Against a video backdrop of knitwear-clad hipsters and bleak landscapes, former Helsinki tram driver Jaakko Eino Kalevi is holding court. The in-crowd force their way to the front of the sparse bar on Torstrasse, clutching Instagram-friendly cans of the iconic Finnish Original Long Drink and shuffling appreciatively to the dreamy synth-pop pouring from the makeshift stage. A multitude of accents, many of them Nordic, mingle with the smoke outside. For a brief moment it’s possible to forget you’re in Berlin.
The Finns have been making their mark on the city for some time. Tanz im August director Virve Sutinen is a Helsinki native, the renowned Suomesta Galleria on Potsdamer Strasse has been showcasing influential Finnish artists such as Janne Räisänen since opening in 2010, and those craving the signature Finn aesthetic shop at Mitte mainstays Kippis and Marimekko. While it might be hasty to cry ‘trend!’ it’s clear that in 2015 a new northern wind started blowing, as a core group of musicians have elbowed their way to the foreground of the Berlin music scene. There’s no distinct hallmark that binds them - their sounds range from club-friendly minimal techno to synth-laced indie pop - but collectively this disparate group is making one hell of a racket.
“There are quite a lot of Finn lovers in Germany,” says Jonas Verwijnen. He should know - as one half of the trendy Kaiku Studios he’s responsible for the taste of Helsinki that briefly infiltrated Torstrasse in September. “They’re very enthusiastic, but they have this classic view of the Finnish sound, like heavy metal, and we’re trying to break that by bringing something different.”
Along with business partner Janne Lounatvuori, Jonas set up Kaiku eight years ago. Since then they have produced, remixed and recorded tracks by local and international bands, and recently branched out into band management and representation. Although many of their breakout bands hail from all corners of the world - their stable includes band-of-the-moment Ballet School and Bulgarian rapper DENA - the duo are spearheading the new wave of Finnish indie pop bands.
“There are more and more pop bands coming from Finland, and that’s news,” says Jonas. “There’s this younger generation who seem to have way more enthusiasm in terms of grasping music and putting it in a new way.”
“But we don’t sit down and plan a Finnish invasion whilst holding the flag,” laughs Janne. “We’re trying to get away from that and be more European.”
Breaking out of the Finnish bubble was also the aim of Helsinki-born Islaja. The 35 year old electro-folk songstress, who switches between Finnish and English in her songs and counts the aforementioned Kalevi as one of her close friends, made the move to Berlin five years ago and became an underground sensation after signing with German label Monika.
“Though I never came here to meet Finns, little by little you meet them all. I kind of got sucked in! I’m not sure if there are many of us here, but we’re kind of loud and visible. And this little Finnish community is like a safety net. I don’t hang out with them all the time, but there is something that connects us. You feel a sense of belonging.”
Obi Blanche - c/o Lomography.com
It’s as though Helsinki’s creative crowd decided en masse to up sticks and head across Europe together. It certainly feels that way to Obi Blanche, the self-styled hobo-tech muso who arrived in Berlin after making his name with bands Ovali Virta and Pets on Prozac, and later, by collaborating with avant-garde Berlin singer Anika.
“There was a saying among my friends when people started moving here, ‘shall we go to this one bar, or shall we go to Berlin?’” he says. “It was as easy to choose either or. l wanted to go to a big city where things were happening, and it felt like a continuity of this group of people who were already hanging together in Helsinki. You’re coming home, in a sense.”
We’re all fully aware of Berlin’s international reputation as a cultural hub, but there’s not exactly a shortage of creatively welcoming cities in which in aspiring artists can make their mark. So why have so many Finnish artists decided to make Berlin their base? Somewhat predictably, escaping financial limitations was cited as a key factor in many Finns decisions to leave the motherland.
“I just wanted to leave,” says Islaja. “I didn’t really care where I was moving, but I’m sure my decision to move here had something to do with the cheap living costs. In Helsinki a cup of coffee is 5 Euro. To live there today you have to make a lot of money. It’s a rich peoples city.”
Money, however, isn’t the only thing that restricts budding artists in Finland from reaching their full potential. Globe-trotting DJ and Berlin lifer Kiki fittingly celebrated 20 years in the city last September during his set at the Berlin Festival. After securing a residency at Tresor one week after leaving Finland, the Helsinki native established himself as one of the city’s must-book acts, regularly appearing at Panorama Bar and even packing out Ibiza’s Space Club on a notoriously slow Monday night. For him, the stumble into success would never have happened had he not made the move.
“I had a similar situation to my friend, who just didn’t see the future of working with the music industry in Finland,” he says. “If you close clubs at 2.30 in the night you can’t experiment with the music. But in Berlin, especially with techno music, the length of the night means you can experiment more. I haven’t heard a lot of new techno musicians in Finland, it’s still the same few old guys. Perhaps they’re all coming here”
Such limiting conditions make it hard for Helsinki musicians to claim their city’s culture and make it their own. Though there’s no shortage of talent, it’s an environment in which fledgling acts have a hard time exercising their full potential. As Jonas explains, “pushing bit against the system is really hard, because the cops come immediately and shut you down. I left because I felt like there was a ceiling in terms of personal development.”
“And that’s when he was 24!” laughs Janne. “At the age of 44 he would have been suicidal! It’s the same for me. When I came here I thought ‘fuck, why didn’t I do this 10 years ago?’”
Jonas & Janne - c/o Svenska.yli.fi
Although Janne and Jonas agree that Helsinki is slowly coming into its own, they both believe that the scene back home hasn’t quite developed yet. Instead, enterprising Finns are creating a home from home in a city that allows them to bend the rules without fear of reprisal from the authorities.
“My personality suits this city. I don’t like playing by the rules, it makes me frustrated,” says Islaja. “Coming here, you feel this freedom. It’s hard to explain, but the air is lighter. Every artist should leave their own country and have their own Berlin period somewhere.”
While right now these Finns are moving in Berlin-centric circles, a lot of the artists are on the verge of breaking out into the mainstream. Kiki has had the video for his latest track Warriors played on MTV - a rarity for a relatively niche techno artist. Islaja is fresh from a tour of the Czech Republic, Obi is releasing his new album, and the Kaiku twosome are hoping a couple of their acts will crack the tough US market. They may be on the verge of the big time, but surely there are things they miss about home? And what about the projects they left behind? Islaja believes that the Finnish market has ‘already forgotten about her’ since she joined forces with Monika, but doesn’t rule out a return home.
“If I wanted to be smart about what I do I should just go back. Immediately,” she laughs. “Plenty of my friends who stayed and never left, they’re established now. But I feel like for my own learning process its good to be here right now.”
“I feel like Finland would be a great place to live again and find amazing people to work with,” agrees Obi. “When I was in Helsinki this summer I sensed that it’s getting better. The influence from here, that central European way of living and owning your city, is reaching up to the North. That’s very exciting”
For now, however, the tidal wave of Finns rushing to Berlin is showing no sign of slowing down. The new generation of ambitious musicians in Helsinki have got their eyes set on success, and know where they’re likely to find it.
“I just met two new people who moved here in the past week from Finland,” says Jonas. “It is happening. I see it, I feel it.”
Originally published in Exberliner magazine
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