UUSITALO - KARHUNAINEN (humme)

September 11th, 2007

Influenced by and named after his late-father’s well-known theatre play “KARHUNAINEN” (Bear Woman) the artist known as VLADISLAV DELAY continues to search for his rhythmic roots under his UUSITALO
alias.
With his groove offerings from the past he often resembled an undertaker at a disco. This ambiguous
reflection, however, came as deliberate and calibrated. There are somewhat conscious codes to his work
he stands by.
This new UUSITALO album might change some of that impression as it is that this time he is getting
more up-front with beats than ever before in his decade-long career.
He now wants to demonstrate and celebrate his quadruple musical identity, his whole story, and it seems
the right moment for him to do it.
In spite of being noted for his care and interest in experimental sounds and compositions not yet heard,
some of his warmest feelings are reserved for the drum beat.
This deep-rooted loyalty to rhythms, even though hidden and strangled in most of his productions, is
about to come more to the surface again.
In a retrospect it only seems obvious that he’d return to the rhythms-driven style of music; after all, his
first groove-oriented tracks were chosen by the likes of Thomas Brinkmann, Basic Channel and Richie
Hawtin. And above all else, he is a rhythm passionista, a drum collector, a cymbal maker, a true
percussion freak.
The new album consists of 10 songs, 8 of which are dedicated to the infamous bass drum.
In an act of conspicuous non-consumption (or extravagant audiophile-ism ?), he chose to only use analog
equipment on this album and leave all digital sound processing out which explains the warm and full sound
of the album.
His rhythmic fortune is used to great extend on “KARHUNAINEN”, so well exhibited for example in his
crazy mutant-like cymbal work on track “Satumaa” (Wonderland) that it is no question that something
like that could just come out of programming and machines.
He quite wonderfully replaces the drum machines on more than few tracks with a drum stick and anything
to hit at, be it random metal surfaces or his young daughter’s toys.
To complete the album, there’s hauntingly beautiful, cinematic beginning and end to the it, making it a
round journey to other worlds and back.
True to his UUSITALO agenda the titles are in Finnish, and with such song names as Korpikansa
(Backwoods People) and “Nälkälaulu” (Hunger Song) he is reminiscing his home country he hasn’t been
living in since many years. Overall the vibe of the album is a beautiful mix of tradition and futurism,
coming through in song titles, artwork and design, and of course in the music itself.
The album carries once again a beautiful art work by KAISA KEMIKOSKI, but the booklet also introduces
another aspect of the producer himself; he’s a keen photographer and his private captures around the
world make up the raw material for the aesthetical 16-page booklet.
As many times before in his productions, he spots a rock in the sea of emotion in which he is floundering
but doesn’t throw it away; he rather picks it up and cherishes it.
These musical moments make up probably at least partly the unique “Vladislav Delay” sound, whatever
the style of music he’s working on.
He does indeed have a genius for making things sound beautiful but he has always done his best to
destroy things enough to achieve a more realistic and personally fitting balance,
and like a lot of his productions, this one is laced with venom, brilliance and a hefty dose of illness.
There are lots of things that make the album good, not only the “good” things but equally the more brave
components and the odd, challenging moments which give the album its long-lasting nature and depth,
and offer once again the beyond-pigeonholing musical fantasy by this so prolific producer SASU RIPATTI.