A double-length set of live recordings done by the legendary Finnish prog band Tasavallan Presidentti in Sweden – material from a few different performances that were all captured live for Swedish radio, all with really great sound! The material appears here for the first time ever, and the length of the tracks is a stunning demonstration of the impeccable musicianship of the group – lots of searing guitar solos from Jukka Tolonen, and a range of saxes, flute, and electric piano lines from Pekka Poyry – an artist you might know from his fusion work too! Pekka delivers a bit of vocalese, but the main vocals are handled by Eero Raittenen – and the rest of the quintet features Heikki Virtanen on bass and Vesa Aaltonen on drums. Titles include a 19 minute take on "Ramblin", a 21 minute version of "Dance", and the 14 minute "Celebration Of The Saved Nine/Bargain" – plus the cuts "Milky Way Moses", "Lounge", and "Lambertland". LP, Vinyl record album

A tribute to Marilyn Monroe, but one that's way different than you might expect – as the music here is highly electronic, and often quite dark – served up in a mix of experimental and jazz-based modes by a very unusual Finnish group from the early 70s! The quintet features drummer Edward Vesala on percussion – with Antero Honkanen on electronics and more percussion, Teppo Hauta-aho on bass, Mikael Helasvuo on flute, and Jarmo Sermila on trumpet and organ – all instruments used in very unconventional ways, on songs that might well have sent the original Marilyn screaming from the room! Things are outside, but also quite thoughtful too – a nice mix of electric and acoustic elements used to evoke very moody, modern moments – on titles that include "Painajaisia/Nightmares", "Nuku Itku/A Doll's Cry", "Heraaminen/Awakening", "Lohdutus/Consolation", "Keskiyo/Midnight", and "Myytti Itkee Jalleen/The Myth Is Weeping Again". CD

A sweet little collection that goes way past the disco in the title – but maybe that's what you'd expect, give that most of the music is from the post-disco generation of the 80s! There's still plenty of clubby elements in the music, but the artists here have really taken off from late 70s American and Euro modes – adding in some bits of electro pop, or using some of the new technologies to create more programmed rhythms that point the way towards future dance styles to come. In a way, the special shift of the scene is similar to what happened with Italo Disco of the 80s – although with a different sound overall – and as with other compilations of this nature on Svart, the whole thing's a great look at a far off scene we never would have heard otherwise. Some cuts are so rare, they don't even have titles – and tunes include "In An Other Time" by Free Feeling Band, "Black Hole" by Syntax, "Mabellene" by Groove Night, "Israel Is Real" by We, "Guilty Of The Crime" by Pixies, "SMO" by Kim Kuusi, "Tunnen" by Jarkko Valja, and "Fantasia" by Anssi Timo. LP, Vinyl record album

A collection of cuts that's way hipper than you might expect – partly the hard rock promised in the title, but also served up in all these really weird and wild ways that more than live up to the unusual spirit of the Finnish scene of the 70s! At the time, Finland was a surprising hotbed of creative recording activity – farther reaches in jazz, inside grooves in fusion, and a strong legacy of rock groups who were really picking up the fuzz and power that UK groups had unleashed at the end of the 60s! There's plenty here that would stand perfectly right next to the headiest guitar hero groups of that generation – but there's also differences at times, too – like a cool, compressed production style that often makes for some really great sonic play overall – and heavy drums that almost get into some funky passages at points. And of course, the lyrics are all in Finnish, which makes these tracks sound even cooler than they might in English – served up on a well-chosen set list that includes "Superkingi" by Jigsaw, "Palaa" by Yellow, "Rokkilauaja Vain" by Danny, "Uskontunnustus" by Woodoo, "Pikku Nainen" by Hard Rock Sallinen, "Plastic Maailma" by Paroni Paakkunaien, "Kivistdan" by Sulo's Rock Band, "Vieras Sateesta" by Apostolit, "American Look" by Haikara, and "Hideko Tojo" by Apollo. LP, Vinyl record album

A pair of rare albums – plus lots of bonus titles too – all packaged together in one mighty 3CD set! First up is the album Picture In Three Colors – a really great moment in the career of the Finnish saxophonist Eero Koivistoinen – a player who'd been making huge waves on his local scene in the 70s, and finally got the chance to record this date in New York during the following decade! Eero is wonderful throughout – a masterful leader who really brings out a special spirit in the group – a stellar lineup of all-star American players, with Tom Harrell on trumpet, John Scofield on guitar, Jim McNeely on piano, Ron McClure on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums! Even if you know work from these other players, the sound here is quite different – much more the boldness that we know from Koivistoinen's 70s material, given new expression by these musicians. All tunes are originals by Eero – and titles include "Second Thought", "Kindergarten", "Patana", and "Linewriting". Next up is the record Altered Things – a really great meeting of minds – as legendary Finnish saxophonist Eero Koivistoinen records here with a host of American players – all with a sound that's far more bold and timeless than you'd guess from the dated look of the original cover! The lineup here includes a few musicians that Eero worked with on a previous New York date – Ron McClure on bass, Jack De Johnette on drums, and John Scofield on guitar – alongside fresh partners Conrad Herwig on trombone, Dave Kikoski on piano, and Randy Brecker on trumpet – all musicians who really follow the lead of Koivistoinen, as he serves up some really beautiful original compositions for the set. A young Bugge Wesseltoft also adds in a bit of electronics on a few cuts – and titles include "Kabuki", "Altered Things", "Everblue", "Film Noir", "Clear Dream", "Maghreb", and "BLT". CD3 features 8 more bonus tracks from the sessions for both albums – titles that include "Sunburst", "Arctic Blues", "Algo Fresco", "Never Again", and "Facts". CD

