I worked on some music with photographer Timo Kelaranta for his video piece, which opens tomorrow (Sept. 16th) at the Finnish Museum of Photography: http://www.valokuvataiteenmuseo.fi/fi/nayttelyt/nyt/event/17/17---timo-kelaranta-dias-y-flores

SURRUR is finally out on a white 7" vinyl (pressing of 200 copies). Two technoish tracks, produced in the summer of 2007. To purchace a copy contact me via myspace mail or Ideal Recordings. Have a listen on the Rannisto side project myspace page if you like.

a Helsinki radio station, called Basso Radio, will be playing a "dj mix" of mine this Thursday. The program, called Alas, airs on July 9th, from 23:00-01:00 CET.

Here's a link to the stream: http://www.basso.fi/..bassostreami.m3u

A quick note about a new fantastic Celer release called "Tropical". This is some of the most touching ambient music I've heard ever. I highly recommed getting a copy of this (if it isn't already sold out). Very, very limited with only 100 copies!

More info here

My one-copy LP Onement is out now on the label of the same name. Onement is is a four part piece for (I) a rack, (II) a grand piano, (III) laughter and (IV) chimes.

The label will be organizing listening events for the LP. First chance to hear it and see the packaging will be on November 29th at the underground art fair Salon Light in Paris.

Two short excerpts can be listened here: Onement myspace. These clips are from the piano part and the chimes part of the piece.

For inquiries about how to purchase Onement, please contact the label: here.









...

Onement is a new label which releases one-copy records on vinyl and is run by Paris-based musician Sylvain Chauveau (Type, FatCat, DSA). The name of the label comes from a famous series of paintings by American artist Barnett Newman.

The label focuses on electroacoustic composition and improv, experimental music, minimal drone, and field recordings.

Catalogue:
(0 : 0 / "4'33" (John Cage) / 100 cds / out of print)
1 : ROBERT HAMPSON / "Hearken" / one-copy 12" LP
2 : ANTTI RANNISTO / "Onement" / one-copy 12" LP

Future releases will be by KEITH ROWE, SEBASTIEN ROUX, JOHN TILBURY, and PIERRE-YVES MACE.

I will be playing "Onement" (Onement, 2008) live at the Full Pull festival in Malmö, on Friday September 5th. More info below.

Full Pull website
Full Pull myspace

AR

.....

FULL PULL 08 - BACK IN BLACK | AUG 23-SEP 21
The future is bright though the color theme for Full Pull 08 is black. The fourth edition of Full Pull festival presents music, art and video from August 23 to September 21. Together with partners from Copenhagen to Kristianstad Full Pull 08 open the doors at ten different venues and public spaces filled with music, art and activities.

ARTISTS
Anders Weberg (SE), Andreas Kurtsson (SE), Antti Rannisto (FI), Apostleship of Noise (SE), Aris, Arturas Bumsteinas (LT), Birgit Ulher (DE), BJ Nilsen (SE), Blu, Brandon LaBelle (US), Carsten Stabenow (DE), Dan Spegel (SE), Deep Green Sea, Derek Holzer (US), DJ Scuba (UK), Dneva-Christina Sommeregger, Donald Craig, Eskil Thomsen (SE), Fransisco Lopez (ES), Golden Diskó Ship (DE), Hild Sofie Tafjord (NO), Hildur Ingveldardóttir Guðnadóttir (IS), Jan Cardell (SE), Jasmina Machina (DE), John Grzinich (US), Jossystem (SE), Julien Clauss (FR), Ken Ehrlich (US), Lennart Alves (SE), Mark Bain (US), Nanna Hellberg (SE), Novi_sad (GR), NUG (SE), Olof Broström (SE), Patrick Kretschek, Pixel (DK), Sam, Shackleton (UK), Shenggy (CN), Sten Sandell & Herman Müntzing (SE), Sven-Åke Johansson (SE), Ullan (SE) et al

Anyone interested in booking a live performance of my forthcoming LP ’Onement’ (Onement), please contact me via myspace mail or through the 12k label. I’m planning the dates for spring and summer now, so if you’re interested, please contact me as soon as possible.

’Onement’ is strictly a SINGLE COPY LP release, so the only possibility for most people to hear it will be to hear it live.

