Biography
Amnesia Scanner formed as a Finnish duo based in Berlin, specializing in cryptic and deconstructed club sounds assembled from an array of sampled elements. Their rise came through online mixtapes, inventive web platforms, and layered multimedia shows that positioned them among the leading figures in the experimental club underground. The pair issued their debut album-length statement in 2018 with the "avant-EDM" full-length Another Life.
Originally recognized as Renaissance Man, Ville Haimala and Martti Kalliala first gained notice for their playful abstract techno output. They entered the scene with EPs on Institubes and Dubsided in 2009 before moving to Tiga’s Turbo imprint, which put out their 2011 album The Renaissance Man Project. In 2013 they established the Black Ocean label just as their material grew darker and more unsettling, and they aligned themselves with the Janus collective in Berlin, through which they issued recordings by M.E.S.H. (James Whipple). Around 2014, tracks credited to the enigmatic Amnesia Scanner surfaced online, characterized by discordant synth tones, fragmented voices, and the sound of shattering glass. The duo followed with the 23-minute mix AS Live [][][][][] and contributed a production to MC Mykki Blanco. In 2015 they unveiled Angels Rig Hook, a 14-minute radio-play-style mix that included spoken-word narration by Jaakko Pallasvuo, and they co-produced the track “An Exit” for Holly Herndon’s widely praised album Platform.
Early the next year a website introduced Lexachast, an audiovisual project created with Bill Kouligas, founder of the experimental label PAN. Their first physical release, the AS EP, appeared on Young Turks soon afterward. PAN issued the full-length Another Life in 2018, which included guest spots from labelmate Pan Daijing. The following year Lexachast, already adapted into a live performance staged at major avant-garde festivals, received a proper album release. Near the close of 2019 the single “AS Acá” arrived, featuring Peruvian singer Lalita. Amnesia Scanner’s second album, the cathartic and socially conscious Tearless, came out in 2020.
Originally recognized as Renaissance Man, Ville Haimala and Martti Kalliala first gained notice for their playful abstract techno output. They entered the scene with EPs on Institubes and Dubsided in 2009 before moving to Tiga’s Turbo imprint, which put out their 2011 album The Renaissance Man Project. In 2013 they established the Black Ocean label just as their material grew darker and more unsettling, and they aligned themselves with the Janus collective in Berlin, through which they issued recordings by M.E.S.H. (James Whipple). Around 2014, tracks credited to the enigmatic Amnesia Scanner surfaced online, characterized by discordant synth tones, fragmented voices, and the sound of shattering glass. The duo followed with the 23-minute mix AS Live [][][][][] and contributed a production to MC Mykki Blanco. In 2015 they unveiled Angels Rig Hook, a 14-minute radio-play-style mix that included spoken-word narration by Jaakko Pallasvuo, and they co-produced the track “An Exit” for Holly Herndon’s widely praised album Platform.
Early the next year a website introduced Lexachast, an audiovisual project created with Bill Kouligas, founder of the experimental label PAN. Their first physical release, the AS EP, appeared on Young Turks soon afterward. PAN issued the full-length Another Life in 2018, which included guest spots from labelmate Pan Daijing. The following year Lexachast, already adapted into a live performance staged at major avant-garde festivals, received a proper album release. Near the close of 2019 the single “AS Acá” arrived, featuring Peruvian singer Lalita. Amnesia Scanner’s second album, the cathartic and socially conscious Tearless, came out in 2020.
Albums
Singles
