Church Organ by Antti Tolvi

ANTTI TOLVI
CHURCH ORGAN
Double tape / Digital


Im from west coast of Finland. Grown up in a farm, around drony machines, forests and open fields. Very first interests were an old blanket and a calculator, which I carried everywhere I went. In early teens bands from near by town Pori, Deep Turtle and Circle started to sound very interesting. Seeing Circle at Karma Rock (1994?) is locked to my memory. Ages 16-22 music that I made was influenced pretty heavily from these bands (I made music mostly with my younger brother Jaakko Tolvi), and later on this period some more "basic" rock bands in Turku (town in southwest Finland). I remember during that period that I tried to find some good jazz/etno records, which was somehow really hard. Although I was 100% sure that those exist. Somehow I started to play didgeridoo and to have more interest to old cultures around world. Though didgeridoo drones started to happen. Meeting Tero Kemppainen opened good jazz records for me. Tero introduced names like Ornette Coleman, Alice & John Coltrane, Albert Ayler, Don Cherry and so on. Soon we started to do music together. Then we met Tapio Olenius who had many instruments from India. We started to visit Tapio and talked / played with his instruments. Very soon after this I made my first trip to India and Nepal to get these instruments and learn more about this type of classical music. I didn't find so good teacher for me over there, but heard a few good concerts and went to Himalayas. Right after I came back from India we started free jazz band Rauhan Orkesteri (peace orchestra) with Jaakko (drums) and Tero (bass). I played reeds. Right after our first show, Ville Jolanki (reeds) joined the band. Here we were two guys from south, two from north of Finland playing free music together. Some shows around Europe, mostly in Finland. Tero started a cafe in Turku, and one guy came and wanted start to book shows over there. He was Niko-Matti Ahti. Of course we become good friends immediately. Niko-Matti had a friend who was really much to outsider music too. I was so excited that there were girls who liked Albert Ayler, Kemialliset Ystävät and stuff like that. This maybe tells us how male majority this scene was (still is?). This girl was Laura Naukkarinen (Lau Nau). Of course I started to hit her immediately (although first I thought she was dating with Arttu Partinen, but luckily she wasn't..). For my luck it didn't took a long time, and we moved together to small house in Turku. Though Laura and Niko-Matti I started to know more underground music makers in Finland. This group of friends got genre name Forest Folk. Music styles were different from each others. But there was a strong friendship and DIY attitude among people. We made our first tour to USA 2005 (one month) with Lau Nau, Kuupuu (Jonna Karanka), Islaja (Merja Kokkonen), Tomutonttu (Jan Anderzen), Pekko Käppi, Jukka Räisänen and me. Just before heading to USA, we had moved to Kemiö island with Laura, and we were waiting our first son to born.
-story continues on tape 2

Somehow moving to countryside made me fade from doing free jazz for years. Focusing more to taiji qigong / zen meditation, more to solo music which had become more peacefully and harmonic. Right after we have moved to Kemiö, some sound nerds from USA (Michael Northam, John Grzinich, Hitoshi Kojo (from Japan actually) and Patrick McGinley) started to wander around our hoods. I got so much inspiration from their work. These guys were totally into drone and sound. Lots of field recording, playing in the nature and stuff like that. All this came in perfect moment as moving towards to something new. All started melting together. We moved to new spot in island and got Laura's grandmothers old piano. Tuning was fantastic. Naturally slided during decades to this own world of soft clouds. Then I made some recordings, made them more, and more. Finally Sami Sänpäkkilä from Fonal records heard them and made double LP Pianoketo out of those. That record opened many doors for me. After years of working with pianos of course led me to organs, and finally to church organs. This record is about finding the joy of the sound. Just the sound. It doesn't need to have any melody or rhythm. Just sound. About how to find peace inside the music. Letting music to fill you. Feeling it in every cell. And it's not all about the sound. You can feel the warm wind in your whole body. Bird song. Scent of flower. Colors of the sky. Nature. Universe. Taste of strawberry. Its all the same. Just perfect. Let it flow through you. Let the flow take you. Be the flow. Just let go. Accept. After all this, I can easily start playing didgeridoo again. Listen same schlagers what we used to listen with my parents when I was young. It's all good. And has always been.

I am blessed with many many good friends. There's not enough space to mention you all, but I'm sure you know you are all here. You are part of the the reason why this all exist. Thank you!


This record is recorded 23.9.2015 with one take. No overdubs is added. Recorded in old church of Kemiö (build in 1500 century).

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