’Onement’ is a four part piece for (i) a rack, (ii) a grand piano, (iii) laughter and (iv) chimes.

For more info on the LP (soon) - Onement label

The premiere will be at OFFF ’08, Lisbon, May 8-10.

Reviews of the Sleeparchive / Antti Rannisto CD...

Boomkat review:
"I suppose it was inevitable, it's only taken three years after all, but Sleeparchive tracks have finally made it to cd. The man who re-introduced Sahko to the masses is back, and this time he's not alone - to make it a little more interesting he comes accompanied by a real live Fin, 12k operative Antti Rannisto with the artists contributing five tracks each. Since this is a cd release the producers are free to contribute less obvious and less beat oriented tracks and that makes for a shockingly varied hour of music, closer to the glory days of Sahko then you'd imagine. Two of the Sleeparchive tracks featured here have been released before ('Hospital 07' and 'Hospital 08') [note: this is wrong information here, as the material is all new - AR] but contextualised in this way you could easily be listening to different music alltogether. The beats seem to form just part of the sonic landscape, and as with Pan Sonic the line between experimental and commercial, dancefloor and installation are totally blurred. By the time we're hit with Sleeparchive's wonderful 13 minute 'Pulkovo' we are already knee deep into his world, with a dense, bass heavy slice of heavy electronics to turn the entire disc on its head and make way for the work of the more experimentally minded Antti Rannisto. Rannisto's work is less well known, but no less important - indeed his second contribution to this disc 'Shared Space' is a brooding 4/4 monster worthy of going up against anything Sleeparchive has ever produced and to my mind is the choice cut of the disc. Panned beats gradually build over tape noise and sine tones until by its end we are lavished with layer upon layer of harmonic drone, and it really is one of the most subtle and beautiful electronic pieces I have heard this year. Elsewhere we're treated to the lavish Koner-influenced drones of 'Colors' and the disc is rounded off by the mysterious 'Numbers'. I urge you to check this brilliant album even if you've never heard Sleeparchive before, it's just everything you'd hope for and then some..."

Smallfish review:
"When you think about Sleeparchive you think about minimalism and when you combine that minimalism with 12k and Audio.nl's Antti Rannisto you end up with a sound that's dense, packed with atmosphere and yet stripped back to bone. There are 2 key ingredients here and they are reduction and a healthy nod to the works of Pan Sonic... and I don't think either artist would mind me saying that. Rather than being a collaborative work this CD takes the form of a split work with Sleeparchive providing the first 5 tracks and Rannisto delivering thelast 5. To say that this is an essential piece of modern contemporary music is an understatement, in my opinion, as this it's utterly monumental. Deep, heavyweight sub bass, reduced abstract and techno-influenced percussion and the ever-present icy cold textural tone that's massively compelling. Constructed with care and a keen ear for sensory dislocation both artists really get to grips with the vibes although, for me, Rannisto slightly edges it with 2 simply amazing tracks. Using his knack for hypnotic rhythms and repetitive sounds he's layered them up with susprisingly lush background textures that serve as a brilliant counterpoint for the more austere forground sounds. Essentially a classy piece of work and one that I have no hesitation in recommending at all. Superb."


------------------------------
From http://www.soundofmusic.nu/0708/pages/rec_sleeparchive_rannisto0708.php

"Av: Mats Almegård

Det var bara en fråga om tid innan Roger "Sleeparchive" Semsroth skulle samarbeta med en finsk minimalist. Visserligen hade jag nog tippat på att Mika Vainio hade varit mannen ifråga – Semsroth låter med sitt Sleeparchive inte bara millimeternära vad Vainio gjort solo och i duon Pan Sonic, han pratar gärna i intervjuer om Vainio som den störste mästaren inom elektronisk musik någonsin. Kanske är det dock tur att det faktiskt inte blev Pan Sonic-medlemmen, utan en yngre förmåga inom finsk minimalistisk elektronisk musik. Sleeparchives låtar hade vid sidan av den stora inspirationskällan kanske känts för mycket som kopior? Jag vet inte. Jag har alltid tyckt att steget mellan Sleeparchive och Pan Sonic varit väldigt litet, men det har ändå funnits där. Roger Semsroth har inte känts som någon klon, snarare som en egensinnig artist med grava Pan Sonic-influenser. Men på detta album är det mindre av Sleeparchives minimaltechno som flödar ur högtalarna – snarare mer abstrakta ljudexperiment som inledande störningsbruset i "Radio".

