V.C. interview

Stalwart of the skweee scene in Finland, V.C released his debut LP ‘Invisibility’ in December. We've finally managed to track him down to answer some questions!

Please introduce yourself....?

My name is Jukka Santanen. I compose and produce electronic music. I live in Helsinki Finland.

Your music has been associated with skweee, but how would you describe it?

I would describe it being moody mid-tempo music that relies heavily on rhythm and sound design. It's probably being associated with skweee because I have been very active in the scene since the early days.

Your new album ‘Invisibility’ is entirely self produced with no pre-recorded samples. Is this a new departure for you?

No, not at all. I have been working like this for a decade now. I find a lot of interest in creative control and I like the idea of working every single sound from scratch as it has a significant impact on the end result.

It sounds lush. What kit do you use?

Mainly, Ableton live and Maschine. I also use some outboard stuff like guitar pedals, couple of synths, compressors, reverbs, guitar amps. Try to use otb stuff as much as I can but not really fan of hogging/collecting gear. Takes some time to get proper stuff out of one piece, let alone 10 different ones. Same goes with software really.

You've released some tunes through Donky Pitch here in the UK, how did that come about?

They asked me for tunes ,which I provided. They liked those enough to release an ep. That was nice.

Have you played in the UK much?

Never, would like to tho.

What's the scene like in Finland?

A party here and there. Last year was nice having regular Harmönia nights in Helsinki. Now they slowed down but I think there's gonna be one or two nights being launched with skweee on the menu.

What's the craziest gig you've ever played?

I would say it has to be years ago at a festival in Norrköping, Sweden. We had a massive skweee lineup but before the festival even opened, Baba Stiltz's gear was stolen. Also during my set, the head of Flogsta Danshall threw a bottle at me. That surely was some exotic shit.

Where do you like to play the most?

Spain or Germany.

Where are you looking forward to playing next?

Canada

What first turned you onto this style of music? Any particular artists or tracks?

Dabrye - No child of god


Mesak - Popkumm

Who's inspiring you most at the moment?

Other than myself, I have to say my close friends, Yöt crew and Eero Johannes.. Done some sessions with him and I enjoy his way of thinking workflow and technical issues. It’s somewhat similar to mine, except he can actually execute stuff that requires coding.

 

Who are you looking out for in 2013?

In 2014, my fellow musicians Lavender Worm, and Dkstr

What's your next project in the pipeline?

I plan to get in to vocal music more. Producing etc. Also looking at my group Yöt and the possibilities for that during this year. I also have been looking in to fast tempos. Electro etc.

Tell us a random fact about yourself...

I dislike milk but enjoy sourmilk.