1999 • Kauan koskematon

Gates open and man touches for the first time something that has been untouched for a long time..

Creating Kauan koskematon took time from the start of winter 1998 to spring of 1999. I sampled sounds from my father’s old synthesizer, and from my friend’s parents piano, and used those quite primitive sounds to create base for the overall sound of the compositions of freezing winter melancholy inspired by artists like Mortiis, Arcana and Dead Can Dance, just to name few.

Finnish artist Aslak Tolonen painted album cover artwork and calls it “Tyhjä portti” which means “Empty gate” in English. It’s just the perfect cover for my album. He really has read some thoughts of my mind and heard the untold story there is. He also created the iconic Jääportit logo design that I stil use today.

Album was released by Noitavasara label on cassette-tape as a limited edition of 500 copies. All of them were sold out quickly.

2004 • Uumenissa

I have always made experiments with the sounds, find different ways and develop his approach to the creation of music. My second full-length album “Uumenissa” (Firebox Records, 2004) contained dreamful frostbitten ambient music, painted with soothing electronic synthwaves, atmospheric and cosmic sounds.

First four tracks of Uumenissa was supposed to be work of it’s own, but then I continued making more tracks to build a full album. It took five years to finish up everything, because I started to learn how to use new audio equipment and software in the process. I wanted to use more electronic ambient sounds played with synthesizer to evoke more dreaming like states.

The tales on the album are certain obscure patterns in the mirror of life, formations under the surface, glances from the aquarium, motions in the quicksand, the chaos of the existential state and the rhythm of purification in the deep blue yonder of spatial echo.

Some tracks were played off-tempo for a more relaxed feeling. Though the last track includes rhythmic beat and in a way leads to forthcoming material that would use rhythmic drums more and more, when I kept learning more possibilities of modern composition.

2006 • Avarrus

The 3rd full-length Jääportit album “Avarrus” was released by Epidemie Records in 2006. Album contained more detailed and sophisticated sounds, experiments with more rhythmic elements, electronic beats and percussion, than the earlier releases.

Avarrus starts with sounds of an elevator ride that lasts very long and I imagined it as a journey downwards beneath the imaginary castle. The albums story was carried along and afar by sound stream recorded from a live environment.

Times were filled with change otherwise too. In real life I started studies at school of art and media in the city of Tampere, where I got to experiment with making music and learned about sound design. So it’s also a kind of soundtrack for leaving one place behind and moving to a new one.

2009 • Voimasuo

The 4th full-length album titled as “Voimasuo” was released by Epidemie Records as CD Digipak on the 12th of May, 2009.

This wide-ranging album introduced another metamorphosis of Jääportit as combination of ambient electronica with the touch of frosty post-rock flavours. Music was created at Kajekammio, Finland during 2006 to 2009.

I started to work with Voimasuo in 2006 and during that time I was also composing music for short films as school projects. It required a lot of work to compose music for film in the way the director wanted to and was best for the story. Besides doing that I had the urge to keep creating music freely on my own. Sound-wise I wanted to make louder music than before, use more distorted sounds and drums more than before to create a bigger sounding band. It took me to these post-and progressive rock ambient directions – and places that I am still exploring in many ways. It is both; playing instruments by myself mostly using keyboards and electronically created. For a few tracks violin was played by Mindy from the notes I composed and conducted. 

Epidemie released it as CD Digipak in 2009 and the album got good feedback from many places. Track Suon sulaessa was played on national Finnish radio on the show for new music.

2018 • Jääportit

Fifth full-length Jääportit album simply titled as “Jääportit” was released at 8th of February, 2018. In a way, it’s a journey back to the roots, but still bringing out new, using all the experience gained during the years.

I found more time and interest in creating new music for Jääportit in 2016. I got an Ltd electric guitar and started to play more of it and use it as the main instrument in the tracks, with clean sound and distortion to acquire heavier and more intense sounds. It’s easier to play when there is a beat and bass in the background. Therefore I use digital drum tracks and bass, that I play or program, on the backbone of the music. Then I played guitar, keyboards and synthesizers to create sounds and melodies for the music. Here and there you can hear me singing through the synthesizer’s vocoder effects.

In 2017 I decided I wanted to release an album and contacted Epidemie and asked if he would like to release my album as a CD. I was pleased to hear that they answered positively. I also created cover artwork all by myself this time. Then in 2018 the album was finally released.