Biography
The loose collective known as Nuspirit Helsinki unites musicians, DJs, and producers in a wide-ranging electronic jazz approach that moves beyond conventional genre lines. Tuomas Kallio and Hannu Nieminen, performing as DJ Ender, brought in keyboardist Kim Rantala under the alias Kasio, along with Toni Rantanen as DJ Lil Tony and Eppu Helle, to solidify the group’s core lineup during 1998. From that point forward the collective regularly called upon additional vocalists and instrumentalists, above all percussionist Abdissa “Mamba” Assefa and vocalist Ona Kamu, for its sessions issued on leading electronic jazz imprints including Jazzanova-Compost and Guidance. The resulting sound balances jazz and dance elements, relying chiefly on live instrumentation while drawing strong influence from contemporary production methods, a reflection of the fact that each of the five original members—Kallio, Nieminen, Rantala, Rantanen, and Helle—works as a producer. After issuing several 12-inch singles on Jazzanova-Compost and Guidance plus the track “Diana Park Nights” on Ubiquity’s New Latinaires, Vol. 2 compilation, Nuspirit Helsinki delivered its self-titled debut album on Guidance in 2002, exposing the Finnish supergroup to American audiences previously unacquainted with its work. In 2008 the collective curated Our Favorite Things, an eclectic mix disc spotlighting current Scandinavian and northern European acts that contained none of Nuspirit Helsinki’s own material.
Singles
