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Ante Lucem, a four-piece suite for jazz quintet and symphony orchestra, is not only one of Iro Haarla’s brightest artistic statements so far, but also a waypost in Finnish jazz.

"With Turmio Okra Playground have swept on to Finland’s folk music scene with a distinctive celebration of Finnish traditions and stories driven by captivating energy and passion and an obvious historical perspective."

Cooperation between contemporary music operators in Finland and Russia depends on networks of personal connections built up over a long time. Although there are surprisingly few joint projects, existing relationships continually foster new interaction between the two neighbouring countries, which in turn makes it easier for other contemporary musicians to cross the border.

Interesting things happen in the borderlands between music and sound art. Sub-genres of electronic music, field recordings, studies in improvisation and graphic notation and sound installations continue to open up new pathways for musicians in all genres.

Music student Perttu Pölönen had an idea. There are 12 notes in the classical Western scale -what would happen if you placed those notes on a clock face? With this in mind, Pölönen created the Musiclock, which was later reworked into an app. And there is still more to come.

"The music is colourful and captivates the listener, because every sound on the album works – from three fiddlers breathing in unison to the grunge of the rock trio to rich keyboard timbres to the sampled sounds of a jetty squeaking in the waves."

"Cultural exchange is a win-win proposition, and there are plenty of paths to explore for newcomers and old hands alike."

"The sound they achieve together on their third album is quite a blessing, and Timonen offers both jazzy atmosphere as well as some traditional playing."

"What’s a folk song? Freija’s answer is broad enough to include both songs in Kalevala metre and evergreens, and both fit the band very well."