Ennusmerkit by Taui
Helsinki-based pop experimentalist Taui returns with his second album 'Ennusmerkit', where Finnish folk music collides with experimental club electronics. Taui made a name for himself with his debut album 'Sikin Sokin' (2019) and the post-trance EP 'Höpinää' (2020). Since then he's been active with live gigs, DJ sets, and occasional single releases. Alongside these, Taui has been paving the way for the folk explorations of 'Ennusmerkit'. Recently, he won the Finnish "Folk Song 2050" competition with the song 'Härnähenkien polska', and created a trance-infused remix for the folk band Lapua-Uusi-Guinea.
'Ennusmerkit' taps into the well of Finnish folk music, injecting it with a generous dose of noise, pop, and anxiety. Nordic folk dance rhythms are broken and reconstructed, becoming body horror amalgamations of long-standing traditions. 'Vaan aave' is a self-affirming triplet polska for corpse paint aficionados. The schottis of 'Näivä' reflects on insecurity through tectonic bass and rhythmic hijinks. 'Ruho' delivers a polska of distressed body positivity. At times, the connections to folk lean abstract, as in the ghastly séance of 'Soihdut' or the hypnotic 'Huone jonka loit'.
The bleakness of the album is never left unchecked. The shimmering trance saws at the end of 'Vaan aave', the hopeful emotional rawness of 'Ristisi', the mischievous flutes in 'Ruho' – a light always flickers somewhere. 'Ennusmerkit' also marks the first time a Taui release has featured vocalists. On 'Puitteet', Nina (of the dark synth band HÄMÄRÄ) explores emotional façades, shifting fluidly between enigmatic and ethereal. On 'Sikiö', post witch house extraordinaire Laua Rip delivers existential anguish second to none.
Throughout the album, 'Ennusmerkit' stays tethered to its sprawling roots. It's folk for soundsystems, club music wrapped in traditional garments, pop shrouded in mystery. Taui's boldest release yet, it's an uncompromising take on what Finnish folk music can be.
Tracklist
| 1. | Näivä | 5:32 |
| 2. | Huone jonka loit | 6:02 |
| 3. | Sikiö (ft. Laua Rip) | 4:26 |
| 4. | Ruho | 6:00 |
| 5. | Puitteet (ft. Nina Alvarez) | 4:23 |
| 6. | Soihdut | 2:42 |
| 7. | Kuilun yllä | 3:55 |
| 8. | Vaan aave | 4:19 |
| 9. | Ristisi | 4:35 |
Credits
PRODUCTION AND SONGWRITING
producing, lyrics, vocals, instrumentation, mixing: Taui
track 3, vocals and lyrics: Laua Rip
track 5, vocals and lyrics: Nina Niskala
MASTERING
mastering: Angel Marcloid at Angel Hair Audio (angelhairaudio.com)
ALBUM COVER
photography: Samuli Kuittinen
stylist, MUAH: Aino Laasonen
knitwear: Juha Vehmaanperä
post-processing: Otso Reitala
shoot assistants: Onerva Hannula, Otso Reitala
License
All rights reserved.Tags
~ noise folk for biblically accurate angels ~
Taui (Aleksi Taipale) mutates pop and Finnish folk through club aesthetics. It makes for a sound of counterbalances–shimmering choruses, nervous distortion, deep vulnerability.
Active in Helsinki's experimental scene, he's released on labels like Post Human Dance, been remixed by e.g. Desto and APEAK, and performs gigs, DJ sets, and installations.