PEKKA AIRAKSINEN

One night last year I was just going to watch some live performances of Pekka Airaksinen from youtube. To my big surprise I found new vid "Syzygy (For Pekka)" from Airaksinen & then to me totally unknown Ka Baird. Really didn´t then find information, were there coming more from this strange collaboration. But soon found out from "Levykauppa Äx"-sites there were really coming this album! To those, who don´t know anything about Pekka or Ka, here´s small introduction. Pekka was a pioneer of avantgarde & electro music in Finland, he was mostly responsible the music of the legendary art collective Sperm in the late sixties and begin of seventies. Have to mention, Pekka was the only one together with Sperm in legendary Nurse With Wound first album artist list from Finland. I think Ka Baird is not as known even in the US, she has been in the very interesting folk- avantgarde group "Spires That In the Sunset Rise", also started solo career already from 2006. Didn´t find any information, how these two avantgarde artists from different generations met each other and ended into studio sessions in Utrecht, Netherlands during 2018. Pekka´s four Buddhist poems were the textual core in music making. Ka tells in the album liner notes, that Pekka´s focus was in & out in the studio & he could often do only short sessions and after that went into hotel room to meditate. But when he was in studio, he was playful and masterfully unpredictable. Pekka died about half year after those sessions, but in 2020 Ka decided to finalize this album based on those recordings. In the end of last year album came out through RVNG intl FRKWYS-serie. Have to say in Pekka´s last decade he wasn´t as creative in music as before releasing mostly just old material.

"Big Stone Small Stone" starts album with same kind of cricket sounds as Pekka made in the Sperm-album first piece with guitar. Soon comes electric piano playing something really mystic. Ka starts to read same poem that Pekka reads in the begin of Syzygy-vid. Piece ends into electric drone. "Syzygy (For Pekka)" is closest to the "ordinary" music (whatever it is), but I don´t believe it will play on any other than maybe some small avantgarde radio. It has very typical Pekka-style twisting rhythm, also electric, flute and human voice samples, also great vocal part from Ka. "Parallax" has many beating electric and also human sounds, reminding a lot Pekka´s works from the begin of 2000. "Grey Body" is a very powerful sound collage as if God tries to speak through your little loudspeakers. In the middle of the piece you can hear few times Pekka reading he´s poems. "Roseclouds" reminds "Syzygy". It´s the only piece with 4/4 rhythm, but there is nothing irritating as I think there often is in 4/4 electro beat. It sounds more like the beat in Kraftwerk´s "the Robots". Again there is great vocal part from Ka. "Variable Star" has again beating synths, but in faster tempo and in the middle there comes also beating percussion and very Pekka style noisy synth. The tittle song is at first very noisy and even scary, but changes calmer and Ka reads again the last poem. After poem sounds like some weird parties begin and piece ends into drone. The final sounds are the same chirping sounds as in the begin.

To me this was the best album of the 2021! In my opinion last year wasn´t very great album year, but in the end become also few other at least good albums. In these mediocre music times it´s so wonderful there come these kind of masterpieces! I believe there are also other as creative electro music artists, but these times they just have really difficulties to get attention. To me Ka Baird is inspiring also because she uses lots of organic sounds, as 60/70 music friend I am not very keen of the 2000´s typical electric music. I am glad through Pekka I found this great artist and her great band "Spires That In the Sunset Rise" that seemed not have very much attention in Progarchives. Definitely my next review will be from them! Although I believe Ka made more in this album than Pekka, this is also really great swansong from Pekka.

In the very early teenage Pekka started to learn classical piano & fiddle playing. His uncle introduced him classical music and for example Debussy & Messian became his favorites. After hearing Stockhausen & Cage he started to interest experimental music. From the popular music Zappa & Velvet Underground become his big influences. He got very experimental piece from the latter one, that is released in a flexi disc through Aspen-magazine and wanted to start making same kind of music himself. There was short period, when Pekka played drums in ordinary pop group, but soon he found it wasn´t his thing in music. I believe we all Pekka fans are glad about this. For his first recordings the most important influence came from the concert of Hendrix he saw in Finland. After that he started to make his music only by electric guitar, whose sound he mixed in many tape recorders. So were made the bases of the every piece in this album exluding one and that was the style also in two first Sperm art collective recordings. In those bases Pekka had added very little other elements. Although this album was released in 1972, most of this album material was recorded in 1968 to Sperm performances. Pekka released this and other his early recordings himself in his own O-label. So Pekka got DIY-attitude much earlier before the punk movement.

