Tag: Jori Hulkkonen (Page 6 of 7)

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

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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

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

SIN COS TAN Sin Cos Tan

24 November 2012 /

SIN COS TAN are Jori Hulkkonen and Juho Paalosmaa, two leading exponents of the Finnish electronic music scene.

Jori Hulkkonen is the seasoned production hand who in his various guises has worked with KRAFTWERK, PET SHOP BOYS, JOHN FOXX and TIGA among many. Juho Paalosmaa meanwhile is the vocalist and songwriter from VILLA NAH, the Helsinki duo who released one of the best albums of 2010 in ‘Origin’ and supported OMD on their UK tour that year. Hulkkonen was the co-producer of ‘Origin’ and his endorsement of VILLA NAH no doubt helped give them become a Top10 band in Finland.

Paalosmaa also sang on ‘Re: Last Year’, a track from Hulkkonen’s ‘Man From Earth’ solo record; so a further artistic union was a natural and inevitable progression. As previously showcased on his deep bootleg reworking of ‘Boltimoore’, Hulkkonen’s work has often been haunted by the ghost of Billy Mackenzie.

Paalosmaa, a singer schooled in the drama of DAVID BOWIE and the emotive melodicism of OMD, almost acts as Mackenzie’s present day spirit. While there are hints of ASSOCIATES in SIN COS TAN, they have their own identity seeded by VILLA NAH and PROCESSORY, Hulkkonen’s project with reclusive singer Jerry Valuri. Anyone who has enjoyed either will love SIN COS TAN.

SIN COS TAN’s manifesto is to be “a synthesized duo of great promise, broken dreams, and long nights”. The album starts with the almost funereal ‘Sooner Than Now’, its arpeggios reminiscent of JOHN FOXX & THE MATHS. The slightly off-key marimba and detuned synths make it an interesting if obscure start before the first SIN COS TAN track that went public, ‘In Binary’. This dark, atmospheric space ballad could have come off PROCESSORY’s ‘Change Is Gradual’ album although ironically, it started off as a solo Paalosmaa composition.

Acting as its next door neighbour, ‘Book Of Love’ shimmers with building bass drama and clicks along at a steady rimshot pace, attached to a light R’n’B shuffle. Much more frantic though is the tremendous ‘History’ which is set to a Klingklang percussive structure. Unrestrained, Paalosmaa makes a last ditched appeal to a departing lover with a cry of “you can be my history”. Its imperial PET SHOP BOYS styled middle eight even comes with the Emulator chipmunk voice sample.

Despite the sombre tones of ROBERT GÖRL’s ‘Mit Dir’ resonating in its intro, ‘Calendar’ is almost Balearic. But true to form with Hulkkonen’s intelligent disco manoeuvres, the beats are complimentary and never overbearing… he understands that feel is more important than power.

Continuing the clubland excursions, ‘Played Out’ goes full-on New York electro with distorted robot voice samples alongside Paalosmaa’s dulcet tones. It’s a bit ‘Paninaro’ in its Bassline programming. Off-kilter rhythms drive ‘All I Ever Dream Of’ where Paalosmaa hits falsetto and heavier overtones within the same song before the track heads for a creepy percussive breakdown.

Another of the album’s highlights is ‘After All’ the dynamic 16 step sequence and syncopated measures are complimented by layering strings and electronic oboe. Both are grainy enough to recall classic NEW ORDER while the song itself lifts into another headspace. Factory’s finest were known for thumping dance tracks and guitar driven numbers so with the latter template in mind, ‘Bittersweet’ is enjoyable indie rock and with a spirited turn of energy. It brightly refines THE SMITHS gone electro template of Hulkkonen’s first collaboration with Jerry Valuri ‘Lo-Fiction’.

The marvellous ‘Not Over’ goes on record as the SIN COS TAN’s first proper co-write. Like a smooth electro take on ‘Flesh & Blood’ era ROXY MUSIC but fronted by Thom Yorke, it even includes a sax solo to complete the circle of cool! As the focal point of the album’s genesis, it was unleashed on a 12 inch white label with ‘Sooner Than Now’.

This great album concludes with the superb ‘Trust’, its sweeping drifts, spy drama shivers and introspective reflections providing the most perfect avant pop. Like DEPECHE MODE’s ‘Enjoy The Silence’, Paalosmaa’s demo version was downtempo but Hulkonnen has pushed it into more rhythmic dance territory. As a result, it has become SIN COS TAN’s calling card and is one of the songs of 2012.

