For those not familiar with Kauppayhtiö: It’s a two-storey club in the center of Rovaniemi which is the capital of Lapland in Finland. So we are at the Arctic Circle. We did the club in the bassment which is the space meant for some deeper clubbing.

Moodswings combines two totally different ends of the sound spectrum – organic soul and new bass culture. In addition, every club night has its own unique visuals with new ways to interact with them.

Moodswings is also the world’s first ever open source dance club.

The night was as fine as it gets. The evening opened gently with people trying out the interactive visual set and won some strange prices.

The instructions for the visuals were as follows:

There are four candles at the altar.
By lighting and smothering the candles you can contact the goddesses.
They will announce themselves on the night sky.



If you are especially in favor, you will be rewarded. The goddesses have let the oracles know that during the night they will give rewards four times.



Don’t worry, this is a very practical religion. The signs of favor are very clear.

The visual system included seven different-sized mirror balls that the audience could play with with the aid of those four candles. An amazing thing, really.

As the night got deeper the place got packed and was a blast. Couldn’t have imagined for a finer launch for the club!

I’m posting the first photo of the night here and there’s some video coming up shortly, too.

In the meantime you can find more info about the club here.

Photo: Jouni Porsanger.

And here’s a shot of Aku’s visual imagery.

Here’s great graphic art for the poster by Marko Mäkinen.

The most famous of these are ancient cities based on meticulous anthropological and cultural historical research. Most successful parks have been New York 1964, Oulu 2008, Reykjavik 2027 and Turku 2011.  

From the very beginning the main designer and the head guide has been the legendary Don Walsh.

Experience Park Oulu 2012 is an update where the Experience Park Oulu will be updated to year 2012.

The update will happen on the streets of Oulu during the first week of August. The update is compatible with both old and new tourists and residents of Experience Park Oulu.

Exact info will be first published at www.facebook.com/walsh.don

Working Towards a Brighter Yesterday!

Soulmate

Café Kauppayhtiö Upstairs, Rovaniemi

Moodswings had its club premiere on 12th May in Rovaniemi.

It’s a new kind of audiovisual club that blasts your eyes, ears, ass and mind.

Moodswings did a test run of its new club concept in a smaller form in December 2011. In May 2012 we presented the full-blown dance club.

Moodswings is the first new club concept created solely for Rovaniemi in mind and comes from the guy behind the clubs Boogalumbia! and HOBOGOLD that have both been touring all round Finland for the past few years.

The club is created in co-operation with media artist Aku Meriläinen a.k.a. VJ Merrylaeinen. The aim is to create a new kind of extremely danceable audiovisual club.

In line with its name Moodswings combines extreme opposites. Energetic and soulful retro soul meets futuristic bass. Organic soul lights the spirits to the skies and a new kind of bass music brings it back deeper underground than you could have ever imagined.

Soulmate, dj

Merrylaeinen, gently interactive visuals

Next Moodswings in the Fall 2012.

Next SHH will be acting in The National Hero, a production directed by Vihtori Rämä. The premiere is set at 24th March 2012 at 7pm.

A few photos from a club 10 years back called Sisuraja (‘The border of courage’ freely translated).

In the photos (from the left) Hanna Onjukka, Katja Mustonen, Pia Lindy, Jaap Klevering and Satu Herrala.

If my memory doesn’t fail me the photographer is Marko Kokkonen. The club happened in the now-demolished Rock Club Kerubi in Joensuu, Finland.

Sisuraja happened once every month first in Kerubi and later in the Theatre Restaurant of Joensuu City Theatre. Over 200 artists performed at the club during its three-year run.

Update: Kerubi is up and running again after some years but in a different location. Big up for the new space!

Note! Kullervo is performed also in English so you can join even if you don’t speak Finnish.

That which is not man will never become a man.
- Paavo Haavikko, Kullervo’s Story -

This is a story about revenge told by the misunderstood perpetrator.

Kullervo is the blackest character in the Finnish national epic Kalevala. This exact story has been an inspiration for countless artists like J. R. R. Tolkien, Jean Sibelius and the Finnish metal group Amorphis.

This Kullervo returns to the roots of theatre in funeral. Of the oldest and blackest tragedy in Finnish heritage it searches for an answer to the violence of contemporary world and contemporary time.

In this contemporary dance piece an extreme personality in extreme conditions meets extreme movement that explodes between endless compression and total surrender.

