Disco Ensemble

Formed in Ulvila, Finland, during 1996 by school friends Jussi Ylikoski on guitar and Mikko Hakila on drums, Disco Ensemble began as a garage band whose members taught themselves their instruments by studying Metallica and other rock titans before evolving into an emocore punk rock outfit shaped by Refused and Snapcase, eventually storming the Finnish charts. The group first performed under the name DisCo in 1997, yet soon adopted a new identity once another pop act claimed the identical moniker. In 2000 Disco Ensemble welcomed vocalist Miikka Koivisto and issued the EPs Memory Three Seconds that same year along with Ghosttown Effect in 2001. Genre promoter, agent, and label head Juha Kyyro noticed the band and promptly signed them to Fullsteam Records. Relocated to Helsinki, the lineup added bassist Lasse Lindfors before the quartet recorded its first full-length album. Released in 2003, Viper Ethics earned strong reviews and led to a European tour in support of the debut. The follow-up, First Aid Kit, arrived in 2005 and reached the Top Ten on the Finnish album charts. Extensive touring plus appearances at major festivals including Glastonbury, Roskilde, and Rock am Ring secured a distribution agreement with Vertigo, a Universal subsidiary, prompting an international reissue of First Aid Kit. In 2008 the band delivered Magic Recoveries, which climbed to number one on the Finnish album charts.