When Pekka accidentally started to listen one of his piece backwards, he found it more interesting. From that became the base of "Pieni Sienikonsertto ? A Little Soup For Piano & Orchestra Op.46,8" in 1970. Pekka added some guitar and also few piano sounds & one chord. I believe name was Pekka´s humor towards too seriously taken contamporary classical music. This track is one of my favorite Pekka´s composition. Next "mo-On-ing" is the most acoustic & also noisiest piece. Pekka is playing electric organ, A. Helander flute & shortly baritone sax and mysterious A Deblus is playing percussion. This piece sounds like it´s recorded totally live and it´s the newest one, recorded in 1971. I believe it has taken from the same recording sessions as Samsa Trio-album. The last one in A-side is "Sadetta ? Somerain". Pekka recorded base of this putting a microphone in the rain. On that base he recorded guitar, that he had speeded up and echoed. This and also the end of the album reminds lot Sperm track "Heinäsirkat".

The whole B-side fills the suite "Music For the Play Sisyfos", that has three parts. Pekka recorded this music for the play, that Sperm performed in 1968. During the play music came from the tape and Pekka improvised on it with guitar. First part "Skata" starts like there is storm coming. In the end it changes calmer. Storm comes back in "S Rock", but much more electric sounding. Soon it changes very hypnotic. It sounds like there is a drummachine hitting fast beat, but no, it´s just Pekka´s guitar that he had mixed with tape recorders. Last part "Fos 2" is the most electric sounding with distorting echoes. It ends very great way this magnificent album!

Although this is more a compilation of Pekka´s works of that time he hadn´t yet released, this is still electro masterpiece!! Pekka made most of this album recordings before Tangerine Dream, Popol Vuh & Kraftwerk started their experimentations with electric music! He really was a pioneer and with this album he takes you into totally other world!! Although Pekka´s music was unique and became even more of that when started to use synthesizers, this album is highly recommended to those, who like early Pink Floyd. I believe that´s the reason why these first Pekka albums are the dearest ones to me!

— First review of this album —

This is one of the last records Pekka released, that has new music in it. After 2007 there has been released vinyls & CD`s from Pekka´s earlier material, one that´s really worth to mention is US-release of classic Sperm Shh!- album in 2008. After this album came Pekka´s Symph-serie I really like to hear, but you can´t find those CDr:s anywhere. There was possibility to download Pekka´s albums from facebook, but not anymore. Like "Lake Vostok" you can listen this album in Bandcamp.

This album really has two big epics that has cut to tracks when there is happening changes. As kind of bonuses there are four other tracks after those two. Both big epics have samples from some jazz pieces that Pekka has used in a very genius way. In first "Water Is Best" Pekka improvises strange sounds into jazz-loop that is really twisting when there is always short pause after one round. In "Don´t Educate Your Children Too Smart" loop changes into double bass solo. There comes a feeling like you are in very strange, schitzo jazz gig. In the middle of piece starts interesting vibrating synth sound. "My Tongue Swore, My heart Didn´t" changes the atmosphere more noisy. Next "My Tongue Swore, My Mind Didn´t" is not as noisy and has great sax loops.

Next epic starts with "Why All This Prelude" that has long echoed synth sounds and very mystic feeling. But "jazz" continues in next "Waves Follow Waves" that has nice vipraphone together with noisy sounds. In "Once I Was In Their House" you have again a feeling like you´re in some jazzbar and there is some really strange act on the stage. In "Nobody´s Free" feeling changes really hectic and last "Let Your Anger Die Before You" is really scary piece, that last maybe little too long when not much changes in it. Pekka has made last four pieces in synth and not using those any jazz samples. They´re much more softer and bring this album diversity.

As a whole this album is much more interesting than "Lake Vostok", although these both are really avantgarde albums. Most of the tracks in this album are not too long, so you don´t lose your interest at all. Also many pieces just have more interesting ideas than some ones in "Lake Vostok". I really hope somebody will release at least part of these Pekka´s Cdr`s as vinyl. This is highly recommended to avantgarde jazz fans.

— First review of this album —

2003 was a busy year to Pekka, when he released 20 albums under his different aliases, also one compilation and re-release of 'Buddhas Of Golden Light'. I believe there haven't been artists whose quality could stay great when releasing as much in one year. This album came under his Ajraxin-name. There seemed to be no stylistic consistency of his many names, but maybe he made his most techno albums under 'Bosonics'-name. This album is one of his most avantgarde albums. It's released also in Bandcamp, but in a different trackorder.

