Description
Ektro Records is proud to present Kehro’s debut album Urdiala, a melting pot of acoustic lounge psychedelia, Latin and Afro grooves packed in the form of highly original musical adventure.
It’s not easy to categorise Kehro’s sound, yet it’s a true treasure for fans of eclectic, sunny and relaxing groove. Reference points include the cornucopia of Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Markku Peltola, Bill Frisell and the Hits with Strings and Things Music era.
Employing more or less hidden ethno melodies and acoustic downtempo sounds, the album’s soft dreamscape exhibits a thorough understanding of various sub-genres such as avant-folk, melodic space age pop, exotic coffeehouse jazz and chillout easy listening.
Kehro’s soudscape is based on experiences garnered from gigs at garden parties, dinner parties, cocktail parties and family celebrations, where it’s best to build ambiance for the imagination – and the listener will take care of the rest if necessary.
The music of Kehro is as eclectic and broad-minded as the ensemble itself.
Vesa Kaartinen started his musical career in the obscure agricultural psychedelic group Mummi Kutoo. Markku Kyyhkynen played in the band Sata Lasta, winning the Finnish Championship in Rock Music – as well as in the weird alternative pop group Inkvisitio. Ville Toikka has several local rock groups under his belt. Kalle Outila is a young musical multi-tasker playing swing as well as slide, etc.
Marko Timonen is one of the most employed jazz/folk/rock percussionist in Finland, as is Tero Hyväluoma in the humble field of fiddling. Kimmo Pohjonen is often referred to as the Jimi Hendrix of accordion.
Samuli Laiho was recently selected as a nominee for the Folk Music Creator of the Year Award for producing the latest album for the group Solju. He’s been playing in the rock groups Hearthill, Soul Tattoo and Ismo Alanko Säätiö, etc. He has also written Number 1 hits for several pop stars and written music for theatres. Janne Oinas is the man behind the sound and atmosphere in hundreds of pop hits.
Kehro also is a tiny, remote village in Urjala Municipality, 170 kilometers northwest of Helsinki, Finland. The village got its name from a hunter, who settled down there for more than 500 years ago. Today there are less than 100 inhabitants left in Kehro. The names of the tracks come from the village history. Urdiala is the former, Swedish-based name of Urjala.
Further, “Kehro (haal aahei)” is “Hello” in the Sindi language, spoken in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
