Finnish producer Jori Hulkkonen is no stranger to the world of music production.
In the last ten years he has delivered five long players and a constant smattering of fairly high profile twelves. Given the extent of his previous dabblings, it's perhaps inevitable that the producer these days prefers to spread his wings and roam freely within the realm of dance music.
The framework that Hulkkonen works within still bears references to the house and techno he's championed for so many years, but to call this a house LP would be to miss it's finer points.
On 'Interstate Of Love', the producer delves into his bag of influences, coming up with a jacking old school house vibe, all baggy, chugging beats and hypnotic vocals but there's a scenic ambience to it which sets it apart from staid formula. Similarly 'The Moment' gets busy with a rhythmic frug with some vocals courtesy of Chris Udoh of Wamdue Kids fame but the futuristic Detroit influences and subtle layers keep things emotive.
There's plenty of innovation too: 'Flash Boy' lets loose a random selection of firework sounds over stealthy tech-work while the ghost of a disco track bumps along underneath. Then on 'Confusion', Jori puts his jazz hat on and makes use of syncopated percussion and light piano snatches, complete with Herbie Hancock style freeform moments.
Tracks like 'I Wanna Do You' show the producers commitment to the dancefloor perhaps most overtly, but there's no trying to squeeze his constructions into standard peak and trough fare; rather, Jori's tunes build slowly and pleasurably into layered, string-laden feasts, usually with sweet shards of vocals floating in and out of the mix.
One of the reasons that this LP shines so much is because of it's endless innovations. Detroit and Chicago are writ large all over it, but there's hardly a cliche in sight. 'We Are...' is essentially delightfully sophisticated club music for twenty-something groovers.
by Ben Osborne