Tampere-based band UTU released their long-awaited album Russian Poets yesterday at Tampere-talo. Theirs was not just another run-of-the-mill album release, but included a complete art exhibition as well as a book documenting the album-making process. I was honoured to work with the band, especially singer-songwriter-lyricist Petra Poutanen-Hurme, producing and mixing the album.
From my point of view, this was quite the journey to there and back again. The amount of work involved in this kind of project is beyond measure. As Petra and I, two perfectionists, put our heads together, it occasionally felt like a never-ending story. But our long hours of work paid off, as every detail of the album sounds exactly how we want it to sound.
It was great to discover how easily my approach and UTU’s sound ideals melded together. I was very pleased to work in my own area of expertise, doing what I do best, all the while giving the band the sauce for their beef, as it were, according to their specifications.
UTU has been considered the “best-kept secret of Tampere.” After yesterday’s spectacle, they shouldn’t be. As Helsingin Sanomat stated, the project was probably one of the biggest cultural ventures produced outside an established institution. If Petra and UTU keep going, only the sky is the limit!
Aave Sound | Joonas Outakoski 