Tampere in 1994 is dark and cold. Evolving rave culture offers teenagers sort of escapism that they hope for: enough fun, enough rebellion, something the authorities won’t understand, something with the taste of forbidden. Nearly all local promoters get involved with organizing illegal raves, nearly all get caught. Mindwarp, Plast, Home, Colors For Nothing and several other stay in the minds of the attendees to this very day.

In 1995 Eliot Ness takes over Tullikamari and brings the world-class style raves to Tampere. Planet of Love introduces Jaydee, Choci, Kevin Saunderson, Mighty Rubber Boots and many more to about 2000 people with a 60FIM (~10EUR) ticket. Teenagers and adults rush in to join the dance. While some youngsters adore Bon Jovi, other rewind endlessly the fascinating cassette tapes of Underworld, The Prodigy, Altern8, Laurent Garnier and feel something is totally changing.

During the golden years of ‘96-’99 Tampere sees techno events in Koskikeskus, Näsinneula, Tampere-talo and Viikinsaari (where not only the music but a big amount mosquitoes keep the ravers moving). Tullikamari becomes the haven of vast events – Jussi and Ossi from DFG organize Turbulence, Volume, Frequency, Resonance (video) and many similar events attracting the crowds and starting their short but exciting career as one of the most booked electronic music live acts in Finland.

Somewhen ‘97-’98 Jussi from DFG and Antti K encourage their uncertain but overexcited schoolfriend to buy records and become a DJ. After months of practising and stressing, he plays the first DJ set at the school techno party, starting with Adam Beyer & Lenk’s Drumcode Remix EP and ending with Mike Koglin’s The Silence. Eclectic and nervous, for sure. Antti K mentions the guy should start playing regularly and getting encouraged from his words, the guy decides to try harder.

‘98-’99 Tampere youngsters rave at 2-4 events every week. FuFu organises MIR club at I-klubi and introduces monotrax to the clubbers. Events are allowed to run until 08:00 or 09:00 and the techno hungry youngsters enjoy their early morning hours. DJ Coma and 3.14Sami start bi-weekly running thursday club Tunnel at Doris. With entrance fee of 10FIM, hours from 23 until 03 and queues running along the street Tunnel brings the big wave of trance to a small club causing incredible hype.

Northern Finland 2001-2006

Tampere stays behind and Rovaniemi gives the first impressions in early 2001. Rovaniemi is some years behind with the club music trends, but seems not to lack any excitement. Marko Kantola, Tapani Tolpanniemi and Flow Possé have done great job bringing electronic music to the town. The events are relatively rare compared to the active state of Tampere, but the similar sincere excitement tells it’s all about the same.

Three Destination-events 2001-2004 attract hundreds of people to SaNu and Tivoli, the second being one of the first electronic music events organized only for adults in the area. There is a lot of misbelief about its success, but DJ Orkidea’s first appearance in Rovaniemi attracts enough crowd to give push for the upcoming events. Destination 3 brings Proteus (video), KimiK (video), Benn (video), Fuse, Kaasi and B.Miles to Rovaniemi, sells nearly out and surprises also the promoters with its success. The flyers nearly get printed with DJ-name mispellings “Poroteus” and “B.Mies”. Buses bringing people from Oulu, Kemi and Raahe are full, the atmosphere is high. The hype about the techno capital of the north is on.

New bar Taso tries to bring Soda-style hi-quality cafeteria/club concept to Rovaniemi and fails. Very nice interiors attract youngsters nevertheless and club nights are organized. Work with booking the local artists to the nights feels like a job which could be done even more seriously one day, not having an idea that it really could happen. Taso closes and the club concept moves to ZoomIt. Antero designs nice graphics for the Drop club concept, twice-a-week lounge club inspires youngsters and runs for nearly two years.

No:Status starts as a monthly Thursday club at Doris in 2002. The first season brings in the Northern Finland talents Kaasi, Peak, Ken-Guru and Magi. The second season is stronger after the successful third Destination event – lineup includes Orkidea, KimiK, Eliot Ness and Erkko. Despite the amount of crowds and successful nights Doris refuses to start running the club on weekends and the eyes turn to a new venue.