Under the additional subtle influence of MASSIVE ATTACK’s smokey vibes and the trippy dance textures of UNDERWORLD’s ‘Dubnobasswithmyheadman’, SIN COS TAN’s debut album impresses with a rich filmic quality permeating amongst all the synths and drum machines. As a whole, there is enough variation while still maintaining a theme and a sound that is both immediate and thoughtful .

A great collection of songs to bridge the gap before hopefully another VILLA NAH album and whatever hat Jori Hulkkonen decides to wear next, those disappointed with PET SHOP BOYS ‘Elysium’ may find what they desire in these fractured Nordic soundscapes.

‘Sin Cos Tan’ is released on CD, vinyl and download by Solina Records in Europe and Sugarcane Records for the rest of the world at https://sugars.bandcamp.com/album/sin-cos-tan

Jori Hulkkonen and Juho Paalosmaa discussed the album and its influences in a SIN COS TAN special recorded for Basso Radio on 19th November 2012

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Text by Chi Ming Lai
Photos by Lauri Hannus
24th November 2012

Introducing SIN COS TAN

20 August 2012 /


SIN COS TAN is the new mathematically charged project of ace producer Jori Hulkkonen and VILLA NAH’s Juho Paalosmaa.

Having worked together previously on VILLA NAH’s superb debut album ‘Origin’ and on the track ‘Re: Last Year’ from Hulkkonen’s own ‘Man From Earth’ solo record, a further artistic union was almost inevitable. The duo made their live debut at Helsinki’s Flow Festival this summer.

Their first offering ‘In Binary’ will not be a complete surprise to anyone who has loved either VILLA NAH or PROCESSORY, Hulkkonen’s project with Jerry Valuri. With a stylish video by Pyry Lepistö, Juho Norokytö, and Matti Ranki, the track is an atmospheric amalgam of the two although probably biased more towards the futurist space ballads of the latter’s ‘Change Is Gradual’ album.

The superbly pulsating ‘Trust’ though is perhaps more VILLA NAH, and showcases the pair’s manifesto to be “a synthesized duo of great promise, broken dreams, and long nights”.

Add in sweeping drifts, sharp widescreen cimbalom, danceable but subtle beats and emotive vocals tinged with sadness from Paalosmaa, what more could you want? Haunted by the ghost of the late Billy MacKenzie, ‘Trust’ could possibly be the song of 2012…

So while VILLA NAH take a sabbatical and Hulkkonen wears yet another hat (other monikers have included ZYNTHERIUS, ACID SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, KEBACID, DRUMMAN, STOP MODERNISTS and THE TANIA & JORI CONTINENTS!), SIN COS TAN are finishing an album for forthcoming release.

A 12 inch white label featuring the songs ‘Not Over’ and ‘Sooner Than Now’ has been issued as a limited edition of 300 and is available from Stupido Records

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Text by Chi Ming Lai
20th August 2012

JORI HULKKONEN Interview

5 July 2011 /

Jori Hulkkonen is one of Europe’s most highly regarded electronic music producers.

One of 2010’s best albums, ‘Origin’ by VILLA NAH is one of his co-productions. Although he released his first album ‘Selkäsaari Tracks’ in 1996, he first came to the world’s wider attention as part of TIGA & ZYNTHERIUS on their 2001 electro cover of Corey Hart’s ‘Sunglasses At Night’ which became a massive international club hit.

In 2005, he collaborated with John Foxx on ‘Dislocated’ as part of his fifth solo album ‘Dualizm’. This also featured Jerry Valuri on the track ‘Lo-Fiction’ and led to the formation of their duo PROCESSORY and the release of a self-titled debut in 2007.

Up for the odd spot of artistic mischief, he assembled THE ACID SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, an experimental avant-garde techno ensemble of nine fellow conspirators each controlling Roland TB-303 Bassline computers, all conducted and mixed by Hulkkonen while operating various Roland drum machines. Described as “performance art meets acid house”, the collective famously supported KRAFTWERK on their Helsinki date in 2009.

As well as undertaking remixes for CLIENT and ROBYN among many, in 2010 he released his seventh solo album ‘Man From Earth’ which featured VILLA NAH and again Jerry Valuri who sang on two songs including the brilliant title track which made ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK’s Top 30 songs of that year.

