Rinne & Majamäki

The album UNDER THE GROUND is closely linked to the Vantaa train system extension due to be opened for the public in July 2015. In addition to the album released now, the music of the duo will also serve as the audio backdrop of the new stations.

Tapani Rinne and Teho Majamäki, two steadily active figures in the Finnish music scene, release their duo album ”Under the Ground” on May 22 via Helsinki’s Aani Records. The new album is a conceptual follow-up for their album ”Inside the Temple” recorded in India 2011. As on their previous album, Rinne and Majamäki use the surrounding space as a strong element on the album. This time around, the two friends remain in Finland finding inspiration and unique acoustics in Vantaa, near Helsinki. Their mobile studio was set up in the tunnels of the upcoming extension to the train system entitled ”Kehärata”. The new stations will begin their operation in July and the music recorded there will be featured on the stations as an audio ambience.

”I think it’s great that the sonic backdrop of the new stations is music that was actually recorded there”, Tapani Rinne says. ”I can imagine that many a commuter will be surprised by the music on their way to the office in the morning. It is not possible to achieve the sterile kind of hi-fi sound in these surroundings, and the space itself will contribute to the structure of the recording. Here, the machinery used in building the stations played a role in the recording. The acoustics, the working titles of the compositions and our feelings have guided the recording process, which is characterised by the themes of leaving and arriving.”

”Under the Ground” features the two multifaceted musicians in a somewhat minimal setting: Rinne plays the bass clarinet and Majamäki plays the marimba. The sparse instrumentation leaves space for the recording space to take its role as the third main character on the album.

Tapani Rinne (born 1962) is a musician, a composer and a producer living in Helsinki, Finland. Rinne ranks among the most highly-regarded Nordic instrumentalists, and he has published twelve recordings since 1988 when one of his key groups, RinneRadio, released their debut LP. Rinne has worked extensively with the likes of Mika Vainio, Jimi Tenor, Pekka Kuusisto, DJ Spooky, DJ Slow, Wimme Saari and Edward Vesala. His playing on the saxophone and the clarinet is characterically innovative and experimental.

Teho Majamäki (born 1971) is a versatile Finnish musician and percussion artist. His main instrument is the vibraphone but he also masters the marimba, ”the tube”, the udu and several other percussion instruments plus various keyboard and string instruments. Another noted duo project including Majamäki is ”Ismo Alanko Teholla”, a duo with the popular Finnish artist Ismo Alanko.