UK-based Mate Recordings will be putting out a half-finnish/half-British electronic music comp called "Music is Better Volume One (Manchester vs Helsinki)" as tribute to the 'Music is Better' club in both Manchester and Helsinki. The finnish contributors include Roger, Nu Science, A.N.I.M.A.L., Boys of Scandinavia and Kompleksi and you can view the artwork and full tracklist from here.

The documentary film "Future Is Not What It Used To Be" on finnish electronic music pioneer Erkki Kurenniemi is about to get screened in the UK in October. Director Mika Taanila will be on-hand for some of the screenings and the short found-footage film "Physical Ring" by Mika Vainio of Pan Sonic will also be shown. Dates:

10/15 - The Showroom, Sheffield (International Documentary Film Festival)
10/16 - The Other Cinema, London
10/18 - CCA, Glasgow
10/19 - Brighton Cinematheque
10/23 - Meeting House Square, Dublin
10/28 - The Herbert Read Gallery, Maidstone

Here's a new newsletter from Music Export Finland with the latest on various finnish acts making waves abroad including info on new DVDs from Eläkeläiset and The 69 Eyes and much more.

Download the new track "Under the Waves" from finnish doom metal band Under the Sun right here. The song comes from the band's debut album "The Morning Never Came", due out in November through Firebox Records. Features ex-members of Funeris Nocturnum.

"Avanto is Helsinki's annual event of non-conformist music and moving image. The fourth Avanto Festival presents a wide spectrum of avant-garde and underground artists from different generations, whose work varies from formal explorations to political activism and beyond. The festival venues are Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art, The finnish Film Archive's cinema theatre Orion, Gloria Club, MUU Gallery and Huuto Gallery."

The event takes place November 20-23 and the program won't be finalized until October, but here's some of the musical acts set to appear so far: Terre Thaemlitz (USA), Ultra-red (USA), KK Null (Japan), Leif Elggren (Sweden), Mira Calix (UK), Pekka Airaksinen (Finland), Kari Peitsamo (Finland), Emi Maeda (Japan/Finland), Ibrahim Terzic (Croatia/Finland), Shinji Kanki (Japan/Finland), Helsinki Computer Orchestra (Finland), and Dubbing Mixers (Finland). A compilation CD featuring every artist as well as soundtracks to some of the films presented at the festival will be released on the eve of the event. For much more detailed information about what to expect, as well as links to the artists and performers, go to www.avantofestival.com or head straight to the official press release.

finnish jazz combo Trio Töykeät has signed with Blue Note and will be releasing an album of 'standards', which in this case means songs like David Bowie's "Starman" and Black Sabbath's Paranoid". Upcoming live dates for the group:

09/12 - Brussels (BEL)
09/13 - Maassluis (HOL)
09/14 - Beauforthuis (HOL)
09/15 - Utrecht (HOL)
09/16 - Villa Louvigny (LUX)
09/20 - St. Wendel (GER)
11/04 - Neuwied (GER)
11/05 - Århus (DK)
11/06 - 10 Copenhagen Tango Week (DK)
11/08 - Ingolstadt (GER)
11/09 - Aalen (GER)
11/10 - Leverkusen (GER)

Four scores of songs written by the late finnish composer Jean Sibelius have been found in a bank vault. The pieces were all part of a 12-song cycle dedicated to Sibelius' favorite singer Ida Ekman. Read more: news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3083904.stm

Sentenced has recorded a song in support of their favorite local hockey team Oulun Kärpät. The track is called "Routasydän" and will appear on a special compilation of similarly-themed tracks, available in early October over at the Kärpät fan shop. "I'm a die-hard supporter of Kärpät so this is like honor thing," said singer Ville Laihiala. It also marks the first time the band has recorded anything in their native tongue. More info: here or here (in finnish)

Upcoming tourdates for finnish modern folk act Gjallerhorn:

09/13-14 - Detroit Festival of the Arts
09/19 - Minneapolis, Nordic Roots Fest

October tour in Holland:
10/15 - Breda
10/16 - Oss
10/18 - Drachten
10/19 - Vlissingen
10/21 - Leeuwarden
10/23 - Tilburg
10/28 - Groningen
10/30 - Hengelo
10/31 - Leiden

The band says that the Dutch dates will mostly all take place at "concert halls with fine acoustics and lighting, making an intimate contact with the audience possible." Also, in honor of their upcoming 10th anniversary, Gjallarhorn will put out a DVD including a documentary film, music videos, plus various live footage, all mixed in 5.1 sound. Look for it to be released in conjunction with the Kaustinen Folk Music Festival in July 2004.

Via pHinnWeb comes this feature article on the story of finnish drum'n'bass label Midnight Sun Recordings over at the UK's Lexicon magazine.

Click here to hear finnish cello quartet Apocalyptica's collaboration with the legendary Nina Hagen on a cover of the Rammstein track "Seemann". Apocalyptica is best known for their distinctive covers of Metallica. Oh, and you can also hear "Slow Motions" from the Whyte Seeds at that link, too.

Finland's Fonal Records will be doing a Kemialliset Ystävät special Internet radio broadcast on September 9 featuring an interview with Jan Anderzén and music from the upcoming "Alkuhärkä" LP. It all starts at 9pm finnish time (+2h GMT) and can be tuned in live from this link. The interview will be conducted in finnish, but they promise to try and make it as interesting as possible and hope to schedule more broadcasts in the future.
More info: www.fonal.com/fonalradio.html / www.phinnweb.com/5HT/interviews/kemialliset/

finnish death metal supergroup Chaosbreed have cancelled their plans to record their debut album "Brutal" at the famous Sunlight Studios with producer Tomas Skosberg citing "Tomas Skogsberg's personal problems with the recording schedule." Instead, the band will enter CCPC Studio in Finland later this week with producers Santeri Kallio and Niclas Etelävuori. There's no label confirmed yet, but the band expects an early 2004 release.

Lackluster aka finnish electronic musician Esa Ruoho has posted an interview he did at the Mor Festival in Ireland. He discusses the sad state of the finnish electronic scene among other topics.

The finnish Music Information Centre's latest publication "Inventing finnish Music – Contemporary Composers from Medieval to Modern" by Kimmo Korhonen is now available online: click here