Maxim’s nightclub, the original home of early DJ TT’s White House club is closing. Short term clubs Aalto and Redrum appear during the last days of Maxim’s and the first days of fresh, new club venue NiteTrain. NiteTrain appears to be everything Rovaniemi was needing: very intimate, good looking – and club event friendly. Together with Joni and Maija leading the place, Rovaniemi sees some of the most exciting years in its club history.

Meanwhile, ElekTour tours Northern Finland for two months trying out new venues which later become some of the main clubs in the area. Nights are being held in Dyyni, Kalajoki; Club96, Kajaani; 45Special, Oulu and freshly opened NiteTrain, Rovaniemi. Other Helsinki-based tours like NightFlight and A Place Called Happiness land to Rovaniemi and are being hosted at Doris and Tivoli (video).

After relatively short negotations a deal is sealed of making one-off night with Helsinki-based club concept Jack in NiteTrain. Mr.A and Dallas Superstars headlining, the night is good enough to give an idea to making the event regular and bringing in all the Jack residents/regular guests one at a time. During the next 2,5 years always sold-out NiteTrain sees Jay Mellin, Milla Lehto, Lil’Tony, Orkidea, Tomi K, Uke and KimiK performing and Jack becomes a very strong club brand in the north.

After the years in Doris, Rovaniemi’s first regular monthly club night No:Status returns in 2005 to say good-byes. NiteTrain sells out, Kalle Miettinen rocks the crowd, No:Status leaves the house. Meanwhile, the stories heard from Kemi’s brand new venue, Nemo, start the negotiations of bringing in a fresh club concept. Red Bull joins the idea and delivers clubbers to the events and back with two buses. Free Vodka+Red Bull is served during the travel and the clubbers arrive to Kemi not caring about tomorrow. Despite being one of the coolest venues North Finland has ever seen, Kemi is not ready for Nemo and the club closes shortly after the last event.

The first university degree research about flyers gets ready early 2006. The research is being written at the Faculty of Education and the needs some explanation what it has got to do with education. Finally, good grades are given and the work spreads around in .pdf format. The paper includes interviews from several promoters and designers in the scene, some history of flyers and statistics about the importance of flyers in the techno scene. The research work produces nearly 1500 flyer collection scanned to the net. Several promoters contribute their flyers in digital form and the collection is still growing.

Helsinki 2006 ->

2006, Rovaniemi has given everything and the road leads to Helsinki (video). On the first week in the new town Oded Peled from Misc. Management comes to chat at Danceteria event and during the following weeks  Finland’s oldest DJ booking management gets a new guy to the office. The different ways of working and looking at things cause small clashes which are soon seen to improve the results and quality. The craziness is on.

In 2007 Jack starts in Helsinki’s Kuudes Linja after a break and Orkidea asks to join the production side after the northern jackin’ experiences. Jack becomes the home not only of electronic house music but also electronic art, bringing in artists and concepts like Some Guy Tattoo, VideoJack and JackBooth (video, video). The oldskool Renaissance hero Ian Ossia visits the four year birthday event.

Misc. Management and Orkidea join forces and produce Orkidea’s Metaverse Album Release Tour which travels nine cities and becomes the most successful domestic electronic music tour of its time. Eleven videos are compiled from the tour happenings and events, which altogether attract more than 11000 clubbers. The tour sees Rovaniemi, Vuokatti, Helsinki, Turku, Tampere, Joensuu, Sheffield, Kuopio, Lahti, Seinäjoki and closing gig at Laserpoint, Helsinki.

Late 2007 a phone call from Leena Lehtinen puts the priorities to a new order and 2008 Tiistain Tanssi-ilta at Finnish Radio 1 sees a new host. No more problems of spending the free time, but the new job appears to be very rewarding. It turns out that all the work at Misc. Management and YleX plus occasional promoter duties are all about making things possible for other people, benefiting them and giving chances for them to get as good experiences as one has experience before. This is what it’s always been about: Sharing, contributing, being open-hearted & -minded and keeping the culture alive, together.

- DJ Orion / Juska Wendland 2008

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