Name: Merja Kokkonen aka Islaja
Nationalities: Finnish
Occupations: Singer, songwriter, sound artist, composer
Current release: Islaja's Angel Tape is out via Other Power. The album features Midori Hirano, Eriikka Maalismaa, and Lily-Marlene Puusepp.

[Read our Midori Hirano interview]

If you enjoyed this Islaja interview and would like to find out more about her music, visit her official homepage. She is also on Instagram, Facebook, and twitter.



Can you talk a bit about your interest in or fascination for sound and what sparked it?

This I can trace back to my childhood experience of sailing. I recall vividly the feeling of lying on the deck of our boat, eyes closed, feeling the waves below and listening to the sound of water as the boat moved through it.

This sound of water together with the sound of sails billowing in the wind was so immersive and monotonous, yet it still varied enough to be interesting for long periods of time, a bit like good drone music.

Where in your body do you experience sound the most? Where do sounds seem to be coming from?

If I am the one creating the sound with my own voice I of course feel it physically, as I inhale air and let it out as song. This personal, individual singing voice, like every singer knows, grows and evolves with you, it reveals your emotions, and betrays you if you aren’t focused enough.

Your interpretative voice is based on your immediate emotional level, and how you respond to this. This is where improvisation skills come handy, there is no need to stick with the original mood of the song.

Are there places, spaces, or everyday devices which intrigue you by the way they sound? Which are these?

Acoustics of the city. I never listen to podcasts or music when I am out and about. I mainly walk or cycle. I want to pay attention to things around me, things that have nothing to do with me. Crossing a long bridge over water opens up headspace simultaneously as it actually untraps, frees the sound.

I would not like to live in a flat neighborhood with a strict grid plan, I need winding roads, uphills and downhills to feel normal.

What are among your favourite spaces to record and play your music?

One of my favourite recording session was recording “Peace Pilot” from my album Tarrantulla (2007). Performing this one with Tatu Rönkkö in Kaiku Studio Berlin is something I will always remember.



I was a very tired mother of a small baby, with almost no time for myself. This song has energy that I could not have created alone. One take, and that was it. Good energy captured forever. And I love how the clicks of my loop pedal are all there to hear!

Tedious lonely studio work offers different kinds of pleasures, but maybe because they are not shared, I tend to forget them.

Tell me about some of the records or artists that you love specifically for their sound, please. What makes their approach distinct and how have they influenced your perspective on and way of working with sound.

I have always been drawn to artists with a very distinctive sound and persona, multidisciplinary artists, like Meredith Monk. Maybe it’s not so much a “sound” when it comes to music production, it’s more about concepts, attitude, qualities of human voice, and of course compositions themselves: patterns and structures. It's inventive and touching.

Another composer-performer that has influenced me is Laurie Anderson. Her Mister Heartbreak LP was a real ear-opener. I realised that its possible to be crazy free form and structured at the same time.  



Among some other things that have influenced my perspective, is overall something you might call indigenous music. These recordings are often done in open air, or simply at performer’s home.

So the sound is totally anti-studio quality. But there is a warmth and uniqueness you could never capture in studio environment.

Over the course of your development, what have been your most important instruments and tools for achieving the sound you want?

This question really made me realise how radically my use of tools is divided in two; live usage and studio work.

When performing solo and live, I try to make it as live as possibly, no playback or anything. This is obviously a bit problematic because my albums are so layered. I could see it as a compromise, but I prefer to say it challenges me to make new versions of recorded material.

I have no fixed songs in my live repertoire, I tend to go with the current energy of the venue, audience, and myself of course.

Could you describe the process of creating this personal sound on the basis of one of your pieces, or live performances, please?

“Teresa’s Song” started out as something I performed live, and it kept changing over the years and now it is included in my new album Angel Tape. The song consists of only one single repetitive verse that begins in bare form and slowly enters new “scenes”. Yet it always keeps this calm mantra/prayer-like quality. My music tends to be quite dark, but I also wish it to be healing experience for the listener.



I’m really bad at memorizing lyrics; I think that is one reason why I love performing this song. The original poem is from late medieval times and written by a nun called Teresa of Avila. Typically, I spend a lot of time writing lyrics. Interestingly, the new album has no other lyrics than this! I should spend some time thinking why that is!

The sound production is very good on the new album, because I had more ears around to listen and share ideas than normally I would have. Do I dare to say thanks to covid?

In relation to sound, one often reads words like “material”, “sculpting”, and “design”. Do you feel these terms have a relationship to your own work of and approach towards sound? What are the “material” qualities of sound?

For me these words refer mostly to the process of creating and recording a piece. I have a tendency to pile up layers and layers of sounds, and then strip them down again. In this process the ear often finds something interesting, like two textures or frequencies interacting in a particular way.

For me those words also refer to analogue synthesis, working with Moog Voyager for example.

When working with sound, what guides your decisions?

It’s a gut feeling. Rhythm moves your body and sounds find their way into your mind - sound that is somehow mysterious, out of this world, sound that leaves you craving more.

Those special sounds have to be rationed for full impact, of course.

How important is sound for our overall well-being and in how far do you feel the "acoustic health" of a society or environment is reflective of its overall health?

My dream soundscape consists of sounds from nature, like those meditation apps but real life. Birds, trees, and water. No humans.

Specific sounds can be considered as pleasant or disagreeable. Do you have any experience with this and ideas on the relation between certain sounds and strong emotional responses?
 
A bit over a year ago I relocated from busy Berlin to a quiet area in Helsinki. So the lack of sirens is one thing. Ambulance sirens never let you forget that people around you are constantly at the edge of death, and so are you.

Now it's just birds chirping and I have started to think that life is pretty mellow.