Name: Jaako Eino Kalevi
Nationality: Finnish
Occupation: musician
Current release: Chaos Magic on Weird World
Recommendations: The Moomin Japanese anime production based on the stories by a Finnish author Tove Jansson / Estudando O Samba by Tom Zé.

If you enjoyed this interview with Jaako Eino Kalevi you can keep up to date with his releases and shows on his website jaakkoeinokalevi.com

When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you're listening? Do you listen with your eyes open or closed?



I listen to music eyes open and closed. I don’t usually see anything special. Music mostly affects my moods. It might be relaxing or upsetting or something unexplainable.

What were your very first steps in music like - and how do you rate gains made through experience versus the naiveté of those first steps?



My first step was that we wanted to start a rock band with my friend and play guitars. This was decided swinging at the playground after listening to Aerosmith and Guns ‘N’ Roses. We were 11 years old. Then I got an acoustic guitar for my birthday and the first thing I learned was the riff from “Smoke on the Water”.

According to scientific studies, we make our deepest and most incisive musical experiences between the ages of 13-16. What did music meant to you at that age and what’s changed since then?



It was an intense time of learning to play instruments and exploring the world of music. When I was 13, I was a big fan of the prog metal band Dream Theater and when I was 16 I played in a reggae band and made hip-hop beats. Many things have changed since then but the same curious approach has stayed.

Over the course of your development, what have been your most important instruments and tools and how have they shaped your perspective on music?



I started with guitar but I don’t play it so much anymore. I still think I’m more of a guitar player than a keyboardist. Also, drums are very important for me. I would say I care the most about drums. I usually start my songwriting from drums. I usually make music by myself, so the computer plays a big role in that process.

What, would you say, are the key ideas behind your approach to music and what motivates you to create? 

 

I would say I’m quite beat-orientated. I almost always start with a beat. It doesn’t have to be anything complex but it defines a lot. Instruments inspire me a lot. It´s nice to touch the machines, and different interfaces and sounds make you do different things.

Paul Simon said “the way that I listen to my own records is not for the chords or the lyrics - my first impression is of the overall sound.” What's your own take on that and how would you define your personal sound?



I definitely agree with Paul Simon. There is a reason why it’s music and not only text. It was very spot on when Bob Dylan got the Nobel Prize for literature. I feel like his music is only about the text. It´s nice to play with words in music. The text doesn’t even have to work outside of the song. My sound comes from my taste and limitations. 

Sound, song, and rhythm are all around us, from animal noises to the waves of the ocean. What, if any, are some of the most moving experiences you've had with these non-human-made sounds?

In how far would you describe them as “musical”?

I love the sound of the waves. It´s so calming. I don´t remember any such strong experience with “natural” sounds though. Sometimes in the city you hear nice rhythms when the city sounds are in sync. Also, I´ve heard this one bird here in Greece that makes this “blib” sound to call other birds. It´s funny when there is more of those birds and it becomes polyrhythmic.

From very deep/high/loud/quiet sounds to very long/short/simple/complex compositions - are there extremes in music you feel drawn to and what response do they elicit?



In a way, yes. It might be inspiring to try to do something maximum complex or loud but I feel that there is always someone who went more extreme. It doesn´t matter though. Extremes can be boring.

From symphonies and traditional verse/chorus-songs to linear techno tracks and free jazz, there are myriads ways to structure a piece of music. Which approaches work best for you – and why? 



In my pop music, I use the simple verse/chorus formula a lot. It makes sense and it is the pop expression. There are some exceptions, of course. I fulfil my needs for other structures in my free time.

Could you describe your creative process on the basis of one of your pieces, live performances or albums that's particularly dear to you, please?



I can tell about the song “China Eddie”. In my first visit to Athens I could not find my way back to my flat in the middle of the night. I didn’t have a smartphone but only a map that I could not read for some reason. Then I met a Chinese man who introduced himself as “Eddie”. We walked the streets together and eventually he helped me to find my home. Since then I had this melody line playing in my head and the song is built around that. It is one example when I didn´t start the songwriting from the drums.

Sometimes, science and art converge in unexpected ways. Do you conduct “experiments” or make use of scientific insights when you're making music?



Not really. I think I will though because lately I have been reading about different theories in that field and I’m thinking of trying them out.

How does the way you make music reflect the way you live your life? Can we learn lessons about life by understanding music on a deeper level?



I think music can definitely give you realisations about life, but there are so many different kinds of music so the effect is always different. I would say you get a different lesson in life by listening to Korn than listening to John Coltrane, for example.

Do you feel as though writing or performing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?



The nature of different actions are different. Often, I don´t really want to consciously express anything specific in my music. It’s sometimes a surprise for myself too. I guess you could try to express the same thing with music or a cup of coffee, but come on, it’s not the same. The same motive doesn’t always bring the same message.

Every time I listen to "Albedo 0.39" by Vangelis, I choke up. But the lyrics are made up of nothing but numbers and values. Do you, too, have a song or piece of music that affects you in a way that you can't explain? 



Yeah. I hate two songs: “Lemon Tree” by Fools Garden and the theme song of the German TV show Marienhof. When I was a teen I watched everything on TV, including Marienhof, but when the theme song started I had to mute the TV or shut it off completely. It´s unexplainable. Same thing goes for “Lemon Tree”. I used to believe in my ex-girlfriend’s taste in everything but then I found out that she likes that song and it really made me think again.

If you could make a wish for the future – what are developments in music you would like to see and hear?



I prefer not to wish for anything. I wish to be surprised by something I could never even have thought of.