Ready to Rock Mad Finn Dj’s at Sirkus

Jimi Tenor is a musician from Finland and his first album came out in 1989. That’s about the only simple part of an extraordinary career spanning numerous musical genres and numerous cities all over the western world. He is playing at Sirkus on 8th December as part of the Pineapple Records Concert Nights – proudly supported by ReykjavíkMag and Reykjavik.com. First of all, the music: you have been making it for quite a long time now – how many albums is it now? It’s about 11 solo albums at the moment. It depends how you count. Some of them are with a band – especially the most recent ones. But I am still totally in charge and write almost everything, so I consider them solo. I want to do more improvised music in the future, partly because it’s easier to write, but also because I’m into the all-together-let’s-be-hippies vibe. Having said that, I still tend to write a lot: I write with a pencil, not a computer anymore that much. I used to rely on computers almost totally, but I have found it easier to travel with pencil rather than a laptop! In which direction do you feel your music is developing? I never know… sometimes I think I’m really tired of electronic music, but the idea of playing totally acoustic music doesn’t appeal to me either. Things come and go and every day is different. It’s not wise to promise too much about the future. As well as being a musician, you are quite versatile in your abilities – photographer, filmmaker and also clothes designer. Is Tenorwear brand doing well? I have actually stopped doing Tenorwear because I’m not a businessman and to run a clothes line as a regular thing is quite demanding. I always wanted it to be a fun thing where I could design a thing or two a year but the practical stuff would be someone else’s business. I never managed to find a person to run it, so I have stopped Tenorwear temporarily. I sell what’s left at my shows sometimes though. Do you ever wear any of your own creations? Oh, yeah, all the time. The idea with my pants design was that they can be modified when fashion changes. It has worked really well like that. They are made of very durable material, so they stay good through years. What sort of person is Tenorwear aimed at? It is street wear really. It doesn’t work at fashion shows, for example. Now, your name wasn’t originally Jimi Tenor – is it just a stage name? And is it so wrong of me to find your original name, Lassi Lehto really quite cool? Sure Lassi Lehto is cool! I’m just stuck with Jimi. I like both and find both names useful in different situations. I always liked the idea of artists’ names. I don’t care to know what Liberace’s real name was! Have you ever been to Iceland before? I have been twice… never in December though. But being from Finland the darkness is nothing new. How did you come to be booked to play at Sirkus on the 8th December? My friend Stephan has acted as my “agent” in Iceland. I know nothing about the details – but I am ready to rock! You moved back to Finland in 2004 – how is life there treating you? Are you happy and settled, or is it nearly time for another big move? I moved to Finland about two years ago and the winters are hard I have to say. Summers are so great, though. The culture in Finland is a bit strange and I feel a bit left out at times. I spend a lot of time touring so I get good breaks from the Finnish reality. I guess an artist is always on the move somehow – have to keep searching, whatever it is. The event starts at 21:00 at Sirkus on Friday the 8th. Jimi will be supported by President Bongo and Casanova. The chances are if you’re searching for whatever it is, you’ll find it there. - AE