, but like I said
before, it was hard to be complaining] and we strolled through busy downtown
and market square, where I took my first pictures with my new camera, and
bought some strawberries. Helsinki has the look and feel of a port town to me,
even when you can't see the water -- wide spaces and clean faces. The people
are very polite and the buildings are well preserved. More later here of
course......
We walked to the port where I would catch my ferry to the city of Tallin, and I
packed an overnight bag and put the rest of the stuff in a locker. Karri
purchased my ticket for me, since this performance was being sponsored by Mono
Records, his own label, and then had to split. I walked with Ville and Lars
then back through the market to a local supermarket to get our fix of cider and
beer, and took the spirits back to Lars' place, where I was to pack my crate.
;}
Luckily Lars had a spare and I rifled through most of his collection as quickly
as I could since we were on a limited clock, and found some pieces of home,
from Red Planet, Direct Beat, UR, and Teknotika, and this was a welcome feeling
to be able to still represent the home grown sound along with the Finnish vibe.
Thanks, Lars, for being so generous and letting me borrow your records!! I
owe you one!!!
After slamming the beers and walking the other way back through market square
to the port, Lars and Ville waved goodbye as I stepped through the dock and
customs, trying to imagine exactly what it would be like to step on formerly
Russian soil. You will know in a second.......
:]
The trip by ship was luxurious, and I got to see tiny islands and other boats
while enjoying the nice and smooth ride. I was in Estonia in about 45 minutes
or so.
I walked off the ship and was greeted by two smiling faces, one of whom was
Aivar Tonso, the man who made alot of it all possible. It was
different--that's for sure!!!! Estonia is a very unique combination of
cultures due to the fact that it is bordered by Finland, Latvia, and Russia. I
would say that it had a German feel to it but that would be only speaking from
inexperience, but man was I in for an eye-opening treat in a minute.. We (four
of us) squeezed into a tiny compact car with records, computers, and gear, and
scooted away to the warehouse where the party was set to be that night. Hidden
away just off a dirt road and past a security gate were an arrangement of
peculiar-looking heavy manufacturing-based buildings that were basically unused
at present for the most part, with the exception of light storage. At least
this is how it looked to me. When we drove inside it was dark, and we took a
staircase to a floor near the top of the unit to a large room that was
conditioned for a photography studio, and soon a rocking party. The layout of
the space was furniture scattered throughout and a second-story loft in which
you could look down upon the happenings below, where a full buffet and
beverages would be served for everyone.
We unloaded the contents of the compact into a tiny little elevator and took
them upstairs to the gig and started to set up. I don't know how much I want
to get into the detail of what I was feeling walking around this building--it
was a combination of terror and glee--but the reasons for this would be that my
partners in techno crime would soon inform me that the entire warehouse's
purpose during the past was solely for construction of warheads. Pictures will
be posted on my website along with everything else, as proof and evidence.
;););)
Anyway, it was good meeting the people who were planning the event and a truly
valiant effort was put forth in creating an enjoyable time here. I had no idea
what to expect. Aivar had told me their group had thrown parties here before
and to bring my most experimental music. Experimental music? Yes. The locals
know their music and were ready to be freaked out. So this is a good thing.
:-) I did my best with approximately three people's record collections [thanks
to those] and it was successful. I had been going strong with about two hours
sleep for who knows how many days and it was finally catching up, so Aivar took
me back to his home to sleep on the couch and went back (!) to play live for
the dedicated people still there into the wee hours, at 7AM. Aivar and his
girlfriend would come back to Finland with me the next afternoon but not before
giving me a quick tour of downtown Tallin which was unforgettable. We were
also near the water, but Tallin had more of a Dutch-cottage style type-of feel
to it for me, 18th Century or before.. People busy with the work of the day
and living in the future the old style way. Pictures will say more.
The three of us missed our planned ferry back to Helsinki because the cat got
away but we found the cat and booked a business-class trip moments after.
Thank goodness we were riding back in a little bit of style because it was _one
bumpy ride_ for sure. Karri back at home told me that I *would* get sick on
the ride back, and he was wrong, but not too far off. ;> Don't take too much
advantage of the all you can eat and drink on trips like these. Imagine (for
Detroiters) driving down the worst stretch of Grand River Avenue or Woodward
downtown in a suspension-free auto for an hour and a half and you'll get the
feeling.
Karri met us at the dock and we were in a hurry already so we zipped to the
Nordic Jet Line port where my luggage was stowed and I picked it up, stupidly
leaving the key to my flight case (which I still didn't have in my posession)
dangling from the lock on my keyring. I wouldn't realize this smooth move
until we were halfway driving to Turku for the big weekend shindig. ;P HP
kept on pushing, however.