'Supra Dark' is very uptempo, chaotic & string sounding piece. In the end it slows down, but stays very scary. 'Kapa Dyra Radar' continues very same way and is kind of schitzoid electro symphony. 'Spridda Park' is noisy & chaotic piece, it has trembling synths that goes between loudspeakers. 'Ydin Purra' has low synth base where comes sudden high electro voices. Parts of it reminds as sounds taken from the Beatles Revolution 9. 'Arpi Parkua' is very quite piece that has very suspicious atmosphere. All the way these five first pieces have been very interesting, but direction changes a little bit boring in the end of the album.

'Anastasia Minoan Mila' has weird sounding base with synth playing chaotic solo. In the end it's sounding like you were traveling in some water tunnel. 'Sonatina Mania' has all kinds of weird sounds, for example water drips & scratching but also melodic sounds. 'Darpa' reminds a lot 'Anastasia Minoan Mila'. 'Aurar Rad Dana' is more interesting than last three pieces when sounding like weird disco in Uranus. 'Pyrki Rupa Sada Radan' is short piece reminding 'Sonatina Mania'. Last 'Surra Dank' is too long in it's 16 minutes duration when there is not much happening. The elements in whole piece is some brushing sound and percussive sounds for example typewriter sounds.

First five pieces are the most interesting electro pieces Pekka has made. Although they've totally made with electro equipments, they're sounding quite organic. On the other hand I think the last ones are one of his most boring ones. All the way this album is really other world sounding, if Lake Vostok exists I believe there is a hole in the bottom that leads somewhere very alien place. I think this album is only for those who really love contemporary classical music.

— First review of this album —

This was the first album Pekka released after his eighties masterpiece "Buddhas Of Golden Light". He had recorded more music in the eighties, but released it later. There is no record date information, but I believe this was made quite near of the releasing just because sounds are really nineties style. Pekka released this and next "Inner Galaxies" as CD, after these will come tens of CDr:s. Only musician in the album is Pekka with synths. All the way there are much lesser rhythmic elements than before.

Don´t know is starting piece "Vajrasattva" one of his Buddha-compositions, but it really sounds different as his eighties Buddha-compositons. There is a synthpath sounding quite serene, but sad, no rhythm at all. "Hidden Treasure" is more typical, little bit chaotic Pekka music. Still chaos doesn´t hit you into face like in some other his pieces. I´ve got a feeling like I am in the cab of some spaceship. "Milk Sea" is quite dramatic, repeating much two chords. "Mirror" has very positive feeling, there is also synth path where Pekka improvises in a great way. "Palace" is the most prog piece here with many parts that really fit together. "Purified" has low sounds that reminds the ones that come from the womb. "Waves (Vajrasattva)" is as it says longer reprise of the first piece. "Invisible Forest" is together with "Palace" the most greatest composition in this album. Pekka tells in the cover about this: "the bells chime in the blowing wind". It´s really gentle ending of this very great album!

This album is all the way softer than many other Pekka-albums. It is almost New Age-music, but there are contradictions typical to Pekka in many pieces that makes this album much more interesting than most of the N.A.-music. Pekka got his own cosmos, but I believe Tangerine Dream-fans would like the album.

— First review of this album —

In 2015 Pekka started to release his material as vinyls in his own 'One Point Life' label (also three first releases came as CD). He had own O-label in the seventies, but last vinyl came from that in 1984. First he released his 'Love and Addiction' that had originally came as CDr in the nineties. Second one was 'Vitae Tennis Nest' that hadn´t got all the material from original CDr, but had two tracks from the other CDr. Third release 'Mangala' was clearly a compilation, although Pekka had CDr under same name. So is this album. Pieces are taken from 'Sugatas' & 'Jewel Comet'. In cover Pekka explains that he has drawn mathematical information from the ancient Buddhist texts as the base of this albums compositions. Really don't know how Buddhist this method is, but anyway it really has produced very personal music!

The first piece 'Dundubhisvararaga' has really soft, serene rhythm where Pekka improvises with synths. Atmosphere is quite mystic. In 'Kanakamuni' it is even more mystic with little more twisting rhythm, there are almost UFO feelings in it. 'Kashyapa' starts very chaotic way with twisting rhythm and confused synths, but soon starts very beautiful sounding synth. But there comes some chaotic synths in the end of it. 'Shakyamuni' continues quite chaotic and has also very twisting rhythm. In 'Jambusuvarnadhvajakacanabhasa' Antero Helander joins with sax and Panu Thusberg with guitar to Pekka. This is the greatest piece, in this three men's great improvisation has really jazzy feeling.

