Truck graphic in Osaka

Sami Koivikko‘s tracks are made for big rooms. They’re built on layer upon layer, each one finely tuned, delayed, and panned. Urgent melodies and stray whistles grind across clattering drums, conjuring visions of runaway trains and chase scenes. Hailing from Finland, Koivikko creates regal techno with a musical sensibility that is often absent from a genre based on loops. He went quiet following a handful of top-shelf releases on Shitkatapult a few years back, but lately he’s been bringing some class to Spectral Sound with the Pääjääsä EP and this year’s ”Keskus” and “Sapphire”. If you ever come across a Koivikko record, buy it on sight. 

Sami Koivikko – Bukke
(from Satamakatu. Festplatten, 2002)

Sami Kovikko - Live at the Rose Garden, Helsinki 2006
An incredible one hour set from 2006 that moves just like techno should: vintage Detroit warehouse moments, big cartoon bass, crashing snares, and welcome moments of breathing space occasionally offset by sonar pings and sharp tones that remind me of a classic from a fellow Finn: Miko Vainio’s Tulkinta. 

Right now I’m intrigued by all things Finnish. More on that later.