Virtual showcase Luminous Online introduced great new Finnish music to international guests
On June 25th and 26th Music Finland piloted its first ever online showcase event, Luminous Online. Luminous was originally organized to be a live event, held at Ruka ski resort in April 2020, but – just like everywhere else – the pandemic erased all plans. Plans to take the event online started quickly, and came to fruition on the last and hottest (at least in Finland) week of June. Now you can watch all the live performances from the event!
During the two night event, our guests from the UK, Netherlands, USA, Denmark, France and Germany connected online with their Finnish colleagues from the indie, pop and rock scenes and watched nine showcases, recorded and captured on video at Helsinki’s award-winning live music venue G Livelab. In addition to enjoying music, our guests took part in small room discussions and listened to Martin Goldschmidt’s keynote interview as well as a panel of live streaming and hybrid events by panelists Lydia Kirschstein, Oskar Strajn and Thomas Jepsen. And answered silly quiz questions on the chatline.
Luminous Online’s guest list included agents, managers, promoters as well as label and festival representatives (see list of participants here). With the concept, Music Finland aimed to digitally connect local and international industry representatives to create new international connections in a warm, welcoming and fun ambiance. As much as that is possible in the digital realm, of course – but to help that, we had social media influencer, podcaster and all-around hilarious guy Kasper Strömman as our host.
Music-wise, the event presented some of the best acts Finland has to offer, music ranging from shoegazey indie rock to spotify-ready pop bangers, and rustic folk blues to trancey beats and beyond. The showcase line-up consisted of Jesse Markin, Pekko Käppi, Olivera, PK Keränen, O Samuli A, Louie Blue, Detalji, Tomi Saario and Joensuu 1685.
So sit back, relax and enjoy the show!
Jesse Markin
Jesse Markin is a Liberian-born singer-songwriter from Finland. Originally making his name as rapper from the group The Megaphone State – producing three critically acclaimed hip-hop albums – his solo project moves him forward both musically and thematically, broadening his style from rapping to singing. In Finland, Markin's debut solo album Folk has so far won several awards such as Critics Choice Emma, Indie Awards as well as Teosto prize.
Pekko Käppi
The dark, richly harmonic sounds of jouhikko – the Finnish bowed lyre – have been fueling story-telling across the Baltic region for centuries. Pekko Käppi is a visionary folk music composer, ethnomusicologist and album-award-winning solo artist, whose oeuvre revolutionized the standards of playing the ancient Finnish instrument by plugging it into an amplifier.
Olivera
The 25-year-old singer and songwriter Olivera is a mixture of a modern indie pop artist and “a goofy little garden gnome”. After releasing her debut solo EP "Flow" in 2015, Olivera has featured huge EDM names such as Tiësto, Zaxx, 3LAU and Sonny Alven. On her solo productions she works with the Finnish producer Lenno. Her latest single "Tomorrows" came out June 5.
PK Keränen
PK Keränen, best known from being the guitarist and founder of the band 22-Pistepirkko since 1982, is one of Finland’s most respected rock musicians. He’s a self-taught guitarist, singer, performing artist, composer and lyricist. His much-awaited debut solo album "Serobi Songs" was released in early 2020.
O Samuli A
A veteran in the Helsinki electro scene, O Samuli A produces electronic music ranging from “soothing dumbient soundscapes to funky chipstep bleeps and styles”. O Samuli A’s new album "Condition Yellow", released under through Svart Records, follows the guidelines set of his previous album "Field Trip".
Louie Blue
18-year-old Finnish-Italian singer-songwriter Louie Blue (Alec Moborg) released his debut single "Confused" in June 2019. His music is a fusion between smooth r&b, soulful indie pop and sophisticated dance beats. Louie Blue first started operating from behind a small Finnish indie label Booa Music, and last September, the team joined forces with Sony Music. Louie Blue dropped his debut album in early 2020 once again convincing both the audience and critics in Finland.
Detalji
Detalji (Krista Myllyviita) is a Helsinki based artist and producer known for her self-written anthems dedicated to the club culture. In 2019, she was shortlisted for Breakthrough Artist of the Year on Finnish national radio, and won a Femma Award (Finnish "indie Grammy”) for Best Electronic Act. She also played her first shows outside of Finland appearing at Iceland Airwaves and Eurosonic Noorderslag. She released a romantic party anthem "Without You" in February 2020.
Tomi Saario
Tomi Saario grabbed a guitar at the age of 5, after finding out to be “too blind to be a pilot”. Saario is a compelling storyteller and an artist with an innate knack for writing pop hooks. After a decision to move to London to pursue his music career, he played over a thousand shows in 4 years. His debut single "Just A Little" was released in early 2020 and another one “Don’t hurt yourself” shortly after.
Joensuu1685
Joensuu 1685 is a rock trio formed in 2007 by two brothers Mikko and Markus Joensuu with Risto Joensuu (no relation). Their music is drowned in overtones, feedback and noise, and paint a soft but sizzling stream of big beauty. In 2018 the band reunited after a break and decided to return with the unfinished album abandoned years ago – which is now finished and will be released in 2020.