All the way this is much more coherent compilation than for example 'Other Power' and has a lots in common with Pekka's great 'Buddhas Of Golden Light'-album. The reason may be, that all these pieces were recorded same time as that album, although first released in 1996. I am thinking again not to give this five stars just because this is compilation, but really have to give it four. Just like 'Other Power' this is highly recommend as a introduce to Pekka's music!

— First review of this album —

This is a vinyl-only compilation released by small Finnish underground label Harmönia. Pieces are taken from 4 Pekka's studio albums, earliest from 1975 and newest from 2003. Anyway these pieces fit really good together. Harmönia has released 41 releases, latest in 2015. It may not release anymore, because other founder Perttu Häkkinen died accidentily some years ago. Anyway Harm'nia has a club in Kuudes Aisti Festival 2012 where was their artists performing and there I also saw the only gig from Pekka.

Album starts as 'E', that is very intensive, trembling synth piece from 'Vitamins'-album. 'Simha' is also intensive, music goes somewhere between Vitamins & Buddhas Of Golden Light -albums, but was originally released in 'Sugatas'. It has twisting rhythm and marimba-sounding synths. In the end there is kind of free jazz feeling. 'B3' is again trembling synth piece from 'Vitamins', sounds like UFO landing on the earth. 'Simhagosha' is one of the greatest Pekka pieces, mystic and hypnotic piece, synth rhythm goes round the right and left loudspeaker. It was originally released in 'Pundarika II'.

'Suvarnaratnakaracchatrakuta' is again very intensive with twisting rhythm. Panu Thusberg plays guitar and A. Ben Helander plays sax in a really great way. It's originally released in 'Jewel Comet'. 'Maitreya' has really spiritual feeling, reminds lots of 'Buddhas Of Golden Light'-material, but was originally released in 'Sugatas'. 'Suvarnabhasagarba' has really great, soft bassloop and again quite twisting rhythm. Pekka improvises back of it from synth in a very great way. This last piece sounds so much 'Buddhas of Golden Light' material that it can be outtake from that album. Anyway it was released also in 'Jewel Comet', but you can find it from 'Madam I`m Adam'-compilation too.

Really would like to give this great compilation five stars, but I think it's unfair to say compilation a masterpiece (I think I would do that with Pink Floyd's seventies Best Of and Jethro's Living In the Past) so it's just four stars. This is a really great starting album to Pekka's music, it's quite versatile but still very constant. This is your album specially if you love experimental synth stuff and don't mind lack of the Pekka's guitar based compositions. Although originally vinyl-only release, this is also in Spotify.

— First review of this album —

Pekka´s discography is not the easiest case. First he made quite a lot of music. Second he has released it in many versions, some of his releases have same name, but almost different contents. This compilation is the greatest example of that. Pekka released "Mangala" named CDr already in 1997. In 2015 he decided to release vinyl and CD under same name, but different cover and including only two pieces from the original "Mangala" (more in CD-version) and few pieces from "Tishya" & "Otata" CDr:s. Anyway this is review from 2015 vinyl release.

"Night Of Time" is originally released in "Tishya"-CDr. It´s very calm, quite cold sounding piece, reminding Finnish winter. Next "Mirror Of Forehead" is from the same CDr. It´s somewhere middle of the first piece and stuff Pekka made in the "Buddhas Of Golden Light"-album, although it is also really modern sounding. Last piece of the vinyl a-side is "Otata" from the same name CDr. It´s quite same sounding as previous piece, has also something hypnotic in it. Title piece of this compilation starts the b-side. It starts with funny sounds like water dropping, really remembering when listening this first time my teenager daughter asked me "Are you listening this seriously". Sounds change into this almost 16 minutes piece, but it stays little bit kittenish. "King Of Snakes" from "Mangala"-CDr is absolutely greatest and most profound piece in this album, it really got great, sad melodic synths.

This album is one of the most serene works in Pekka´s albums. Although pieces are taken from three different CDr:s, they really fit together. Some parts of the album reminds Pekka´s masterpiece Afrodinpankara. Anyway I will give this only four stars. I believe Tangerine Dream fans would like this very cosmic album.

