London Again

Travel

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Another few days (and hours spend on airports....Hate them!) in London. We finished filming for Behind The Bass, I have to thank Jonas, Victoria, Kalvin and Max for all their work on it. It is shaping up to be a very good project. Beside attending the BT Digital Music Awards in Camden's Roundhouse, I was lucky to have a night out with all the good old colleaques. Callan was leaving MoS, and we had a blast in the pub.

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In Oslo for Basshunter Behind The Scenes

Travel

Came to Oslo for 5 days to shoot a little behind the scenes for Minisry of Sound. In true Ministry style its all about cars, girls and dance music. Its a good break from business development and I really like Oslo, so one could even say its a little holiday here. Have met up with some friends and some of the Norwegian film people such as Director Alex Herron and Actor Lucas Thorheim. Only downside is the fact that Oslo is fucking expensive place. For example: coffee, tea and omelette 28euros. Crazy!

Below is a little video from the shoot.

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London Retrospect

London

Two weeks relaxing here at my family's estate have brought back some of the perspective between hectic city life and small town chill close to the nature. Although I could not settle down in a small town, I think one definitely needs the place to retreat and recharge your batteries. Beside, I think I've never been so productive as during my time here.

Most importantly I've been thinking of London, Jade, LSBU, MoS and all those times the 5 years gave. I try to summarize the time a bit.

First of all, London changed me totally. No surprise there. I don't want to analyse London life too much, but rather concentrate on giving glimpse of the memorable moments that I cherish. My time with London was like sex: There were good times that turned bad, and after a moments of struggle reaching a climax that was short but extremely explosive. hmmm.....and finally after the high, one has to come down...

BA Arts Management degree. I moved to London for this. Right from the beginning I was hooked especially on the british way of learning. You listen to the lecturer for couple of hours and the you gather together on seminars to talk about the day's subject matter. This exchange of opinions is extremely valuable. In addition, the degree gave good friends and gave me skills to get on understanding the relationships of music and picture. Thanks to Suzy Kerr-Pertic for mentoring.

Camberwell ghetto. Because of my personal experiences with the district, although there is a great arts college and beautiful locations nearby on Forest Hill. Beautiful mornings coming home, fucked up nights with Shara and mostly the 'summer of death'. Starting with mugging after a night out, followed by cold ex-con's execution right in front of my eyes and finished up with a fistfight with my landlord over painted walls. Still Camberwell had character and holds a dear place in my heart. Mainly by taking away much of my innocence.

Crossover of Senses. My greatest project to date, and is still going strong. After studying merging of music and video on academic level, I decided to go out and use much of my spare time understanding the marketplace, artists and audience preferences. I believe this enabled me to find a good niche in artistic works and which is a cutting edge movement in city cultures.

MoSTV. The team that kept me sane, and believed in me. I am so greatfull for all the opportunities and support received. Pedro, Victoria, Assia, James, Josh and Stephanie. I'm always there for you guys. Most of all, the week in Miami really burned bright and we did something extraordinary, and we all should keep that flame alive in the future.

Jade, the burning flame I could not handle.

Holla Up North!

Travel

God Damn it feels good to sit down by the pier, swim in a crystal clear lake, walk in the forest, talk about politics with my dad, eat the homemade food of my mom and generally relax here where my roots are from.

It doesn't feel like home but it is good to spend some time here after the hectic travels around Southern Europe. Like someone said, "All travels are not worth it without a place to return to". Still working hard for the TV project which is progressing ok, with the usual shenanigans.

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European Tour

Travel

Last couple of weeks been hectic. I have logged 12 flights, only 2 nights in London, airport lounges, countless parties, random people and lots of sunshine. All started with a Helsinki trip to plant the seeds of my net project on documenting urban lifestyles. Followed by Costa del Sol trip for a music video shoot in Malaga for Basshunter. The shoot had amazing catering and most importantly models in bikinis! HA!

Back to London to beautiful Ibiza shoot for Pioneer and after the sunny week of sunsets, to Gategrasher Summer Sound System festival for an all time favorite of mine, The Prodigy! They did let me down with a lame set and was dampened even more with rainy and windy weather. It was like Siberia after Spain. Overall I must admit it feels good to be able to sit down and breath for moment in London, before the road calls again. Let the photos talk more.

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Miami Retrospect

Travel

Now finally, after starting to recover from the crash that followed, I'm able to sit down and look back to the heavy time in Miami and the crash that followed. I think Miami is amazing place with the sun, shades, girls and water around. With money it would amazing place to spend your days. However I'm a bit biased to say as the week we spend there was just during the biggest parties the city will see annually. I wonder how it is otherwise.

In addition, the plastic faces and chest (both men's and women's) are another reason I'm having a bit of reserves. Sure, I like good looking people and am working towards that myself. But I'm talking about their attitude that it is all on the surface. Cliché but rather true I'm afraid.

