Heikki Ruokangas - Äänisauna (2021)

Based in Oulu, Finland, Heikki Ruokangas is an innovative guitarist, composer and improviser. By combining melody and noise, his music ranges from delicate and melodic atmospheres to avant-garde cacophony. At the age of 34, he’s released nearly 20 solo and collaborative recordings.

Anne-Mari Kanniainen is an award-winning accordionist and composer whose credits include various ensembles, solo performances, theater and a traveling circus. Both Heikki and Anne-Mari have performed throughout Europe.

As a duo Heikki and Anne-Mari manage to blend a love for Finnish culture and folk music with free jazz improvisation. Think about that! It’s a combination that’s as unlikely as it is clear when you hear it. Their goal is to create musical feelings and landscapes on the spot, using traditional themes to frame freeform exploration. In 2019 and early 2020 they performed together in various festivals, including Elojazz Oulu, Kaustinen Folk Music Festival, Etno Espa and Folklandia, among others. Their debut album, Sarja Kuvia, was self-released in 2020. They contributed a track to the 2021 Right Brain Records compilation Guitar Improv Summit Vol. 2. Since then, they’ve continued to deepen their remarkable musical chemistry.

Heikki and Anne-Mari joined Right Brain Records in 2021 with their second album, Äänisauna. Its nine pieces are spontaneous interpretations of various mental images, like riding the rails or making coffee, that build an arsenal of new textures for their familiar instruments. This album serves a bridge between centuries, though we can’t be exactly sure which ones.