Browse by Label: HARMONIA (FINLAND)

Artist:	RANDY BARRACUDA & MESAK
Title:	Black Vaseline
Label:	HARMONIA (FINLAND)
Format:	12"
Price:	$15.00
Catalog #:	HRMN 007EP

"A banger brought to you by the most dynamic duo of the Finnish Skweee pioneers: Randy Barracuda & Mesak! I would love to tell you briefly about their previous achievements on the field of aural arts, but it would take ages. Let's just say that you've heard their productions during the years in the sets of Dave Clarke, Kode9, DJ Dimitry of Deee-Lite, Billy Nasty, Cari lekebusch, Two Lone Swordsmen and Rob Da Bank to name a few. So, what's cookin' this time? The hydraulically pumpin', epic Kraut-trance-groove of Black Vaseline is based on a nightmare Mesak had on a cloudy August night back in 2002. In his mystical dream, Mesak was drowning in quicksand, watched by a muscular cyclops. When Randy heard about Mesak's dream, he got enthusiastic and, as a devoted Jungian, asked Mesak to bring out more figures from his subconscious. Based on visionary fragments, they crafted a boomin' mountain of heavy motorik dub -- and by the way it sounded, named it 'Black Vaseline.' Eero Johannes, the duo's super-talented young protégée, also participated and made a tear-jerking modern soul remix of it with the kind permission of Planet Mu. The phuturistic RnB of 'Adult Games' was born when the legendary falsetto vocalist Michael Black Electro saw Bertolucci's Stealing Beauty and wondered if Liv Tyler's character could be brought to life. Michael's erotic longing for Lucy Harmon was translated into the most superbly funking space age-synth jam in three summer night sessions at the acclaimed Short Cut Street Studio, Helsinki."

Artist:	RIGAS DEN ANDRE
Title:	Valla Torg EP
Label:	HARMONIA (FINLAND)
Format:	12"
Price:	$15.00
Catalog #:	HRMN 008EP

"The 'new sound of Scandinavia,' skweee combines very simple synth leads and basslines with the rhythms of funk, RnB and soul. It is a flourishing community based around online networks that are moving beyond those frontiers thanks to their personal overhaul of dance music. Finland's Harmönia label is one of the standard bearers of the new sound that is coming in from the cold and which they themselves have christened skweee -- simple but effective synths and basslines, coated with funk, R'n'B and soul. Discover it for yourself, courtesy of the Finnish school."

Artist:	YOT
Title:	Slug Hit/Feeling The Real Feeling
Label:	HARMONIA (FINLAND)
Format:	7"
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	HRMN 009EP

"Slug Hit is the most important electronic track of 2009." -- Ryuichi Sakamoto. "Aryan afro beat? Gothic kebab crunk? Electronic body music? Scandinavian new beat?!? Putting finger on Yöt's art is an extremely unrewarding enterprise. Why so? You may ask. First of all, because Yöt sounds very alienating and unfamiliar: Stiff and loose at the same time, disturbing yet sentimental. Secondly, because I do not know them. Like literally, I don't know the individuals behind Yöt. I've stumbled upon them few times during the sweaty, restless nights of Helsinki. (Funny, because 'Yöt' means 'The Nights' in Finnish) Still, I can not really define what sort of people they are or what do they think. I guess that by their looks you could define them 'urban,' but their mental states remain unknown. Like oysters, the members of Yöt are a mystery."

Artist:	VA
Title:	Harmönia Presents: International Skweee Vol. 2.
Label:	HARMONIA (FINLAND)
Format:	LP
Price:	$26.00
Catalog #:	HRMN 010LP

"LP (limited edition of definitely-not-enuff-copies). The eagerly awaited sequel of Harmönia's International Skweee compilation has finally landed! Once again Harmönia's artists are setting new standards for electronic dance music. Unlike the blood suckin' vampires of brain dead club music of today, these cats have been mastering their art in silence and are just about to teleport mankind back to the zone of full funkativity! The Funkentelechy has been found once again! 12 artists -- 10 tracks of the finest analogue soul. International Skweee Vol. 2 opens with the smokey P-Funk stylings of our favourite Frenchman: Wankers United! You can definitely hear the atomic dog barking. Skweeemasters Beem and Joxaren have united their forces for the first time in history and produced a next generation banger of harsh acid funk. AC/DC goes Skweee? Swedish-Iranian Uday is back and this time with a message. The shah of Middle Eastern electro has teamed up with an unknown Iranian woman to bring us this revolutionary piece of Arabian funk with a message of strength and democracy: 'Boland Shin' (Rise Up)! A-side is wrapped up with the flute-driven disturbed grime of Coco Bryce's 'Ghetto Freaks' and Finnish noise-generator Claws Cousteau's 'North State of Mind' which is a party rockin' example of his aggressive Stylophone crunk. B-side opens with the amazing Arab-influenced RnB of Easy and The Center of Universe. 'Hamada' sounds like Erkin Koray teaming up with Lil Jon and 40 virgins in an Ottoman hashish orgy. Finnish-Swedish Markis Sage makes a fantastic return with the '80s tinged mellowness of 'Creature of Lagoon.' Rarely a track of this beauty can be such a funkster at the same time. Icelandic prodigy Rabbi Bananas lashes out a broken beat holocaust with a riotous SH-101 screeching. 'Cat Eat' is a true bastard of a track from the tiny country mostly known for its shoe-gazing soundscapes. We don't know what the Canadian caveman Slow Hand Motëm was thinking when he sculpted the slow-burning crunk of 'Smells Like Randy Barracuda,' and we don't really give a shit. It's great. Shine on you crazy bromosexual! The victorious compilation is finished with one of the Harmönia staff's favourites: Despite the misspelling, Daniel Savio's heart achingly beautiful 'People Die, Love Don't' shines through the darkness like a thousand crystal suns. We at Harmönia are very proud to bring you this episode of the International Skweee series. An album of great quality that surpasses its predecessor in various ways. Free your mind and your ass will follow -- The kingdom of heaven is within!" -- P. Jerkman/A&R, Harmönia Records