Never one to stand still, together with DJ Alex Nieminen, he has just released a cover version of NEW ORDER’s ‘Subculture’ under the moniker STOP MODERNISTS. The original track saw the Factory Quartet at the start of their Italo inspired sub-PET SHOP BOYS imperial phase so this rework appropriately enough features none other than Chris Lowe on lead vocals.

But it’s PROCESSORY that is Jori Hulkkonen’s main focus at the moment. The new album ‘Change Is Gradual’ is a more synthetic and collaborative effort than its predecessor with hints of a lo-fi gothique and the reclusive Valuri’s anguished vocals providing a foreboding atmosphere over the retro-futuristic instrumentation.

Perhaps initially less dance oriented than his better known work, this is an ambitious 18 track neo-concept album in three acts. And as the title suggests, there is a progressive escapist vibe running throughout. Album opener ‘Young Italians’ has strong moody overtones filled with grainy Emulator strings. ‘Farewell, Welfare’ is creepily dystopian and built around some gloriously weird noises while the collections highlight ‘Take Me To Your Leader’ actually concocts some very introspective moods at The Finland Stationƒbut nothing has been proved.

‘Recovery Measures’ bleeps up the pace and is more readily accessible. But on the more downbeat side ‘Human, Unfortunately’ could be a eulogy from ‘Blade Runner’ and this minimal wave continues with closing numbers ‘In The Unlikely Event Of An All Life Erasing Gamma-Ray Burst, This Is The Soundtrack’ and ‘Adaptation For Survival’. These are spacey takes on the similarly apocalyptic themes explored on MUSE’s three part ‘Exogenesis Symphony’.

With the album now released, Jori Hulkkonen kindly spoke about ‘Change Is Gradual’ and his varied musical adventures to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK

You have recorded under a variety of guises; as yourself, ACID SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, KEBACID, DRUMMAN, STOP MODERNISTS and PROCESSORY. Another person who had as many identities as this is fellow producer Stuart Price. What made you decide to wear so many hats?

Originally, when I signed my debut album followed by an artist contract with the French label F Communications in the mid 90s, it was agreed that I may still release music on other labels, but not use the name I would use on F Comm. And as I decided early on to work my artist albums under my real name, it was only natural to develop pseudonyms for music on other labels. And as I worked with many different labels, I always tended to come up with a new name. To date I think I’ve recorded under about 20 different names.

ACID SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA had the honour of supporting KRAFTWERK in the summer of 2009. How did it feel to support the mighty Kling Klang foursome? Any stories about that event?

The whole visual side of the ASO is lending heavily from the imagery of KRAFTWERK, so getting the opening slot for them was pretty amazing.

Ralf Hütter told me after the show he was very impressed by the whole concept and our performance, making the experience a truly exceptional one.

When did PROCESSORY come into being with Jerry Valuri?

I’ve known Jerry for 15 years, and even before ‘Lo-Fiction’, which was recorded in 2004, we experimented with his vocals. Jerry had never done any singing before so it was a long learning curve. I think the first record released with Jerry’s voice is Man From Solaris which was released on 12″ vinyl in 2001. In 2002 it was included on my album ‘Different’ which featured another song with Jerry, ‘Four Seasons, Four Loves’.

‘Lo-Fiction’ was the first proper song thing where Jerry wrote his vocals and lyrics on top of a musical idea I had. We were both going through on a very deep phase with THE SMITHS. After the success of the song – but more importantly because it being a very cool experience for both of us – we decided to start working on an album As it was a proper collaboration, we didn’t even consider doing the album as a JORI HULKKONEN record, but we wanted to create its own little universe. Our self titled debut album was released in 2007.

So what makes PROCESSORY different from your last solo album ‘Man From Earth’ which also featured Jerry Valuri on two tracks?

The two tracks on ‘Man From Earth’ with Jerry were both written by me, Jerry just re-sang my vocals as I’m not such a great vocalist. Same thing with the VILLA NAH collaboration on that album, ‘Re Last Year’.

The idea with PROCESSORY, although I do all the final mixes, is to bounce ideas back and forth, musically, lyrically and thematically. So it’s a real collaboration, whereas on JORI HULKKONEN records, I’m a dictator who doesn’t negotiate.

