The fifth edition of the music business meeting in Estonia’s capital brought us many surprises, new discoveries, old friends and the learning that a President can be a rock music nerd. Estonia is a country rich of inventive young people, cultural melting of past, present, East and West. The political leadership sets on new technologies and cultural value as an economic backbone and advantage over the rather inflexible big states of the EU. Initiatives like the music week are supported well by the public and so it’s no surprise that public involvement is as big as the excitement of Tallinn’s people about this event.
Thomas Henrik Ilves, president of Estonia, about Tallinn Music Week:
It’s not easy to pick some highlights between the 230 bands, many panel discussions and countless conversations and gatherings with music professionals from around Europe. But anyway we like to point out some magic moments for you.
Two artists, not new to NOTHING BUT HOPE AND PASSION, presented themselves in furious performances. Rapidly growing Danish electronic act RANGLEKLODS managed to turn the overcrowded Sinilind Club into a steamy party. In every performance, Esben Andersen and his congenial partner Pernille Smith-Sivertsen get more routine in playing with his songs and parts. No wonder that RANGLEKLODS plays all major festivals this year and gathers more and more fans.
The second artist, who is not praised for the first time from NBHAP is Luxemburg’s chill wave visionary SUN GLITTERS. In the perfect setting of the ancient setting of Sõprus Cinema, he pushed the audience in the seats, both visual and soundwise. The stunning visual performance, combined of his own works and those of others inspired by his music, was the perfect fit with his dreamy but at the same time massive songs.
While rushing from one location to the other, we always profited from the perfect organization the team has done. Nicely made overview plans of all events, shuttle busses, taxi advice and so forth. We felt informed and very welcomed all the time. This is how music business is made in its best sense.
After having another bunch of panel discussions, meet and greets and selected wines from our Finish friends, we dived into the clubs again. Right in the middle of a mall, where also an information booth of the Tallinn Music Week was situated, the event brought live sets of the bands to the people. Tallinn band ELEPHANTS FROM NEPTUNE was one of them and performed a chilled acoustic set of their well grounded rock sound. At the same time, the hotel lobby was bathed in chilled sounds from SUN GLITTERS and the Estonian electronic experimental project VUL VULPES. Great music for a sunny afternoon. In the Tallinn Art Gallery, the Finish Duo EVA & MANU (actually performing as a trio) already gave us a taste of what to expect later in another performance.
In between we tried to see as much as possible from the magnificent old town of Tallinn. Having 30-40% Russian population and many Finish visitors over the weekend, the city is rich of cultural heritage and influence from past and present. We experienced a positive way of pride many small nations have and learned about how the country makes its way in the EU with fostering culture and new technologies. Did you know that Skype is actually an Estonian company? People and government really seem to concentrate on their strengths and, despite all economical problems, look for the opportunities the creative and technology business offer. One of the shining young artists who is about to profit from that was to follow that day.
An artistic challenge was the special performance of uprising Estonian pop star IIRIS. Together with the TALLINN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA she interpreted modern classical works far from any pop appeal. Great to see that this event is also open to many Jazz and Classical acts and understands all music as a whole.
Before we went to this great cinema again to attend many highly anticipated bands, we grabbed a taxi and rushed to see another act from Norway. And that was nothing short from overwhelming. PELBO, featuring two members of HIGHASAKITE, already created quite a stir in the Jazz scene. With their rather odd instrumentation, drums, voice, synths and tuba (!) their create an unheard atmosphere which reminds on THE XX but with more details and ups and downs. Singer Ine Kristine Hoem, apparently having a profound singing education, and her band managed the unmanageable: They turned a little bar into a cathedral and grabbed the hearts of everyone in the room. Check out this band and catch them as long as you can see them in rather small clubs. ü>
Having the post-rock highlight of the year, the DUNK FESTIVAL, only few days behind us, we again decided to have some dose of this music. Russian post-rock band MOONCAKE was taking us to a ride with their not really innovative but even more well constructed music.
Afterwards we made our way into the fully packed cinema location again. Starting out with the already mentioned EVA & MANU we got mesmerized by their fragile music and charming performance. It’s great to see that this band turns the harmony they obviously have within their group into beautiful music touching the crowd deeply. They really earned the very warm welcome given by the people.
The night went on in this vein and the next band already created quite a buzz. HIGHASAKITE from Norway is one of the few acts, who actually do something that can be considered new. Being rooted in 70s music, they also borrowed some of the visuals with feathers, long white dresses and a psychedelic mood. They sound is somewhere between pop, songwriter and electro, and definitely hard to describe as the whole package decides. A really lasting experience with a band we definitely will hear more about the next months.
Tallinn Music Week did a great job in first introducing music from Russia and the Baltics to us and second in bringing together many music professionals, in numbers 800, together. So we not only saw great bands, but made new friends from Iceland, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Luxembourg and so forth. We take the Tallinn Music Week as a fixed date in our calendars now.
article by Axel Kunz & Robert Helbig