The collaboration of
Finnish musicians "
Kroko-Roc" (aka.
Mikko Viljakainen or
Vilunki 3000) and the mysterious
DJ Street Kobra resulted in a group called Uusi Fantasia, "
New Fantasy" if translated to English. Although DJ Street Kobra prefers to remain anonymous, Mikko Viljakainen is a well-known figure in the Finnish alternative music scene, his former and other projects ranging from
And The Left Handed to
Op:l Bastards and more.
Their debut album Top Ten released in 2004 is the fruit of four years of production and 27 visiting artists. Although the main mood of the album is relaxed electro, the score of visiting guest stars has made the album a very diverse piece of art. Its hard to list all the possible elements found in the songs, the scale extending from free jazz to world music. Regardless of their infinite attention to detail, the duo has an apparent and very twisted sense of humour, evident from the outrageous cover-art to the ecclectic bonus material on the Suomalaiset People Erikoispainos! special edition of Top Ten.
The group is often linked with Norwegian act Röyksopp due to similarities in their music, the Tellé record label and the joint tours. The comparison is not entirely unfair, but applies more to the mood than the styles of music.
A list of releases by Uusi Fantasia at time of writing follows:
- Takaisin 10" (10"), Tellé
- Top Ten (CD), Tellé
- Top Ten (2x12"), Tellé
- Top Ten (Suomalaiset People Erikoispainos!) (CD), Jupiter
In addition, their music has been featured on several compilations.
Its hard to guess whether we'll see another albun from Uusi Fantasia, as the group members are involved in countless side projects at any give time. I definitely hope so.