Sleeparchive gör skivans fem första spår och sedan tar Rannisto över med 6 till 10. Av Sleeparchive-styckena är Continuous Tone kanske "mest" Sleeparchive – brusigt, stötigt, men ändå med en rak 4/4-rytm som stadgar upp ljuden. Det är dock inte det bästa. "Pulkovo" är med sina klangexperiment och sina olika nivåer av sparsmakad reduktion kontrasterat mot uppbyggda explosioner det klart intressantaste spåret som Sleeparchive bjuder på.

Men vid sidan av Rannisto är det bara att konstatera att det är Finland som avgår med segern – om man nu ska använda sig av idrottsterminologi. Det ska man så klart inte. Albumet är ju en helhet och som sådan betraktad riktigt, riktigt bra. De båda artisterna kompletterar varandra utmärkt i den fräsande elektronikens gråskala. Men Rannisto är trots detta snäppet vassare. Hans debutalbum "Ääniesineitä "på bolaget 12K kom för två år sedan och var en av de starkaste skivorna det året. Så reducerat, så kompromisslöst att det formligen fräste av energi och kraft.

På denna nya skiva är det fortfarande så avskalat och reducerat att det ibland bara handlar om ett pipande ljud och en tickande cymbal som samsas i ljudbilden. Men Rannistos sinne för att behandla små ljuds dynamik blir tydlig även där. Han är en mästare på att få de minsta ljudvärldar spännande och högintressanta. Liveupptagningen av "Ääniesinetiä 3" är ett exempel, men det finns många andra. Avslutande "Numbers" är mer pompös, trots reduktion. Men den fungerar så bra. En röst som långsamt rabblar engelska siffror – omgärdad av långsamt växande drones. Det är vackert, stort och litet på samma gång.

Detta samarbete mellan två olika minimalister, som dock delar mycket i tilltal och frasering, utan att för den skull påminna alltför mycket om varandra, bör inte missas. Så bra är det."

-----
From http://www.rarefrequency.com/2007/12/sleeparchive_an.html

"On this split full-length, two of electronic music's arch minimalists face off to do see who can do more with less. Berlin's secretive Sleeparchive (aka Stephan Metzger, aka Roger Semsroth) has never hidden his admiration for Pan Sonic's Mika Vainio. Vainio's classic solo album Metri has provided the basic roadmap for much of Sleeparchive's excursions into the barebones world of skeletal techno. On the five tracks he contributes here, Semsroth continues to follow in Vainio's footsteps, straying further and further from the crowded dancefloor into increasingly desolate territory. There are beats to be found here, but they are few and far between ("Hospital 08" does provide some solid clicks and groovy whoop-whoops for those who seek them). But though the music is spare, the there that's there is darkly compelling, and even, upon occasion, starkly beautiful. Like Sleeparchive, Finland's Antti Rannisto has more than a passing fancy for Vainio-esque minimalism. On his first full-length, 2005's Ääniesienitä he constructed fascinating compositions out of a simple set of components: metronomic beats that slipped in and out of sync, elegantly quavering sine tones, and softly clicking static, milking these meagre ingredients for all they were worth. It ended up sounding rather like early Pan Sonic with a serious case of OCD—and that's a good thing in my estimation. Here he's almost as brutally (and fruitfully) singleminded. There are moments of almost-lyricism during the icily pastoral "Colors," but otherwise Rannisto's music is as elegant and unnerving as the photo of Lupoid, a sled dog from Shackleton's ill-fated South Polar expedition, who stares out from the album's cover."