‘Change Is Gradual’ is divided into three parts. What was the idea or thought behind this?

Two reasons. First of all, it’s very long record, pretty much the maximum length of a CD. We felt that dividing it into three parts maybe makes it more accessible. Secondly, the album took about one year to record. There were three phases we went through and that’s roughly the partition you have. Originally we wanted to make a slow, dark album, which is the first part, mixing a variety of influences from new age to dub.

The second part features more traditional pop songs, which I was kind of against initially, as I didn’t want the record to sound too much like the VILLA NAH album I had produced earlier that year. But the songs took their own direction and became something totally different. The last part is more based on productional ideas leaning towards dance music, lending to Detroit techno and disco and generally have a more upbeat vibe to them. After recording everything, we thought maybe we should release three separate mini-albums but eventually came up with this three part solution.

Which would you say are the key tracks on the ‘Change Is Gradual’ album and why?

Tough, it’s still too close, I could probably answer this better in a few years, but ‘Trickle Down’ was the first track we recorded for the new album and it laid down some basic directions. ‘Take Me To Your Leader’ and ‘Non-Aggression Principle’ are probably my favourite songs on the album at the moment, they both turned out exactly as I wanted plus the album closer ‘Adaptation For Survival’, that kind of sums up the vibe of the whole album.

Do CD and vinyl versions of the album have same tracks?

‘Change Is Gradual’ is available only on CD and digital, then there will be a series of three 12″ vinyl EPs that feature both originals from the album but also remixes by the likes of AEROPLANE, HERCULES & THE LOVE AFFAIR and CFCF

You also co-produced VILLA NAH’s ‘Origin’. How did you meet Juho and Tomi?

In 2008, a friend of mine had seen them live and gave me the link to their MySpace page thinking I might like it. They had the demo versions of ‘Daylight’, ‘Ways To Be’, ‘Envelope’ and ‘Emerald Hills’ up there and I was instantly hooked. I’d spent so much time listening to these songs on MySpace that when we started working on them later in 2009 in my studio, changing them felt somehow wrong. So those particular songs didn’t change that much from the demo stage.

At the time in 2008, I was organizing a small weekender festival in Helsinki and I booked them to play there. Also at the show were the guys running the Keys Of Life label. We were all totally blown away by their performance so the plan of recording an EP that I’d produce was made the same night.

One thing striking about ‘Origin’ was that it was dance influenced but very sparse and not in-your-face like most club recordings. What was the main thing that you brought to it?

There was a lot of material to begin with. The guys had written a lot of songs in the previous couple of years, so someone outside their songwriting duo having a fresh pair of ears was crucial in picking a group of songs that would make a good album. Secondly I brought in options. I would hear potential in a certain song that could be fulfilled with a different approach; a good example being ‘All The Days’ which was quite different when we started work on it.

How do you assess VILLA NAH’s potential as a synthpop act in the 21st Century?

It all depends on them really, what they want to do. They have a lot going on for them though; great songwriting, a very good debut album to build on and definitely not least, Juho’s magical voice.

Many people internationally first became aware of you via TIGA & ZYNTHERIUS’ cover of ‘Sunglasses At Night’ in 2001. How was that song chosen to be covered and what was it like to be swept along by the Electroclash movement of that time?

As with most things, it was all very accidental and not very planned at all. I was in Montreal promoting my new mix CD ‘Helsinki Mix Sessions’ released on Tiga’s Turbo label in 2000, and we just had some spare time to mess around in Tiga’s home studio.

We tried a few cover versions including ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’, ‘Small Town Boy’ and ‘When Doves Cry’ before trying ‘Sunglasses At Night’. I’d originally found the song back in ’84 on a 12″ called ‘West End Sunglasses’, a megamix of Corey Hart’s ‘Sunglasses’ and the original version of PET SHOP BOYS’ ‘West End Girls’, and the synthline just felt very cool to use with the 808 beat. It took us a couple of months before re-listening to what we’d done and sending it off to DJ Hell. We weren’t really expecting that much of the whole thing. I’m glad I used a pseudonym for that release as even though I loved a lot of the music that was around and connected with Electroclash, the whole scene felt a bit distant to me.

You’ve continued to occasionally produce / co-write with Tiga on his solo albums. It is good that you still work together but was a permanent partnership never really a possibility?