What else...Work was awesome, we managed to create something amazing that has been praised. Highlight must have been Paul Oakenfold's DJ gig with a string orchestra and amazing visuals. He is working in Hollywood so no wonder there is power behind the content on the screen. Long 20h days were not that bad, mingling with names like Tommy Lee (yeah!), Sharam, Cedric Gervais, Pete Tong, Paul Oakenfold in VIPs was like been home again. Pool parties with girls in bikinis was just serene. Talking about serenity, I will always remember the moment on the beach, sun shining and I'm strolling slowly on the sand and writing a love txt to Jade. That was a good reward for the hours spend running after well known DJs...how I wish things would have been different when I return home.

Since then I've been a walking dead, nothing interest me. Except ReCharge film (see post below) and some big time plans that are already on a move, and things seem to change quite a lot before midsummer sun shines. I'll keep you updated. More photos found in my Photo Album. Courtesy of Stephanie Bochatay.
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Clubbers Guide to Miami

Clubbers Guide to Miami with Cedric Gervais. A good 8min virtual trip to the best places shopping, eating and clubbing in Miami. Still shots coming up when I get them organised.

Slopestyle @ The Alps

Some shots from The Alps
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Altitude Festival at Meribel

Travel

I'm just about to recover from the Miami madness and I'm off again. Next week you'll find me and my camera at Altitude Festival in Meribel. This is located somewhere in the French Alps, a little mountain resort with snowboarding, comedy and music event rocking the weekend. I'm flying out there with Johnny, our amazing presenter. There should be Ministry of Sound or Hed Kandi events we are to cover. And all the other craziness on the hills.

If this is not enough, at the end of the month I get to fly out to Spain. Costa del Sol, covering another Ministry event. Love my job sometimes.

Miami lifestyle

Travel

For your voyeuristic side here is an opportunity to follow my life for a week. We arrived to Miami yesterday and started working hard this morning (if you can call editing in a Spanish style loft hard). We will be uploading coverage from Miami Winter Music Conference 2008 few times a day, everything from parties, streets, beached, random confrontation and about our life here.

The art deco is here, amazing architecture must say. More about that coming up later. People are beautiful, sun is shining and later today we'll get on the actual music part. Check out the madness at MoSTV.

Oh yeah, and Winter here means +26C! :)

Clubbers Guide to Helsinki

The trip to Helsinki resulted in an edit that looks like this. Thanks to Oded for amazing work.

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A Moment On a Connecting Flight

Travel

Something rather peculiar happened while flying back to London. I did return from Helsinki last Sunday evening. The Lufthansa flight took me first to Munich Airport, where I expected a rather busy connection to the London flight. That was what I was told in Helsinki.

Good I was prepared for this, told the cabin crew lady that I need to rush for my connecting flight and she let me leave the plane first. Through the terminal maze and to the gate I rush, boarding in haste. The bus that took us to the plane started to approach a rather familiar plane. You should have seen the face of the cabin crew lady when I enter the exactly same plane after initially rushing out. Go figure the booking system of Star Alliance.

Clubbers Guide to Paris

Edited by Teppo Hudson

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Human Web videos go online

Travel + Business

Human Web project has published promo videos online and are having negotiations of broadcasting a series made out of the trips. Looks really good and I'm proud to be part of this. Please go check out all the clips and support the cause. The Human Web aims to interact with cultures - assimilating them, reacting to them - and finding a key in each and every one to share creativity and joy as opposed to confrontation. This purpose is truly enlighting.

Human Web video site

Human Web facebook

Weekend in Tbilisi

Travel

No, didn't go there for pleasure. Tbilisi, the capital of a former soviet nation of Georgia is not your typical holiday destination, especially in the winter time, though I've heard in summer its a rather pleasant destination for wine lovers. I ended up flying there for filming reasons, documenting Ministry of Sound setting up a party in Tbilisi.

Starting out first to Istanbul with tour manager and DJ Dom Chung, we flew to Istanbul to meet promoter Tanja, DJ Tony Devotion and dancers Maria and Carolina. After this small stopover it was a short 2h flight to Tbilisi. We were greeted by local organiser Jaba (The Hut as we called him) and drove to our hotel and to the bed late at 5am. Next morning early call for the venue set up and picking DJ Marc Hughes from the airport. We slowly started to get a picture waiting for us with red carpet entrance, press conferences and other massive promotional efforts. For me all this provided interesting topics for the documentary.

The Georgian hosts were very generous providing us all needed. Amazing amount of hospitality from people just now starting to recover from the collapse of the Soviet Union some 16 years ago. They were very proud of their nationality and showed great interest towards foreign views of Georgia. I saw much similarities to the recovery of Finland after the great recession in the early 90s.