Karri had rented a very nice new red VW station wagon for transporting us and
all of our things to the festival city. The drive was nice. It rained just a
little bit but it was perfect timing since we were in the car. Stopped a
little over halfway to pick up some liquid refreshment and continued on. Turku
is the oldest city in Finland, and also has the best techno scene in the
country, according to pretty much everyone I talked to on my trip. It just
made sense that Koneisto was happening here. I would be staying with a
collective of locals who were hardcore supporters of the music and would also
be pitching their own tent at the park for the festival where I would play,
twice. Thank goodness I didn't need my records until Saturday.
Friday was the first day of the festival and I got to see history in the
making. I was hoping to say hello and introduce some people to Rich but that
never happened. I did see performances by Giant Robot, Bomfunk MC's, Les
Rythmes Digitales, Gadgets, Richie, Gaetek, as well as a host of people most
haven't heard of yet, and the talented DJs in the X-Rust tent of course. The
organizers held true to their word of 'all the genres of electronic music will
be represented from nine different stages of Koneisto'. The word "Koneisto"
means "Machine" in English. One of the stages was even a POOL! There was
swimming in this olympic-sized pool and plenty of chilling scattered around it.
This was cool. There was ambient music, there was even a BOWLING ALLEY where
electronic musicians were performing, both live and on the decks. The whole
concept in my honest opinion was well thought-out, well-arranged, and for a
first effort definitely gave Sonar a run for its money. I will be back, and
hopefully so will most of you.
Saturday my records arrived [3 hours later than scheduled] by taxi to the
'Bunker' where I was staying with the crew. No joke, this is an apartment that
X-Rust rents that in wartime was used as an actual bunker. I was in the heart
of Turku and historic accomodation.
Saturday I also went with Karri to the train station in Turku to pick up Sanna
and earlier I was to meet a very nice girl from St. Petersburg, who was to be
playing that night at Koneisto in X-Rust and also on the big stage--Lena
Popova--an interesting and very talented woman. We went to her hotel to
arrange things and back to the Kupittaa park.
I should also note that before this I was given the proverbial "Turku Tour" by
Karri, where we met up with Aivar and his girl, Lena, and other X-Rusters @
'Mind' Records - the best music store in the whole country. This is where I
got to meet Kimmo Rappatti working behind the counter and quickly become
absorbed into their music for sale...
Here is a short list of things I picked up at this store:
2 Technasia EPs. Very good IDM/techno from Hong Kong.
0 : Rontgen [Sahko 1 Repress]
0 : Kvantti [Sahko 2 Repress]
Deep Chord 7&8
Question 2&6 (have them all now!)
Techcommunity : Kosovo 4 double-pack {slamming}
Jori Hulkkonen : When No One Is Watching {unreal groovy house/IDM}
Air Frog : Bon Voyage [Svek - I said I liked the r.a. so ;p]
Mr. Velcro Fastener : Who's Gonna Bend [Ltd. Edition Blue Vinyl]
I don't know much about this artist other than no one in
Finland could stop talking about him and/or stop playing his
records. He is an electro/IDM artist who apparently is
BLOWING SH!T UP now. I really enjoyed this record alot.
After this we caught some quick fast food (I ate alot of fast food on this trip
because of limited time) and were off to the party once again..
Saturday night was so fun..
I saw Sensien live from Belgium, Luke Slater from UK, Frank Lorber from
Germany, Lena, Karri O (complete with electronically-hacked laser gun live),
Alkemist, Marko Laine, Bleah, Burdock, Janne Husu [record review on the way]
and so many more brilliant performing artists that deserve mention. Techno was
the focus most of the time, with electro and funk getting high marks. Lots of
the live acts in the Adventure Park and Super Bowlin' were really out there,
too. I missed some of the bigger acts because of my records disaster and
because I was so digging the smaller more independent outfits, it was just a
great festival with great things happening everywhere! Food and drink to buy
and a nice VIP area with dining tables for the artists and crews. Karri and I
were backstage downstairs from the main arena at one point waiting for Richie
but ended up talking to Les Rythmes Digitales the night before instead. I
heard Jori [Hulkkonen] had some major problems with the equipment there and
that was unfortunate but pulled it off in force. Mr. Velcro Fastener and Pan
Sonic were also missed probably because I was either dancing to Karri and Lars
or eating pasta. ;^)
I got onstage and behind the decks in the X-Rust tent at Midnight sharp, in
place of Osmand who donated his settime. SO MANY THANKS AND SO MUCH RESPECT.