After ‘Glasses’, we actually started work on a TIGA & ZYNTHERIUS album and it was very close to being finished, titled ‘The Strings That / Us’. Eventually we concluded that keeping T&Z as a one hit wonder was a lot better – and cooler – alternative though so we agreed on focusing our solo careers, with some songs of those sessions ending up on our albums, such as ‘Dying In Beauty’ on my ‘Dualizm’ album, and Highschool on Tiga’s Sexor. Because we do work together pretty well as songwriters, we’ve tried to get in a studio at least once year and actually we’ve accumulated quite a few unreleased songs that have never made it on either of our albums.

You collaborated with John Foxx on two tracks ‘Dislocated’ from ‘Dualizm’ and ‘Never Been Here Before’ from ‘Errare Machinale Est’. How did you first come to be working with him?

I believe it was around the time John Foxx & Louis Gordon’s album ‘Crash & Burn’ came out, I got in touch with John’s manager Steve Malins. John Foxx’s ‘Metamatic’ is one of my all-time favourite albums.

For me it was a fantastic opportunity to get a chance to work with one of the people who had shaped my musical world. ‘Dislocated’ was written by me, with John and the sound of ‘Metamatic’ in mind, whereas ‘Never Been Here Before’ was a co-write, sounding more contemporary club music.

Would you like to do a full collaborative album like the JOHN FOXX & THE MATHS project ‘Interplay’?

We’ve talked about further collaborations, and yes I’m sure more music will be coming sometime in the future from us in one form or another.

And you have also recorded a cover version of NEW ORDER’s ‘Subculture’ with PET SHOP BOYS’ Chris Lowe on lead vocals?

The idea of re-recording ‘Subculture’ by NEW ORDER is something I’d considered for a long time. In fact, my first cover version of the song goes back to 1990. The idea was to take what me and STOP MODERNISTS partner Alex Nieminen felt was an underrated song, make a late 80s deep house interpretation and bring some extra twist with having Chris on the vocals.

It’s very hard – impossible, actually – to explain how important this record is to me. PET SHOP BOYS have been the most important musical influence for me, and to be part of the official PSB canon in way completes a circle that started in the mid 80s when hearing ‘West End Girls’ for the first time and deciding “that’s what I want to do”

Where do you stand on the balance between using vintage and modern equipment. Do you have any particular favourite synthesizers or devices that are important elements to the Jori Hulkkonen sound?

I love hardware, and I love vintage synths and drum machines, but at the same time I love new technology and software and follow what’s going on in there.

I think using old machines but then mixing and manipulating in a virtual environment gives you the best of both worlds, and that’s where I’ve been at for the last ten years. I don’t think I have any trademark synths. Seems over time that when I work with a new piece of equipment, hardware or software, I always end up trying to make them sound the same!

Have you had any formal musical training or are you self-taught?

Self taught – that was the one thing that got me into electronic music, the idea that you could do everything by yourself, in your bedroom with no real musical education. It felt truly radical.

You have done remixes for many acts. Has there been a particular one that has stood out for you which has been personally a great artistic success?

I think ‘This Boy’s In Love’e by THE PRESETS is a 10 out of 10 remix on my standards. It’s difficult to say why but somehow everything just clicked when I was making it and it still sounds fresh.

What projects are you working on next?

There’s plenty of stuff that I’m working on, as an artist, producer and remixer. The next release I have lined up is another collaboration album, this one I did with Via Tania from Sydney, Australia. We’re called THE TANIA & JORI CONTINENTS and our album is called ‘Continent One’. It’ll be out this summer on the Australian label Other Tongues. It’s a mix of synth and chamber pop. Tania has the most amazing voice.

Is there anyone else you’d be interested in working with?

Yes, and I’m working on it!

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its sincerest thanks to Jori Hulkkonen

Special thanks also to Tapio Normall for his valued assistance and contribution

PROCESSORY ‘Change Is Gradual’ is released by Sugarcane Records

‘Subculture’ by STOP MODERNISTS featuring Chris Lowe is released by Keys Of Life Records

www.jorihulkkonen.com

www.facebook.com/JoriHulkkonen

www.facebook.com/Processory

www.facebook.com/stopmodernists

www.facebook.com/AcidSymphonyOrchestra

Text and Interview by Chi Ming Lai
5th July 2011

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