PUBLISHED Jan 11 '11

Expect the Unexpected: Heliosphere

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Turn up, Step in, Turn On

During February, winters icy grip is still firmly on the throat of Tallinn. The European City of Culture 2011 will host one it’s most original, daring and alternative events of the calendar. The Psychedelic and experimental musical festival – Heliosphere. The brainchild of Jarmo Nuutre, one half of the band - Talbot - Tallinn’s contenders, loud, internationally feted and unabashed musical twosome. As expected, the festival is a four day celebration of the weirder, darker and less charted edge of the music world. The line up wont scream at the un-initiated, it has been picked to represent the alternative wing of todays music. Soundtracks for a leap into the unknown. Already folks are excitedly making plans from all corners of the globe. Primed to travel to Estonia and participate in a unique event for this chilly Baltic country. Von Krahl is the refuse, all who enter can do so with great expectations that they will discover something which suits their ears, bodies and minds. Lupine souls have heard the howl from Finland, Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania and further afar and already have their tickets. A freakish tribe congretating to dance, absorb sound and feast on visuals, that bit extra from those who do that bit more, for those who want to go a bit further.

Words are from the festival creator Jarmo Nuutre on How, Who, Why and What.

For more information:
http://www.heliospherefestival.com

Jarmo Nuutre

Festival Genesis

I got the idea in June 2010, while I was working in one of the Australia’s pineapple farms. So, day-by-day I was picking and planting the pineapples and watermelons, a quiet and meditative activity I’d say. At one point I just had the idea, why not make a festival that has never taken place in Estonia before. So as I was pulling the pineapple plants I started thinking a lot about the name. I had a handful of versions but none felt quite right. But then, suddenly it came to me and it just felt like the “one”. Heliosphere. So, actually no big mystery behind it, just the feel was good. I started from scratch, thought about the main concept and a few artists who would suit as the headliners and then started writing mails to their agents. I took it step-by-step. I wanted to make it happen. I really want to see Ben Frost. I just discovered him two weeks before having the idea for this festival and I was totally blown away. His album By The Throat feels like the music I have always been dreaming about. Of course, I do want to see all of the artists, as this festival is covering at least some part of my taste.

“Simply awesome… Frost reminds us that minimalism was never just the polished sheen of Reich and Glass, but also the sweat and grime of Michael Gira’s Swans… A deeper, darker minimalism- menacing and claustrophobic… This is Arvo Pärt as arranged by Trent Reznor… Magnificent“ The Wire Magazine

Ben Frost

Roots & Influences

I’ve been listening and still am listening to a lot of different stuff. Techno, ambient, trip-hop, black metal, doom, pop and so on, just to name few. I think that all of this just led me to Talbot as well somehow, but I really can’t make any good detailed blueprint out of it. From the line-up I have personally seen the Nadja, Kuma and MoHa!, Five Seconds To Leave and Tesa before. Some of them are Talbot’s good friends. The main thing which unites the artists is that they all seem to fit somehow into the description of experimental and psychedelia. It may be a hardcore/sludge band like Amenra or ambient act Manifesto, it all goes together in my mind. And while Ben Frost is one of the obvious headliners, from my point of view in this event there are no headliners and no support acts. They all stand by themselves. Nadja, MoHa!, Tesa and Five Seconds To Leave have played in Tallinn before. Ben Frost, I believe, has played only in Tartu.

Circle (FIN)

Venue – Von Krahl

Von Krahl came to my mind as a first choice for the venue. Von Krahl will be set up for the whole 4 days like this: 24th is on the first floor, 25th and 26th on the first and second floors and 27th on the first again. There will be screens and VJs doing their thing all over. A lot of the festival’s artists have their own visuals supporting their shows. Visuals are quite important to all of this, there will also be a selection of the best Estonian VJs going mad with their stuff too. At the moment I can’t think of a better place for it. Maybe next year I will try somewhere different.

Dark Buddha Rising (FIN)

Risk & Reward

The first ticket was sold to Austria, and a lot of other tickets been sold to Finland, Russia, Latvia and Lithuania, so yeah, I think it’s quite an international event. The DIY element is that I really do it on my kitchen table, so to speak. So far I’ve been working on this alone, just thinking and trying to give it a proper go, with the plans and possibilities I have. As well as taking risks, but without some ridiculous risks this festival wouldn’t be happening now. I will jump head first in the deep and murky waters with some things like Talbot and this festival, but I don’t jump into the water from the bank of a river for example. I want to make something different to show people good music, that they maybe like, but don’t know about yet. I would like this to at least break even and to make it again next year. And of course, it’s all a hell-of-a-good practice for myself as well.

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