very nice historical record, sold out at the label
Anoema Recordings is proud to present a complete collection of sound works by the influential Finnish artist J.O.Mallander. More Time - Hits & Variations 1968-1970 collects two sought-after vinyl EP's Extended Play and Decompositions (the only Finnish entries in Broken Music catalog), and a previously unreleased piece. J.O.Mallander began his artistic activities in 1960's within the blooming Finnish Underground movement, taking part, amongst other things, in the notorious music-performance collective Sperm. He has since assumed a multitude of roles within the world of art, operating as an artist, critic, writer, gallerist, and curator. Through his international connections he became a singular node of the Fluxus network in Finland. Extended Play, released in 1968, was his debut as an artist. It is simultaneously an intriguing aural ready-made, a mantra-like tape piece, and a commentary echoing the Finnish cultural climate of the day. It displays in torturing detail the drama surrounding the presidential elections in 1962 and 1968. In these pieces the main protagonist is Urho Kaleva Kekkonen, the president of Finland for a quarter of century, and without question the most legendary politician in the history of independent Finland. A caring father of the nation to some, a democratically elected dictator to others, his career is not without parallelisms in modern times. These pieces have haunted the Finnish popular consciousness for decades, and probably caused more complex reactions than any other Finnish sound work. In 1968 Mallander opted for life in the more internationally inclined Stockholm. Among other activities he composed a mind-boggling plunderphonic collage In Reality at the prestigious premises of EMS for Text-Sound Festival held at Fylkingen. And two years after Extended Play, in 1970, it was time to confuse the Finnish audience again. Mallander issued his second (and so far the last) music release Decompositions on the legendary Love Records. Applying scratching, looping, and other manipulations on records he created a hilariously energizing work and pre-dated the methods and attitudes of contemporary popular musics. More Time - Hits & Variations 1968-1970 comes packed in the original cover designs and features extensive liner notes by Leif Elggren. The times they are not a-changin'. (anoema/finland)