Artist:	RANDY BARRACUDA
Title:	On The Low
Label:	HARMONIA (FINLAND)
Format:	12"
Price:	$13.00
Catalog #:	HRMN 012EP

"After a decade of bitter tears and hopeless trying our Finnish funkster Randy Barracuda has finally reached his ultimate goal as an artist. He has managed to combine successfully the music of his two favourite composers: Klaus Schulze and Lil' Jon. 'Impossible', You may say. Well, don't believe the hype. Take a listen to 'Streisand Effect''s booming crunk beats, heavy basses, epic synthesizer leads and cristallic arpeggios and choose for yourself. Dubstep hero Tes La Rok's outstanding remix stays true to the original but adds some extra dubby aesthetics to Randy's storming soccer stadium skweee vibes. Backside of the record is dominated by more moody and naturalistic atmospheres. 'Tako To Ama (The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife)' is Randy's homage to the grandiose tradition of Japanese tentacle erotica. In its Asiatic moods and sharp synthesizer stabs you can almost feel the slippery tentacles of an octopus wandering around in your bodily cavities! Record comes to an end with 'Lebensraum,' an eight minute long meditative disco reggae. On 'Lebensraum' the listener finds a totally new aspect of Randy Barracuda's aural art: gone are the rapid staccato melodies and usual stiff funkiness. Maybe Credit00, a mysterious East-German bongo player, gave the track its naturalistic charm and the comfy aura of a forest in the springtime."

Artist:	PAVAN
Title:	Holy Volt
Label:	HARMONIA (FINLAND)
Format:	LP
Price:	$24.00
Catalog #:	HRMN 014LP

"You're about to experience the first long-playing album of Pavan, the originator of Skweee-music. Skweee, also known as the synthetic Scandinavian funk, is a worldwide phenomena hailing originally from the frosty alleys of Stockholm and Helsinki. The raw, unpolished electronic funk tracks of this album were recorded in 2003-2006, when the term itself didn't yet exist. Now, half a decade later, these rough diamonds finally see the light of day. This magnificent album is sprinkled with analogue synthesizer magic, extraordinaire soundscapes and body rockin' grooves tight as spandex. But don't listen to us, judge for yourself. Take a trip through the electro ragga of 'War' and 'Buttons' and simmer down with the trippy krautness of '1000 Years'. In this world overpopulated by soulless throwaway electronic music it's very rare and touching to hear something as pure and honest as Holy Volt."

Artist:	EASY AND THE CENTER OF UNIVERSE
Title:	Pythagoras Falafel Calamity
Label:	HARMONIA (FINLAND)
Format:	12"
Price:	$15.00
Catalog #:	HRMN 015EP

"Easy and the Center Of The Universe we already know from their Flogsta Danshall 7 inch release and some skweee compilers -- remember 'Legend Of Selda' on Skweee Tooth?!!?!? This new release on Harmonia is as the previous ones infected with Arabian soundbites. We recognize the details from our nights in the Medina of Marrakesh, we slip into our caftan, smoke the water pipe and drink mint tea, and are bodypoppin' like an Egyptian. No kiddin', this record is so imaginative and so true to its style that you can't go any other way. Details of the percussion on 'Halloumi' are so good with the details in the orchestration (references to Uom Kalthoum records come to mind) the pitch and modulation wheels used intensive. With this release Easy & Center Of The Universe proves again that skweee is one of the most evolving styles at the moment. This is exotic and exciting music."

Artist:	VA
Title:	Harmonia Family Album
Label:	HARMONIA (FINLAND)
Format:	2LP
Price:	$31.00
Catalog #:	HRMN 016LP

"Harmonia Family Album includes 12 artists from 7 countries giving their own interpretations of skweee, the synthetic Scandinavian funk. This double album features both skweee -innovators and brilliant second generation rookies like Finnish dub specialist Levon Zoltar and Japanese child prodigy Neo Hetare. The process of compiling these twelve tracks took more than six months, since each track was carefully handpicked from a selection of more than hundred songs from around the world. Harmonia's previous Skandinavian Skweee Vol. I &II and International Skweee Vol. I&II -compilations were immediately sold out after release and nowadays go up to 100 euros on internet. Because skweee owes so much to the so-called world music, we thought of taking the whole thing to the next level and asked our artists to make their own versions of 'ethnic' music. As you will soon hear, the idea took off like a lazer beam in an Ethiopian desert. The results are breathtaking: music so contemporary yet still so archaic! It gives a great deal of pleasure to the listener to hover through the native American mantras of BMMB's Huuhka-Eno, tribal chanting of Ransta Congregate and slavic pfunk of Eero Johannes. Viva Harmonia!" Housed in a deluxe gatefold sleeve.

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