— First review of this album —

As I told already in Pekka's 'Love and Addiction' review, Pekka recorded this album already in the 1975, but released it not until nineties as CDr under name 'Gandhi-Freud'. I believe those are his first fully keyboard-base recordings, atlhough 'Golden Age'-album could have recorded in same times. To me it sounds Pekka used Moog-synthesizers in this album, but there could have been also some other keyboards. Anyway I don't believe anybody else had made such sounds in Moog! I use in this review 2017-vinyl edition, that has every pieces from the original CDr-release, but also three more pieces. As the album name says, here are compositions from almost all the vitamins and many minerals, but I guess Pekka thought also important persons of the human history like Gandhi as vitamins. One of the additional track is 'Opium', but I think it's a joke or then just added into this vinyl edition because recorded in the same time.

Album starts with 'Molybdene' that's also in 'Madam I`m Adam'-compilation. It's quite noisy, but in 'Gandhi' direction changes much calmer, although there is some sadness. Next 'Michelangelo', 'Platon' & 'Picasso' are quite restless and trembling. 'Freud' is really anguished, but direction changes again in very great 'Akupunkture 1'. It has synth sound that reminds Nico's harmonium, also there are interesting synths that sounds like bombing in the end of piece. Second version is also really great where are used backward tapes in a very interesting way. In the end of first vinyl comes first true vitamin 'B12'. All the vitamin pieces have same kind of circling soundpath around them.

But the second vinyl starts with 'Chromium' that is the most cheerful piece in this album. I believe it also irritates many. End of third side is full of vitamins that have that same kind of base, but interesting variations. 'A' was also released in 'More Artic Hysteria'-compilation and 'E' and 'B3' were in 'Other Power'-compilation. The last side of this album starts with 'B6', then comes 'Magnesium' that reminds a lot with it's pulsing path 'Vitamin'-serie. But 'Copper' and 'Manganese' are sounding like some big animal is trying to run and ending 'Zinc' has really great, snake -alike sounds.

This is masterpiece! I don't think you can hear these other world-sounds anywhere else! I don't believe Steven Stapleton had heard this album when he took Sperm and Pekka Airiksinen into the famous 'Nurse With Wound'-list as only Finnish acts, but I believe he also thinks this album as masterpiece! Together with 'Afrodinpankara' I think this is the essential Pekka's keyboard-base album, but recommend the last one for the beginners!

— First review of this album —

Pekka had really rush-year in 2003, when releasing 3 CDr:s under his own name and even 10 Cdr:s under name Ajraxin! He had released really many also in 1997 & 1998, but I think this was his peak year. When he always wanted to go into new directions this album really includes something I haven't heard in any other Pekka records I have. This release has really weird electric piano pieces. I haven't got any information, but I believe Pekka has composed these to programming some electric piano, because these pieces are so fast & difficult that I can't imagine anybody can really play them. In this year he also seemed to fascinate about palindromes and anagrams. His compilation 'Madam I'm Adam' came this year, also there are two anagrams in this album from it's name. I am reviewing here 2015-vinyl edition, that lacks 7 pieces from the original Cdr-release and has instead two pieces on that are not in the original version. Also the track order is different.

'Vienna Estes Tint' is in the originally one piece, but in this album it has cut into three pieces. Not sure, is it exactly the same piece, because haven't heard the original Cdr at all, but in this vinyl pieces end in fading. Two first pieces starts in really melodic electric piano runs, but changes soon more chaotic. Next in the middle of these three pieces comes 'Visa Tense Intent' that sounds like two, talented children have fun with electric piano. Third part of 'Vienna Estes Tint' is quite melodic from begin to end. 'Acme Con Lent', 'Bell Eunice' & 'Lam Ice' are the most chaotic pieces in this album. 'Stress Graff No 11' is the most interesting piece in this album: with the piano it has also interesting sound effects made from the synth, sounds of breaking glass, whooshes and some percussion sounds. It really could be the music of some thriller movie. Two last pieces in the 2015 edition are from Nyks-CDr from the same year. They're both made from synths and are also really interesting. 'Hairstreak Annoyer' has distorted sounding synth playing solos, in the end there comes striking sounds, just like thunder. 'Reinsman Earthshaker' continues with those striking sounds and has in the end really winter alike synth parts.

I believe in this album Pekka comes closer to contemporary classical music than any other his records. So if you 're a friend of that music, this might be your album. But others I really don't recommend this to be a starter of Pekka's music. I believe it's a good thing this is a shorter version of the original album, hard to believe Pekka would have left great pieces like 'Stress Graff No 11' outside this edition. Anyway first electric piano pieces and great second side rise this album into three stars.