------
From http://www.groove.de/reviews.php?id=3745

"Dass sich Stephan Metzger alias Sleeparchive mit Antti Rannisto ausgerechnet einen Finnen als Duettpartner für eine Split-LP sucht, verwundert kaum. Schließlich gelten Sleeparchive-Platten als eine perfekte, in Club getünchte Interpretation alter finnischer Sähkö-Releases. Sleeparchive selbst erhält dieses Image aufrecht und zeichnet mit herausragendem Gespür souveräne Skizzen besten Minimaltechnos. Allen voran „Hospital 7" und „Continuous Love". Einzig „Pullovo", eine 13-minütige Soundcollage, knüpft Bande mit Rannisto. Denn der Finne verschiebt den Fokus weg vom Floor, hin zum Kopfhörer, und reiht sich ein zwischen entkernter Raster-Noton-Kultur und geduldigen Vromb-Gerüsten. Gänzlich ohne Beat imprägniert er seine Tracks vollständig gegen jegliche Clubambitionen. Dabei versprühen sie den Charme einer kargen und düsteren Landschaft, höchst selten tuschiert von Wärme, in deren Einöde zugleich Faszination und Schönheit liegt."

----
From http://www.der-plattenbesprecher.de/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=200

"Roger Semsroth und der Finne Antti Rannisto ergänzen sich mit ihren elektroid-kühlen Maschinensounds ein Album lang. Der Berliner Semsroth aus dem Hardwax-Umfeld (Kreuzberger Plattenladen) zu vermuten, hält sich ja schon länger mit seinen Sleeparchive-Veröffentlichen auf dem Peak des knisternd/brummenden und völlig minimalen Techno. Von daher braucht man nur die Eins+Null zusammenzählen, dass da eine Kooperation mit einem waschechten Finnen zustandekommt – da Sleeparchive oft nach den guten Momenten des (finnischen) Labels Sähkö (z.B. Panasonic)
klingt. Die ersten fünf Tracks des unbetitelten Albums kommen von Sleeparchive und gehen einen bekannten Weg. Wellige, tiefe Sounds, langsame/eiskalte Minimal-Maschinen-Beats, Stille, Rauschen, in polaren Gebieten fallengelassene Töne, Brutzeln…keinerlei Anzeichen von Menschenleben. Der Hund auf dem Cover, Lupoid, der bei der Südpol-Expedition von Ernest Shackleton (1914-1916) dabei war, gibt den Trend der Platte wider: Thema ist nicht der Techno-Club, sondern die Kälte und das Eis. Die Radio/Hospital-Tracks von Semsroth gelten wahrscheinlich als die bis dato nicht-veröffentlichten Edits/zusätzlichen Versionen der Maxi's (Hospital Tracks und Radio Transmission). Antii Rannisto, der noch in Helsinki studiert und schone mindestens eine Maxi draussen hat, hält hier mit seiner Musik die Stimmung aufrecht. Weit entfernte Raumklänge, Sirren mit abgestürzten Bleeps, grösstenteils aber ohne Beat. Zum Schluss dann das 8-minütige Numbers, das (ganz anders als bei Kraftwerk) nur mit einem editierten Nummer-Zähl-Sample eines
Funkspruches spielt. 8.0/10"

A split CD with Sleeparchive is out now on Sleeparchive's label (www.sleeparchive.de). 5 pieces from both of us, some rhythmic and some pretty 'abstract'.

SLEEPARCHIVE
1 Radio
2 Hospital 07
3 Hospital 08
4 Pulkovo
5 Continuous Tone
ANTTI RANNISTO
6 Untitled Space
7 Shared Space
8 Ääniesineitä 3 Live
9 Colors
10 Numbers

remote_ thoughs:

Antti Rannisto is a relative newcomer to the scene but, for me, made such an impact with his superb 'Rotate' EP for Audio.nl that it was with a great deal of anticipation that I awaited the arrival of this new release from 12k.
As a stalwart label of the digital minimalsm scene, 12k has released some classic and pioneering music from the likes of label owner Taylor Deupree, Kenneth Kirschner, Goem, Shuttle358, Frank Bretschneider and many others. As such it's splendid to see them, once again, going out on a limb to release music from someone on the outer edges of this potent style of music and, certainly, making a departure from their previous work.
Antti's music is cold, icy, intense and so essentially Scandinavian that it's hard not to reference a certain iconic label... Pansonic, Ø, Philus... Do you get where I'm going with this? Sähkö. That's where.
This is the logical successor to the output of that staggeringly innovative imprint and barr the occasional release from Mika Vainio as 'Ø', this is realistically the only thing that's sounded as real or authentic for a long, long time.
From the very beginning this CD says one thing: Depth... and lots of it.
If you're after dense tones and mind-filling noises, this is for you. If you love absolutely strict minimalism, this is for you. If you love dark and intense mind music, this is for you.
He uses harsh, synthesized sounds to create an increasingly tense atmosphere of isolation and industry that melds effortlessly with crisp, yet subtle, 4/4 beats which act as sonic punctuation.
Resonance is another key with dissonant sounds and notes colliding together to create the kind of frequencies that stay with you long after you've finished listening. It's not so much haunting... more frightening how powerful this sound is and the way he uses the simplest of elements to get into your head is devastating.
Deep sine waves, sawtooth loops and out-of-time progressions that sit uneasily over the rigid structure that underpins everything giving it an unbalanced yet perfectly, sublimely out-of sync feel.
There's a real flow, though, and it's essential in drawing the listener in as it can be a lonely and somewhat disconcerting experience listening to this music - you don't neccesarily want it on as dinner music with friends, for example. Short tonal pieces are followed by lengthy and hypnotic tracks that, in a mutant and freaked out otherworld, could be dancefloor music.
A kickdrum... a sound... a manipulation... Antti proves that's all you need to move people, and he does so with an incredible amount of style.
This certainly isn't going to appeal to everyone, but I urge any listeners to go into it with an open mind... you may well be surprised just what you find there.


Allmusic:

Antti Rannisto's debut recording for 12k is an anomaly in the recent string of poignant, calm meditations from the label, wasting no time in declaring its different intent courtesy of a two-part, four-minute sine-tone suite (all 11 tracks are untitled) that harks back to the early years of electronic experimentation with analog synthesizers. From there, it's a wild mishmash of influences and sounds (check the shout-out to his fellow countryman Vladislav Delay's Multila on track three) ranging from hip-hop and IDM to the experimental forefathers who preceded him. The most amazing nugget on this disc is track nine, which sounds like a classic Chicago acid track thrown in a washing machine with some of the Raster-Noton camp's more beat-friendly compositions. A solid if erratic full-length that shows Rannisto's versatility and refusal to be pigeonholed into one particular sound or style. Kudos to 12k for taking similar risks.
-Rob Theakston


No Ripcord:

The late, great John Peel would often begin playing records sent him from unknown artists and then, after a few moments, stop the track with an apologetic interjection in his rubicund tones, usually along the lines of, "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm playing that at the wrong speed," or, "Ah, that's the wrong side." On one occasion, I'm sure it turned out he was playing a blank DAT. Antti Rannisto's debut album on 12k records, which I first played without taking the precaution of reading the press release, inspired a similar reaction in my case, as the first track (all tracks are nameless) is a lengthy monotone blip that I confused initially with the demise of my stereo. Upon checking both machinery and the details from the kindly promoters, I soon realised that rather than a busted hi-fi, I was dealing with an album that I could call strictly neither minimalist nor ambient, but which boasts an electronic sparseness that is almost shocking on first listen.

Ääniestineitä is a first full-length outing for a Finnish artist whose sound emerges from hip-hop, house and experimental electronic music. Only the last is immediately noticeable here on first listening; early tracks on this album fade into the background, with monotones, quiet electronic noises, and the subtlest of percussion. Yet with further listening, and certainly as the album develops, subtle shifts, pans and fades take up the work of rhythm and melody. An almost hypnotic effect takes hold at times, like being trapped in a swarm of benevolent electric bees.

What's remarkable is that without abandoning his simple, clear palette of sounds, Rannisto creates some ever-so-slightly funky tracks later in the album: a sinewave over a kickdrum, polyrhythmic loops over, perhaps not a bassline, but rather a collection of bass dots, left for the listener to connect. It's abstraction in the way Paul Klee simplified art down to basic elements: a line, a colour; or the way the White Stripes removed all superfluous instruments from their middle period. There's little danger of dancing, or even foot tapping breaking out, but instead, those parts of the brain that may inspire dancing are pricked in most satisfying cerebral fashion. An album only for those prepared to listen carefully, and very much for those who enjoy their music frill and flounce free: minimalism that in its extremity is all the more remarkable. 6/10
-Ben Bollig


