Älymystö

In the beginning

Älymystö (Intelligentsia) was formed in the winter of 2002, when messrs. Haapanen and Vuorensola first had a vision of dark industrial music unlimited by genres. They wound up in a small studio located in a suburb of Helsinki – in the basement of a yardshed.

The band’s first internet releases garnered interest, but Älymystö did not really become a part of Finland’s underground scene before exiting the studio and taking the stage. Over the next years Älymystö released a few EP’s worth of new material and toured in Finland, Russia and in the Baltic countries.

In 2004 the band published their first EP, “Ontto seurakunta”, followed by their first full length Ativan pills online album, Atomgrad, which was released in late 2005. In 2009 the split EP with And Then You Die, “19:38:00″, was released by Skithund Records / Kinkt Records. The latest release is a full-length compilation album “Unsealed (2002-2013)”, released by Ideal Sound in autumn 2013.

Around 2003-2007 the band also managed their club, Vainohulluus, which brought a number of important industrial acts to Finland, including Scorn, Rosewater, Deutch Nepal, Noises of Russia and In Slaughter Natives, in addition to promoting some of the country’s finest industrial and avantgarde bands.

Currently the band is preparing their 2nd full length album, codenamed “Magnum Opus” and due to be released in late 2014.

Members of Älymystö

Mr. Haapanen – programming, concept

Mr. Haapanen is the electronic conductor of Älymystö as well as the founding member of the band.

Mr. Haapanen doesn’t want to talk about it.

Mr. Vuorensola – vocals, lyrics

Mr. Vuorensola is the vocalist and co-founder of Älymystö with Mr. Haapanen. His influences are bulldozers, pile drivers and rubble. He uses everything available to distort, boost or just rape what is generally known as “singing”, and acts also as one of the lyricists for the band.

In his other life, he’s a film director.

Mr. Paalanen – guitars, loops

Mr. Paalanen handles the electric guitar, in the process subjecting it to various treatments ranging from rusty nails between the strings to odd laptoppery. His instrument of choice is a wonderfully customized M-series Steinberger running through various effects into a MacBook Pro. Loops and textures are more common than riffs and flashy solos.

In addition to playing in Älymystö he also makes up the other half of Radiokatve and performs solo improvs under the moniker taphead. The latter is not to be confused with DJ taphead, who is a funk/jazz/electro DJ and also Mr. Paalanen.

His influences include David Torn, Sonny Sharrock, Robert Fripp, Raoul Björkenheim, Marc Ribot, Djivan Gasparyan, John Coltrane, Sonic Youth and Erik Satie.

When he is not being the slowest guitarist in Finland, Mr. Paalanen works as a translator, plays role-playing games, cooks delicious meals and earns free beer with his extensive knowledge of music trivia.

Mr. Honkonen – theremin, lyrics

In Älymystö Mr. Honkonen plays the theremin and adapts his old poetry for lyrics. In addition to the theremin he has a Line 6 delay/looper and a Behringer Virtualizer Pro effect rack. Theremin is his instrument of choice because it’s a great tool for putting a form on vibes and atmospheres.

Some of Mr. Honkonen’s favourite artists and musical influences include Nick Cave, G.G.F.H, Ministry, Bardoseneticcube, Lightwave, Viikate, Laibach, Dead Can Dance and Miranda Sex Garden.

Together with Mr. Paalanen he plays in an ambient/noise -project Radiokatve. In addition to making music Mr. Honkonen enjoys scuba diving, role-playing games, knife and axe throwing, videogames, skiing, fishing, geocaching, urban exploration and generally collecting new hobbies.

(Mr. Honkonen’s blog).

Mr. Eskola – bass

Mr. Eskola plays bass. Nothing fancy there. Four strings, ten fingers, an effect processor. Being a vocalist in real life, he has absolutely no influences in bass. Really. Mr Eskola’s other activities include Farmakon and Galexia. He might also sing at your wedding. You’d love that, eh?

Ms. Savisalo – cello

An occasional assistant to Älymystö, Ms. Savisalo plays the cello. She has delighted and horrified her music teachers by asking how to get the best screeching sounds out of her instrument without actually breaking anything. In a few years time, she will pass this priceless knowledge on to a younger generation, as she finishes her studies and graduates as a folk music pedagogue. [Not wanting to stay monogamous, Ms. Savisalo also likes to play around with other instruments. Thus she has gained some confidence with rebec, finnish bowed lyre, bagpipe and viola.]

Ms. Savisalo’s other bands and projects tend to be on the folk music side of business. They include ensembles such as Kohtalotoverit, Kyöpeli and Canis Obscura.