Production, direction, set design, sound design and dance: Sami Henrik Haapala

Photography: Pekka Mäkinen

Graphic design: Antti-Jussi Ahponen

Originally co-produced with Jojo – Oulu Dance Center

Kullervo is available for tour.

Teoksen musiikin tiedot

Nigel Kennedy & Kroke: Ederlezi
Ederlezi on mustalaisten epävirallinen kansallislaulu. Laulaja laulaa kevään juhlasta, josta hänet jätetään ulkopuolelle.

Sibelius: Finlandia, Op. 26 (Kapellimestari: Neeme Järvi)
Dir En Grey: Sa Bir
A Hawk and a Hacksaw: Waltz for Strings and Tuba

Terje Isungset: Svartisen
Terje Isungset tekee uutta jazzia soittimilla, jotka on rakennettu jäästä.

Jorma Juselius: Häävalssi
David Darling: New Morning (Darkwood VII)

Halleluja
(säv. ja san. Leonard Cohen, esitys: Susanna & The Magical Orchestra)

Kuulin, että oli olemassa salainen sointu,
jonka David soitti ja se miellytti Herraa,
Mutta sinä et taida välittää musiikista, vai mitä?

Se menee näin, kvartti, kvintti,
Pieni putous ja suuri nousu,
Vaiennettu kuningas säveltämässä Hallelujaa

Sanot, että häpäisen nimen.
No, minä en edes tiedä nimeä,
ja jos tiedänkin, mitä se sinulle kuuluu?

Jokaisessa sanassa on valonvälähdys.
Ei ole väliä minkä niistä kuulit,
pyhän vai murtuneen Hallelujan.

Tein kaikkeni, se ei ollut paljoa.
Koska en pystynyt tuntemaan niin yritin koskea,
Kerroin totuuden, en tullut tänne huijaamaan sinua.

Ja vaikka kaikki meni väärin,
Seison Laulun Herran edessä,
eikä kielelläni ole muuta kuin Halleluja.

*

General information in English followed by information about the music of the piece.

That which is not man will never become a man.
- Paavo Haavikko, Kullervo’s Story -

This is a story about revenge told by the misunderstood perpetrator.

Kullervo is the blackest character in the Finnish national epic Kalevala. This exact story has been an inspiration for countless artists like J. R. R. Tolkien, Jean Sibelius and the Finnish metal group Amorphis.

This Kullervo returns to the roots of theatre in funeral. Of the oldest and blackest tragedy in Finnish heritage it searches for an answer to the violence of contemporary world and contemporary time.

In this contemporary dance piece an extreme personality in extreme conditions meets extreme movement that explodes between endless compression and total surrender.

Production, direction, set design, sound design and dance: Sami Henrik Haapala

Photography: Pekka Mäkinen

Original production co-produced with Jojo – Oulu Dance Center

*

Information about the music of the piece

Nigel Kennedy & Kroke: Ederlezi
Ederlezi is the unofficial national hymn of the gypsies. It tells about a celebration of Spring that the singer is cast out of.

Sibelius: Finlandia, Op. 26 (conductor: Neeme Järvi)
Dir En Grey: Sa Bir
A Hawk and a Hacksaw: Waltz for Strings and Tuba

Terje Isungset: Svartisen
Terje Isungset makes new jazz with instruments made of ice.

Jorma Juselius: Häävalssi (’Wedding Waltz’)
David Darling: New Morning (Darkwood VII)

Hallelujah
(Composition and lyrics Leonard Cohen, performed by Susanna & The Magical Orchestra)

Thought to post some great things that came my way on my last visit to the fine cities of Marseille and Avignon.

Great vegetarian food in Marseille

Le Grain de Sable
34 Rue de Baignoir, Marseille.
Open Mon – Fri 12 – 14 only because ‘it’s not good to do too much work’ as one of the cooks put it. How true!
Good quality organic and local vegetarian food with a pleasant feel for Provence.

Radio Grenouille 88.8fm

A great Marseille area radio station with various styles of music ranging from new club stuff to local art projects. Also organizes a nice club on the beach. You can find the info at the site.

www.grenouille888.org

Wonderful Bar & Nightclub in Avignon

Délirium.
Avignon.
A truly fine bar! If I would ever put up a bar it would be like this.

www.ledelirium.net

Theatre

Jan Lauwers presented his trilogy Sad Face | Happy Face at the Avignon Festival main program.

Hate to think like this but why isn’t it possible to do theatre that is this challenging, intelligent, physical, poetic, multilayered, multicultural and contemporary in Finland on a big stage?

www.needcompany.org