MADAM I'M ADAM

I have kept this 2-CD on loan from library several months (without much listening to it) and finally decided to deal with it. PEKKA AIRAKSINEN was a Finnish underground figure since the 60's and later an independent and enormously productive maker of Electronic / Ambient / New Age / Avant-Garde music. This compilation covers five decades. Straight away I admit that I have no will or guts to study the second disc closer, in order to analyze how it differs from the first one. The point is, IT HAS THE SAME TRACKS as previously unreleased remixes. I have extremely little interest to have various versions of the same music - be it a live performance or a remix - whatever the genre is, and indeed this particular music is quite inaccessible and difficult to start with! Maybe this second disc was one reason why I found it frustrating to get into this compilation more deeply. The unchronological, seemingly totally logicless running order doesn't make it easier either.

The leaflet contains detailed notes on each represented work, both in Finnish and in English. That definitely makes sense, as we have already seen some PA people from e.g. Japan being very interested in Airaksinen's music (greetings to you!). I personally wasn't hugely impressed by this compilation, so I'll just concentrate on sharing information.

THE SPERM was founded in 1967 as a cross-cultural, anarchistic underground collective involving also persons outside music, from the fields of e.g. theatre, literature and cinema. Airaksinen - their musical primus motor, no doubt - and company made recordings already a few years before their only album Shh! (1970) was released. The years after the track titles refer to recording dates, not the release dates. One Sperm track is previously unreleased while two appear on that album. For prog curiosity: guitarist Nikke Nikamo, who is featured on the 20-minute 'Dodekafoninen talvisota', was in the first WIGWAM line-up too.

The 80's recordings seem to be inspired by Buddhism. 'Ratnasikhin' and 'Sukirti' appear on his first album in twelve years, Buddhas of Golden Light (1983), which is said to be his most coherent work. 'Sukirti' has some free jazz elements. His relatively accessible New Age -oriented 90's output is only quickly mentioned in the text. Two tracks from 2002 were released under one of Airaksinen's many project names, Ajraxin. 'No Focus' briefly resembles rhythmically PINK FLOYD's Ummagumma track 'Small Furry Animals...'!

This set is very informative and therefor useful to advanced connoisseurs / diggers of ambientish experimental music, but it hardly turns anyone to become one. For the stupidity of the second disc I don't even feel any guilt to give a low rating.