I also played the same area the second half of Lena's set and closed it out for
the final night, since she asked me to play for her as she was going to the big
stage right afterwards playing. THANKS AGAIN. My first set I broke out V1000
- early inspiration for me from Lansing and a perfect, planned opener. I also
dropped the expected Kreisel 7"s and Kompakt goodies, as well as some more
V-Max trax, Primary cuts, and UI/Joyrex rarities if anybody is down.. ..The
pace was dropped at the end of the first set to play some soulful house jams
which I was feelin. I got a very nice compliment from someone for that who I
really hope writes me back sometime. :^> Thank you.
For my second set that night I played on the more dub and experimental veins,
closing things with a Global Communications remix, the first Burial Mix record,
and some Profan and Detroit things.
Sunday I took another extended Turku tour courtesy of Lars and newfound friend
Anti, who took me to X-Rust's former headquarters that is now used as
residencies for certain artist (painters) and bands. Interesting. We also saw
some of the urban city again.
Sunday Lars and I took a very nice&smooth train ride back to Helsinki with all
of our things and had a real good talk about life in general.
I stayed with Karri and Sanna in their apartment on the couch that night. They
have a very nice place!! Very modern third-floor apartment with all the
conveniences.. Here Karri and I broke out our photographs taken past (I
brought some) and shared some stories while drinking Vodka and relaxing.
Monday I got to take the subway into the city after sleeping in until about 4pm
;] and really got to explore things. I went back to the market and got some
cheesy souveniers for the family and met up with Lars later. This day we went
to Spine Farm -- Helsinki's best shop -- for my first time. I didn't get to
spend too much time here so I did the 'ol
"hide-the-goods-in-the-trance-section" move and came back Tuesday to listen to
them again before I was to buy. ;^> I bought most of them, anyway. $1200
Finnish Marks, which impressed the guys but I spent way more in Cologne my
first time in Europe. Records are way heavy. ;^} Tuesday Lars, Karri, and I
also ate in a pretty nice restaurant called "Dick Tracy's" in a sort-of popular
area of town which was excellent food. Didn't get to try any fish or
middle-eastern food while I was there which is apparently big, and that will
have to wait until next time! :{ Lars and I also went to another record shop
near the restaurant where I didn't buy anything and had to run for the hills
because of the horrible CDs they were playing over the main system. ;} I also
got a collection of horrible cheese flyers from this place, according to the
guys, with only one keeper of the bunch; A place where Jesper Dahlback and Jori
had played earlier. Tomi K had also played and was playing again. I would
have liked to have gotten to Sweden to see Stockholm and Switzerland to see
Zurich or something but this was just too short of a trip and I brought home
many rain checks. :< ..
Tuesday I saw more of Helsinki by foot and then went to meet with Lars and pick
up the flyers he got printed at the technological school for a hookup. Lars'
first flyer and it looked nice!! He couldn't stop staring at it, even at the
event! :) The party was held on the art school's campus and worked very very
well!!! For such short notice we had a great turnout and I made many more
great friends. I finally got to see Lars play up-close-and-personal which was
very nice and hard, and also Karri pulled off another great set, lots of deeper
music. I continued on with the deep stuff after Karri, keeping the vibe
flowing, it was more of a sit-down-and-listen environment than a jump-up crowd,
kind of like my thing at Forans here, so I could relate, but I didn't get to
play any of my intended D_jamz like Inner City and Cajual classics and stuff
because of this, and opted to dip into my bags of new purchases from Turku, and
I hope the people weren't disappointed! :> Even if I wouldn't have played on
this trip, I think it would have been a total success. Just being there was
all I wanted.
Ville also dropped his first set in front of a crowd ever and I was there to
witness the electro madness. Watch out for this guy and his silver belt! Plus
he's got great taste - only like 5 minutes he had to play and still squeezed in
an Electronic Warfare remix and an Adult picture disk. =>
My fondest and greatest memoirs of this so far are the friendships and music I
brought home. All the mixtapes, stickers, flyers, t-shirts, photos still not
developed yet. Thank you for reading this, 313.
Thank you to the people of Helsinki, Tallin, and Turku for showing me a great
time. I will be updating my webpage to include more details of this story and
eventually music samples and contact information for all the things that are
going on here. I will have some big news to announce in April of 2001, also,
and only a few people know so most will have to wait, so pay attention.
Lastly, anyone who is a friend who hasn't gotten one or a genuinely -
interested promoter anywhere, contact me with the subject "TAPE" if you want a
free one, and include your address.
Steve-
PS; Had a great weekend spent at Motor. Marco Carola was on form Friday and
Rob Hood was good Saturday. This message was conceived and constructed
while listening to the Nighttime World Volume 2 promo.
PPS; Other great things going on and coming in Detroit = Thursday Transmat
parties weekly at The Temple and Motor's 4-year anniversary with none
other than Derrick May. Otto had a good point to me yesterday as we
were walking out of the club that it's great there are these weeknight
parties in the city. We don't usually get the pleasure of hearing
without traveling.
~
