Music Preview: Kemialliset Ystävät

By London_DaveK Last edited 199 months ago
Music Preview: Kemialliset Ystävät

With Notting Hill Carnival upon us in full effect the next day, you probably won't want to cane it too severely on Sunday night, but gently starting the party early never hurt anyone. Well, on second thought, it probably did at some point or other, but Upset The Rhythm should guarantee that at least you'll be entranced by interesting sounds if not completely kept out of harm's way. This Sunday sees these never dull promoters bring another quality line-up of experimental sounds to the capital as Kemialliset Ystävät, Tight Meat Duo and Nawadaha take over Buffalo Bar.

Since 1995, Tampere, Finland's Kemialliset Ystävät have been constructing psychedelic masterpieces of sound collision which draw equally on electronic music and noise as they do acoustic folk and improvisation. Although the roster of the band, whose name in English translates to "chemical friends", has constantly evolved over the years, Jan Anderzén remains at the centre of this sonic playground. Anderzén's friendly chemistry runs deep through the Finnish folk underground, with members of his collective having played with a host of other exciting projects including Avarus, Es and Islaja.

Whatever mysteries Kemialliset Ystävät are planning to reveal, they should prove to be a gentle comfort to help us recover from the uncompromising onslaught of support act Tight Meat Duo. Minimalist in members, the Glaswegian pair of David Keenan on saxophone and Alex Neilson on drums serve up maximum free-jazz volume in their frenzied performances.

The night's proceedings will begin with the eerie ambiance of the band formerly known as Red Kites, but now called Nawadaha. The quiet, subdued tones of this Cardigan, Wales duo create their own breezes to sway within, as Jasmin Janiurek's vocals cautiously float along Frank Janiurek's string strumming.

Featuring music that ranges from aggressive free-jazz to electronically-enhanced folk to delicate and dreamy melodies, Upset The Rhythm comes through for us again with an event that will no doubt provide you much to chat about whilst sampling the sound systems on Monday.

Upset The Rhythm presents Kemialliset Ystävät, Tight Meat Duo and Nawadaha at Buffalo Bar, 259 Upper Street N1 1RU (nearest tube: Highbury & Islington), on Sunday, August 26 2007 at 8 p.m., £6.

Music video by Jonna Karanka for Kemialliset Ystävät's song "Älyvaahtoa", which can be heard on their latest self-titled album on Fonal Records.

Last Updated 24 August 2007