Smallfish Records:

I've been waiting for this one for what seems like months now after having one heard one sample MP3 and now it's finally here I'm blown away by the full album. Whilst it's something of a departure for 12k in a lot of respects it's still very much in line with the general minimalist nature of the label. Antti's previous 12" for Audio.nl was clearly a good signifier for what was to develop and its stripped down, quite blatantly Finnish style Techno was very refreshing indeed and this wonderful 11 track work is heavy, deep, ultimately reduced and really quite superb. Imagine a blend of Frank Bretschneider, Mika Vainio, Pansonic and general early Sahko releases and you're getting close to how this sounds. Ultra-minimal tones and bass sounds with immaculately heavy production and mastering coupled with some crisp, yet subtle 4/4 beats make for a devastating and incredibly intense experience. When he concnetrates on just the tones there's a resonance that vibrates through your whole body and leaves a residual impression long after the track has finished. Simply an incredibly good album that really gets into your head and an essential for fans of the aforementioned labels and artists. Props to 12k for going out on a limb and massive respect to Antti for representing in a big way. Highly recommended.


Nutida Musik:

Ibland sägs det att de som lyssnar på elektronisk musik inte bryr sig om att hålla reda på artisternas namn. Det skulle i stället räcka med att veta vilka skivbolag som ger ut "rätt" musik. Sedan håller man sig till att köpa alla utgivningar från det aktuella bolaget. Det är en föreställning som ligger i linje med electronicaproducenten som en anonym, gåtfull person som aldrig visar sitt ansikte på bild. Att det inte stämmer vet vi – electronicavärlden har sina fixstjärnor precis som vilken annan genre som helst. Men frågan är om detta resonemang ändå inte stämmer delvis på Taylor Deuprees skivetikett 12K.

12K grundades 1997 och har sedan starten konsekvent fokuserat på elektronisk minimalism av hög klass. Utgivningen är homogen, utan att vara enkelspårig. Likadant med förpackningen. Taylor Deupree designar själv de vackra konvoluten som inte sällan består av bilder på byggnader. I många fall harmonierar också omslagen förvånansvärt väl med musiken på skivorna. Här finns samma avskalade minimalism som ändå varieras. Så visst kan man i lugn och ro köpa skivor från 12K baserad på den kunskap man har om tidigare utgivningar. De är alltid av hög kvalitet, men av vitt skilda slag. Något som två av de senaste släppen illustrerar med all önskvärd tydlighet.

Japanskan Sawako började som videokonstnär men har på senare tid övergått till att göra musik. På Hum sänder hon ut försiktigt trevande toner som hela tiden fascinerar men som samtidigt drar sig undan och gör sig svåra att nå. Hon blandar elektronik med fältinspelningar, hummande sång och akustisk gitarr. I sin eteriska form är Sawakos musik, med Gilles Deleuzes begrepp, rhizomatisk. Den spirar åt alla håll och förbinds av punkter som är svåra att skriva in i ett narrativt schema eller i en över- och underordnad struktur. Den är fascinerande i sin lågmäldhet, men lämnar mig ibland otillfredsställd.

Jämfört med Sawakos försiktighet är Antti Rannistos pumpande minimala frekvenser en förolämpning. Hans avskalade minimalism är av landsmännen i Pan Sonics slag. Glödande sinustoner, visselljud och enkelt arrangerade rytmer, oerhört precist arrangerade. På hög volym och med hörlurar fungerar de isolerade ljuden som trancemusik är tänkt att fungera, men som den sällan gör. Det handlar om elektronisk exorcism och det är bland det bästa man kan lyssna på just nu.
-Mats Almegård


Boomkat:

Harking back to the early days of 12k when they had just begun making waves on the worldwide minimal electronic scene, Ääniesineitä is a back-to-basics release for this ever-reliable label. Following on nicely from Rannisto's 'Rotate' 12" on audio.NL, this debut album melds the sound art/experimental sound of Ryoji Ikeda with a more pounding Komet or Pan Sonic influenced 4/4 throb. Although at times coming across like a broken car alarm, there are some stunning moments on the record, highlights being the almost dancefloor friendly 'Ääniesineitä 3' and the twisted harmonic beauty of 'Ääniesineitä 11'. A record to test a new subwoofer on, this has all the minimal swagger and sub-bass vibrations that you would expect from the best in the genre and is highly recommended for bespectacled minimalists the world over.