In few weeks I'll have the feature edited and I'll try to get it uploaded up here. Meanwhile enjoy some photos here.

Human Web Project

Travel + Business

I've been part of a team of editors for last month to sort out 180 hours of footage shot in 2006. The project is titled Human Web Project . Twenty people committed to living together over a lengthy period of time. This pressurized intimacy brings their true natures to light.The Human Web aims to interact with cultures - assimilating them, reacting to them - and finding a key in each and every one to share creativity and joy as opposed to confrontation.

"Not all those who wander are lost"

Embracing nomadic life as our hunter-gatherer ancestors did. Hunting, through music, for what's best in our fast-changing world. The Human Web will gather live data to pass on to future generations, and share experience and knowledge with no other purpose than leaving smiles behind. Intended to open hearts and free people's minds from the poison of erroneous, preconceived, notions, while searching for the riches that thread, as a common denominator, the diversity of human cultures and beliefs.

The trip took Mama Joy, the 1959 bus, from Italy to Istanbul. Here is a little promo I edited for Istanbul leg. Visit the website and support the cause.

Tour Management in Manchester and Wales

Clubbing and Galleries in this one. It has been a while since I've updated. Apoligies for that, though I've been busier and more content with my future than maybe ever in my life. First of all, its a little more than a month since I've become a freelancer and boy has that been a ride. Honestly, I would have never believed the amount of stress and pleasure is can bring, especially within the fast paced city of London. All good, and projects have been successfull. Especially I'm luckily been able to create even requests for my world. One is a collaboration with an interesting travel and culture editing for Human Web Project.

Beside that and normal edits for MoSTV, been tour managing in Wales and Manchester. Nice easy trips to represent Ministry of Sound in a clubnight. Boring and hell, though gets be back on the feeling of being on the road. It is just the best feeling. Wales event was in this little town called Ammanford, basically in the middle of nothing. Twin Peaks was not far away, especially when the club owner mentioned that the town had their first ever murder a week before. 24 year old girl was murdered!!

Last week was in a bit more urban city of Manchester, in club Pure. Boring night and I did end up sitting in the VIP sipping my Mojito the management did not even bother to buy for me. Bad organisation and way too young audience. Below are some photos. In addition a lot of galleries and a special Fat Boy Slim event. Latter one was fucking awesome.

Coming up an update from the Crossover of Senses IV, which saw some changes in the set up... Stay tuned.

Dream of Barcelona

Philosophy + Travel


Barcelona is the place to be, though now I'm back at home in London. Tired from the exhausting trip back after less than 2 hours of sleep. Numbness inside, mainly due to the tiredness, and partly from the extremely emotional week behind me. The illusion is broken.

One reason was the fact of reuniting with two very important friends from my past. After the loneliness one feels in massive metropolies such as London, it was somehow a striking contrast to live your live with a days and nights filled with laughter. And those regular bottles of red wine.

It was startling for my drive to get the VJ world organised. I have always enjoyed the silence, to sit beside a lake and just think. However, the energy you get from close collaboration is something amazing that beats the easiness of loneliness. The problem is the creation of the momemtum for the collaboration. Creation of rewards and motivation. In other words, not far from basic project management. That is my next challenge.

Reunion

Travel


I think I have to call the Barcelona week as a Reunion tour. Hanging here and filming with Kaisu, Aapo and Emmi - friends from my past in Finland - has been such a good reminder of the naive and easy going days of teenage. Uh, that sounds really cynical and old, but that the truth. I'm working towards huge responsibilities afterall.

Thanks to Emmi, we can stay in a real Barcelonian home. This enables to have a small peak into the real life in this beautiful city. The spanish way living does not surprise, I'm familiar with it before. All the siestas on the afternoon, fiestas and beautiful chicas.

The most striking feature is the architecture. Not just Gaudi never never land creations, such as Sagrada Familia, but also every single building just radiates a enourmous amount of shapes. Curves reflecting nature. Beside that, we found that there is a Videoart festival "Loop '07" going on. Definetely going to attend various events, especially Matthew Barney's "Crematory Cycle 1-5" films projected on 3 nights. Prepare for a surreal trip of visual storytelling.

Geneva

Travel


This comes from Geneva. I'm having a 6 hours of stopover here before continuing to Barcelona. Well, just don't ask why. In all my brilliant need of "not to do the easy way", I though it might be fun to stop here. How wrong the sometimes interesting plan might go and I'm already regretting. Geneva is most boring fucking city I've been.

Seriously, the central area is filled with posh wifes of billionaire bankers and diblomats, all on their way to buy the next diamond ring. Otherwise there is nothing here but diamond retailers, gold retailers, banks and shops selling you the best machines ticking on your wrist (we are in Switzerland afterall). Ridicilous. I'm already afraid of my returning flight

Well, there is a nice medieval castle on a hill.