An incredible collection of modern jazz from Finland – a set that brings together four different releases, all originally issued only as on vinyl as 7" single EPs! First up is an early set from saxophonist Eero Koivistoinen – very freewheeling material that's in a 60s modern legacy that might include Sonny Rollins and Ornette Coleman, but which has a very different spirit – thanks to the sharp tone that Eero gets on alto sax, and the use of cellos on one cut, and congas on another! The core trio features Pekka Sarmanto on bass and Edward Vesala on drums – and titles include "Jappa", "OK Song", and "Spanish Lady & Lovable Miss P". Next is material from a larger group, led by pianist Pentti Hietanen, who also plays a bit of pocket trumpet – in a lineup that includes Stanley Lindroos on tenor, Ilkaa Karumo on alto, Kaj Backlund on trumpet, Teppo Hauto Aho on bass, and Esko Rosnell on drums. The piano-less group has some great horn interplay – on two long titles, "XYX" and "Irwin". The next release features work from both Eero Koivistoinen and Pekka Poyry on alto saxes – each on one track with their own groups, then coming together on a long track at the end! Other musicians include Eero Ojanen on piano, Pekka Sarmanto on bass, and Reino Laine on drums – on the titles "Scamp", "Interruptus", and "Lorna". The last release is probably the most unusual – titled Posotusta Pimputusta Pompotusta – as it features a number of recitations from Tommi Parko, who also sings, and plays guitar and pian – sometimes with sound effects – before later opening the door for contributions from other artists, including Mike Koskinen on trumpet, Philip Donner on piano and recorder, Kalle Lae on guitar, and Pekka Tanskanen on percussion. The tracks are short on this last fourth of the collection – a mixture of jazz and other experimental modes. LP, Vinyl record album

A hell of a second set from Tasavallan Presidentti – one of the coolest groups in Finland at the start of the 70s, and a combo that shows just how closely that scene's prog and jazz worlds were tied together at the time! The music is equal parts rock and jazz, but with a freewheeling vibe that maybe even beats some of the bigger, better-known jazz rock acts of the UK – as Tasavallan Presidentti really knock it out of the park with work on guitar from the mighty Jukka Tolonen, and searing alto, soprano, and tenor solos from Pekka Poyry – both artists you'll know from other jazz recordings too. The rhythms are tremendous – Mans Groundstroem on bass and Vesa Aaltonen on drums – and Frank Robson handles vocals with a nice raspy touch, always in English. Titles include "Tell Me More", "Deep Thinker", "Introduction", "Struggling For Freedom", "Weather Brightly", and "Sinking". CD

Finland's been giving us some great funk and soul sounds in recent years, but that legacy stretches back much longer than we might have guessed – to a point that includes all these groovy disco and electronic dance tracks from the 80s! The set's a follow-up to the Satan In Love compilation, which charted similar territory – but this one moves more into a world that's influenced by some of the electro pop modes that were coming out of the UK in the early 80s, with maybe a touch of the European disco of the decade before – especially in the style of some of the female singers here, who could just as easily have been working with Munich Machine, or some of the other German and Italian groups. Lyrics are mostly in Finnish, but the keyboards, drum machines, and basslines are universal – on titles that include "Jossakin Jos Halaut" by Eini, "Jupiter" by Jori Sivonen, "Big & Beautiful" by Visual, "Night Is Like Magic" by Biba, "Hi Jacker" by Buffalo Soldier, "Sormus" by Clifters, "Grandmaster Klaus" by Mad Lindell, "Nuori Inka" by Jarmo Juhani, "Robotin USA" by Vaarallinen Mutanti, "Cold War On The Rocks" by Step On The Other Side, and "Tahdenlento" by Mika Sundqvist. CD

The title's a bit misleading, as Giorgio Moroder didn't actually spend time on the Finnish scene – but the German superproducer had a huge influence on that nation's grooves during the 70s and early 80s – as you'll hear on this wonderfully weird and well-collected set! These are all cuts we never would have discovered otherwise, and they come together beautifully – starting out with a mix of compressed mid 70s pop with lots of sweet electric touches – then moving into some clubbier material that shows just how strong the Moroder influence was on the dancefloor scene! Given the change of language, and the catchiness of the tunes, there's also maybe a bit of an Abba vibe going on at points – and we mean that only in the best, most complimentary way possible. Most numbers are remakes of Moroder penned or produced hits, with vocals in Finnish – and titles include "Mika Fillis" by Mona Carita, "Lady Lady Lady" by Markku Aro, "Pista Valot Pois" by Eini, "Muuttukoon Maailma Taa" by Danny, "On Siita Aikaa" by Koivistolaiset, "Ohari" by Virve Rosti", "Luotan Rakkauteen" by Seija Simola, "Kay Mun Vierellain" by Tauski Peltonen & Meiju Suvas, and "Soita Mulle" by Mona Carita. LP, Vinyl record album