Vital Weekly:

[...] 'Aaniesineita' is the debut album of Finnish Antti Rannisto, following his 12" for Audio.NL. That 12" was a nice slab of minimal techno beat but for this CD he moves into a different territory - related to minimal techno, but taking matters a bit further. Working with sine wave material, chopped up into small blocks of sound, repeating, but always subtle shifting and moving. Certainly quite nice material, but not so surprising new or fresh. Much of what Rannisto does reminds the listener of Pan Sonic, or more specific Mika Vainio solo and of course Ryoji Ikeda. As such nothing new under the sun, despite the fact that Rannisto produced a well-made album. A bit too late perhaps.
-FdW


Aquarius Records:

Ah, Finland! You never cease to amaze us with the wealth of intruding sounds that emerge from your arctic landscape; and you've once again provided us with somebody new to get excited about. While our obsession with Finnish music has been typically centered on the liminal psychedelia of Circle, Kemiallyset Ystavat, Avarus, and all things Fonal, we've also been quite taken by the frigid electronica that Pan Sonic has been making for many years now. Antti Rannisto comes from the same mold as Pan Sonic's Mika Vainio in sculpting a compelling post-techno electric field of phase-shifting throbs and sine-wave tones with impeccable precision. In many ways, Aaniesineita mirrors what Vainio did on his solo records Metri and Tulkinta. There really is not very much to Rannisto's work, often just a hyper-repetitive 4/4 pulse with subtle shifts of panning, EQ envelope manipulation, and phase shifting of tonal elements. According to Rannisto, it's all about rotation. That pretty much says it all.


Groove:

Brutal minimal magi. Jag tror det är så man måste beskriva finländaren Antti Rannistos debutskiva. Den är så extremt brutal och rak i sitt avskalade uttryck att det knappt går att föreställa sig något mer aggressivt och samtidigt så sparsmakat på samma gång. Fast brutal och aggressiv menar jag då inte som näsblodsattacker. Snarare som vansinnesframkallande intensiv musik. Spår två till exempel (Ääniesineitä har inte försetts med mer till låttitel än siffrorna 1 till 11). Den är som ett brandlarm som gått igång på max volym. I stället för att byggnaden utryms och brandkår tillkallas radar vi upp oss runt omkring och dansar spastiskt på stället. Sjukt? Ja, på ett sätt. Det är sjukt att man kan få till ett sånt jävla groove av två toner och en avskalad rytm. Pan Sonic har rört sig åt det här hållet, men har aldrig varit så avskalat raka. Det är i Finland den hårdaste minimalismen görs.
-Mats Almegård


Helsingin Sanomat:

Vähän paljosta

Marginaalissaan maailmankuulun suomalaisen Pan Sonicin elektronimusiikkia kuvaillaan usein sekä kokeelliseksi että minimalistiseksi. Samoja määreitä voi sovittaa ensimmäisen albuminsa tehneen Antti Ranniston (s.1978) teoksiin.
"Kokeellinen" ja "minimalistinen" ovat kuitenkin kovin suhteellisia ja kokemuksellisia käsitteitä. Arvostetulla amerikkalaisella 12k-merkillä julkaistu Ääniesineitä esittelee abstrakteja veistelevän elektronimuusikon, joka tuntuu tietävän tarkalleen mitä tahtoo ja mitä tekee: jokaisella äänellä - rapsahduksella, suhahduksella, tykytyksellä - on perusteltu paikkansa. Mutta minimalismia on vaikeampi kiistää, sillä Rannisto ei levittele materiaalia, vaan leikkaa vielä puolet siitä, missä ei ole mitään leikattavaa. Samalla hän "pakottaa" kuuntelemaan - ja ehkä myös kuulemaan toisin.
-Harri Uusitorppa


Liability Webzine:

