Finnish electronic producer Jaakko Eino Kalevi has released his self-titled album, filled with lush rhythms, driving bass and pulsing synthesizers.
Currently on a European tour, Jaakko says that although the run has been largely successful so far, it hasn’t been without its own fair share of trials and tribulations. “It’s been good, except I lost my suitcase with lots of personal stuff. Luckily there was no music gear in there or anything, so we can continue the tour.”
Jaakko’s previous record, ‘Dreamzone’, brought him to the attention of both his homeland and the world with seemingly effortless dreamy-sounding electronica.
Building on the mood and atmosphere of ‘Dreamzone’, Jaakko says his latest record is more representative of his current work. “That was more like an EP that release. It depends how you count it but this is my fourth album, the first on Domino. I wanted to continue the mood from ‘Dreamzone’ and also have it in a current album style, because the other albums have been more like collections of my recordings.”
A self-taught instrumentalist, Jaakko says his foray into electronica began when a Finnish band – which began as a garage rock outfit – re-styled themselves as an electronic act. “I guess at one point in my life when there was the Finnish band And The Left Handed, they started to make electronic music and it was more like a garage-rock band before that.
“When they started to make electronic music, it was refreshing to see people who don’t come from electronic music making electronic music.”
Jaakko is also embarking on his first-ever tour to Australia, with a short, east-coast run in early October. While Jaakko is excited for his Down Under debut, he laments the short timeframe of the tour which will leave little time for recreation. “I’m looking forward to coming there and see how it is there because I have no idea how it is. Unfortunately we don’t have too many days off there though, so it’s kind of annoying that we come all the way there and then it’s just like hit-and-run almost.”
Jaakko’s music has a dark, brooding quality that draws the listener into the layered, yet minimalist world he creates. This aesthetic is reflected in Jaakko’s live performances, which focus on the dream-like essence of the sound, rather than visual spectacle. “Right now I don’t really have any visuals, it’s just the lights; usually I want it to be kind of dark so there’s not much there either.”
Jaakko Eino Kalevi Tour Dates
Fri 9 Oct - National Gallery of Victoria (Melbourne)Sat 10 Oct - Newtown Social Club (Sydney)
Sun 11 Oct - The Zoo (Brisbane)
