"Formed in 1991, Circle is the most visible and prolific name in the Finnish avant-rock underground. Having survived innumerable lineup changes, the band and its founder, bassist/vocalist/guitarist Jussi Lehtisalo, have constantly reinvented themselves, weaving hypnotic mantras out of exacting Krautrock beats, heavy riffs, arty noise, dark psychedlia, and soundtrack-like beauty. Hard, chilly repetition has served as the lone unifying theme throughout 15 years of experiments."

Circle is one of those bands that you always hear referenced by people who know really great music. By the time I found out that they were to be playing at the Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar, I had only heard one of their songs on the internet but it was enough for me to know that greatness was coming. We made special arrangements, brought extra monitor speakers and nicer microphones and hoped that they would be satisfied with the venue, which is intimate and highly unique. As most bands do, they initially seemed confused by the room where they were slated to play, but quickly warmed up to the atmosphere, until by the end of the night the lads seemed to be glowing. Cul de Sac from Boston was the opening act and wowed the people with their waves of psychedelia. By the time Circle took the stage the room was buzzing with anticipation and excitement. The nice gents who had quietly been ordering beers and tea at the bar became rock beasts and riled the crowd up into a frenzy. People were dancing on tables, the bar and any space available. It was hypnotic and liberating. At the end of the night folks were enchanted and recharged, filled with the power of experience, a testament to the true magic of live music in a group setting. Since that night I have kept in touch with Jussi via e mail and he has granted us this insightful interview. Below are some links to Jussi's own Ektro Record Label. Coming soon...a podcast we created with a live recording of their performance at the Tea Bazaar.

Enjoy!
Matthew Clark

Hello Jussi....Thanks for your time and granting us this interview.

MC: As it is an alien concept to most of us, please tell us about the music
scene in Finland?

JL: Finnish music scene has two sides: We have a lot of bands that only copy
American or British pop-music and on the other hand we have a strong scene
of original and independent music. Finland is - maybe because of its location - seen as an exotic country, and at the moment there is 'forest-free-folk scene' that has become internationally quite popular among music elitists and other music people. Also in general Finland is right now a trendy country inside marginal music culture and the music scene is also more active than for example 5 years ago.

MC: What role does the Finnish government play in shaping culture? Do you
consider this to be positive/negative or a little of both?

JL: We have a corporation called 'Music Export Finland' that has a goal to take
Finnish bands abroad and make them famous there. Usually the music itself
and its quality is a number two priority and the priority number one is visibility. That is of course normal, when you are talking about business. The idea has come from Sweden, where they had this model already 10 years ago.

MC: Is there a large fanbase for music like Circle, incorporating psychedelia, experimental and krautrock elements, or is this this a niche audience as it is in the U.S.? Does it surface in pop culture or is that something completely different?

JL: We are a marginal phenomenon in Finland too. Circle is a 15 year old band
and the interest of Finnish audience gets smaller all the time. Outside of
Finland on the other hand we have more audience and interest now than
before. As been said, we have a long history and here in Finland people are
more interested in modern and new phenomenons. We might be a little bit too
old fashioned for contemporary audience.

MC: Do you see some brotherhood of bands across Scandanavia, or Nordic
regions...as Northern explorers of psych sounds, experimentalism, and heavy
grooves? If so do you see weather, topography, climate, seasons and
daylight as a binding factors or shared inspirations?

JL: Personally I can't see the similarity in the music of Nordic regions, maybe
I am too close. (Well, I do see some similarity in the music scene of my own
hometown and the area here.) Might be anyway, that long and dark winter
affects so that one wants to escape present reality and look for psychedelic
vibes. I don't see anyhow that it would show as similar music, because
each group carries it out in its own way.

MC: Please tell me more about your label Ektro Records, the various projects
that you and your bandmates pursue, and maybe a bit about your involvement
working with Damo Suzuki?

JL: Ektro tries to stay outside of trends, even marginal ones. I feel that if
you achieve big special interest, it usually lasts for a couple of years and
then it's over. This is pretty much what (maybe?) happened there for
Alternative Tentacles, Sub Pop, Thrill Jockey, Epitaph...: they were very
'in' at some point but now their hippie season is over. They might still put
out material of very good quality, but people have taken a different
attitude towards them. The goal of Ektro is not to release music of certain
kind but to destroy its own consistency and make little mistakes in its
publications. Someone has said that a lousy artist has no self critisism,
but for us the lack of self critisism is a source of power. That is why we
make a lot of music, and it is also a good excuse to spend time and
co-operate with wonderful people. In the end social relationships are more
important than the music. Damo Suzuki is a good example of an active and
enthusiastic music maker and it was very simple and great to collaborate
with him.

MC: What are some of your favorite cd's/lp's now? Do you draw more
inspiration from music of the 60's and 70's or from current music...or both?

JL: At the moment my favourite music is 20's and 30's american folk recordings,
bluegrass, blues etc. On the other hand I am very much into classic/hard
rock and the heavy metal of the 80's. Recently, for the first time in my
life, I have also been listening to death metal, that is very exiting. I don't listen to current music that much. Some of the artists I've been listening to lately are: Germs, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, King Diamond, Roy Harper, Amebix, Rudimentary Peni, Pestilence, Manilla Road, Slaughter, Hobart Smith, Blind Blake, Warhammer, Hiski Salomaa (finnish folk music from the 30's), Blind Lemon Jefferson, Terrorizer, Malicorne, Faust, Riot, At War and right now i am listening new Celtic Frost album.

MC: I see a lot of Circle and other releases on Ektro are sold out...Are they to be reissued or do you like the concept of something being finite and therefore more valueable?

JL: Hurry and lack of money are the reasons why all of the publications are not
available all the time. I am trying to have new editions all I can...

MC: When I saw you live the band sounded amazing and besides the stellar
performance I felt it had a lot to do with Tuomas your sound tech. Does he
have a role in studio recordings and the creative process as well?

JL: The role of Tuomas has been growing all the time. He has now for the first
time started to record Circle and on the live sessions he is rolling tapes now and then. He is an importang key figure when our sound is concerned. He doesn't play a part in composing tracks, we hardly do ourselves.

MC: Do you see the effects of global warming where you live in Pori, Finland?

JL: Yes, summer is late and we've had snow late in spring. Average temperature
has gone up however, and the weather is very changing rapidly.

MC: What are your hobbies, passions or pursuits outside of music?

JL: Movies and books and icehockey, mainly. Books that I have enjoyed lately are
Holy Blood, Holy Grail and The complete stories (by Flannery 'Connor). In
movies my favourite directors are Ingmar Bergman, Emir Kusturica and
Jean-Luc Godard. About icehockey, I go to see the games of our local team
'Ässät' and I also play sometimes myself in old timers hockey team with my
father.

Thanks!
jussi

http://www.circlefinland.com/cirdisco.html

http://www.ektrorecords.com/

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