Le jeune Finlandais Antti Rannisto sort avec ce Ääniesineitä un premier album qui est bien dans la lignée des albums d'électronique minimale du Grand Nord. Immanquablement on pense à Pan Sonic même si Rannisto est manifestement moins torturé. Ce thésard en sociologie et sémiotique combine dans sa musique des influences aussi diverses que le hip-hop, la house et la musique électronique expérimentale. De prime abord cette alchimie des genres paraît intéressante tant elle suscite la curiosité. Rannisto réussit ce tour de force en produisant un album très ouvert qui malgré son minimalisme et ses phases répétitives reste accessible à tout à chacun. On poussera même le vice à dire que Ääniesineitä est dansant. Sans doute son côté house. Si Pan Sonic a dû être une source d'inspiration importante, on pourra mettre en parallèle des artistes comme Ryoji Ikeda. Il n'y a qu'à ré-écouter un disque comme + / - (Touch - 1996) pour se rendre compte combien les deux hommes sont proches. Il y a, comme ça, des modèles qu'il est toujours bon de suivre.
Dans ce souci d'ouverture amorcé avec des artistes comme Sawako le label 12k continue sur sa lancé avec ce disque hypnotique et tout à fait enthousiasmant. Ääniesineitä nous rappelle les grandes heures du minimalisme électronique de la décénnie précédente. Une époque où régnaient en maître les labels Touch, Staalplaat ou Mille Plateaux. Antti Rannisto signe un premier album qui fait dans l'épure mais qui remplit parfaitement l'espace. Si certains ne manqueront pas de cataloguer le Finlandais dans une sorte d'ambiant, ce serait réduire sa musique de manière assez injuste. Ambiant, il ne l'est que parce qu'il utilise des nappes d'arrière-plan mais cela s'arrête là. La rythmique, tout en basse, plaide plus pour des formes moins hermétiques. Des morceaux comme Ääniesineitä 2 sont là pour en témoigner. Rannisto s'inscrit ainsi bien dans cette école finlandaise qui offre des sonorités aérées douées d'une intensité toute nordique. Rannisto est tout de suite dans la cour des grands avec ce disque qui redonne un peu foi en la cause électro minimale. Finalement c'est tout ce qui compte.

Etherreal:
Jeune artiste finlandais, Antti Rannisto signe, avec Ääniesineitä, son premier album pour lequel il a été signé sur 12k, label adepte d'une musique entre electronica et expérimental. Ici, c'est cette seconde mouvance qui s'exprime.
En effet, l'album de Rannisto se compose de sons stridents, de sonneries à la limite du larsen et autres composants micro-électroniques suraigus. Agissant parfois à la limite du supportable (les deux premières pistes), ces éléments se font plus abordables quand ils sont accompagnés d'une petite pulsation et que leur agencement s'apparente à une forme de construction harmonieuse (Ääniesineitä 3, Ääniesineitä 6, Ääniesineitä 9). Dans ces moments-ci, la musique du Finlandais se fait non seulement plus accessible mais aussi plus intéressante en ce qu'elle renvoie à une passionnante tradition d'electronica expérimentale «nordique».
Dès lors, le disque semble se scinder en deux parties : les morceaux que l'on prend plaisir à disséquer pour y déceler une sonorité spécifique, un grésillement particulier ou un vrombissement caractéristique (Ääniesineitä 7) et ceux dont on espère qu'ils ne durent pas trop longtemps tellement leur écoute s'avère difficile eu égard aux sifflements «gratuits» mis en place. Fort heureusement, les premiers sont les plus nombreux et la fin du disque nous offre même un morceau à la dimension mélodique plus affirmée via des notes de claviers répétitives (Ääniesineitä 11). Pour autant, il est délicat de se prononcer complètement sur la valeur du Finlandais qui paraît devoir être jugé sur scène où sa musique, probablement accompagnée de vidéos adéquates, devrait prendre davantage d'ampleur.
-François Bousquet

FRANCE MUSIQUE:
Dans un registre purement électro minimaliste, vient de sortir le premier album d'Antti RANNISTO, artiste finlandais issu du hip hop, de la scène house et de l'électronique expérimentale. Un parcours que l'on retrouve dans ses compositions électroniques minimalistes mais rythmiquement structurées comme de la house ou du hip hop. Les extrême grave et aigu sont particulièrement mis en avant et Antti Rannisto joue des effets de stéréo et nous entraîne dans une tournerie dépouillée, répétitive et totalement hypnotique.