Since I got the first time touched by the wonderful work of TENHI back in 1999, the gloomy Finns belong to my all-time faves speaking about melancholic acoustic music. Tunes, so charming and soulful like a misty autumn morning first formed the style of the band, embedded in an atmosphere that captivates the listener inevitably. Rightly, the debut album Kauan is said to be a classic, although fans and critics already found it difficult at that time to categorize this band specifically.
It didn’t turn to be an easier task in the future, since TENHI expanded their spectrum of musical expressiveness with every new record, including unusual song structures and most of all the use of traditional drums. TENHI invite the fans to partake in their journey of discovery and development, both into the untouched nature and the inner I. Besides, the band is quite reserved regarding interviews and live performances.
With the release of their new album Maaäet it’s high time to draw some words from the silent (?) Finns…

Dajana: Let me first congratulate to such a wonderful album that will be – as for me – one of the top 10 in 2006. It is just damn hard to describe with words what this music causes of feelings and emotions. We need a poet doing that…
Is: Maaäet is the circuit of seasons turned into music. It is a passage leading through darksome woodland, where only a few rays of light touch the dank, fragrant soil, and where the branches lean over to touch your hair and skin.

Dajana: With Maaäet you have found the perfect fusion of nature, human being and spirits. Everything is homogeneously flowing. How did that happen? Was there a special experience/event? Or was one of you lonely living anywhere in the nature for weeks or months?
Tyko: We tried many different approaches to the song to get the wanted feel to them and so that it serves the wholeness as well. The music was laid down in the countryside studio where we got the right feel for it and could just concentrate on the music.

Michael: I’d like to describe your first releases as spherical and doomy, while I sense a more and more earthy and grounded tendency with every new release. You think so too? Is that a conscious (how to follow up in the future then) or an unconscious development?
Ilmari: It is great to see how differently people react to the scope of our releases. For instance most of our fans have said that Maaäet is definitely the most doomy of our records. Personally I feel that Kauan, Väre and Maaäet are all quite different from each other and the way they have appeared to our lives is not planned. Somehow, we all know the boundaries where our music should be - we have never really talked about where we should proceed or how we should develop our music.

Dajana: On the other hand, as read, many people are “nagging” that your new record is too smooth, too harmonic. They miss some edges as you still had on your previous releases… Surprised?
Is: That's an interesting point of view. I see the major differences in the arrangements and instrumentations, which have become more sparse and scanty than before. But I don't think we're missing an edge there, it's just the overall atmosphere, which is more somber and thus feels smoother. There's also more maturity and certain softness in the low-sung vocals as well. I guess the album is more demanding to approach and might just seem deludingly vague for someone listening to it for the first time.

Dajana: Most of the drum and rhythm work reminds of Australia’s Aborigine, instead of “just” shamanic vibes. Is there any connection to this ancient culture?
Tyko: I am keen on all ancient cultures and in history in general. There might be flavors from different cultures but that is no intention. When I compose just paint the scenery with the tools I have, I don't think about their origin. The influences happen on a subconscious level and I can't track them down and I even don't want to.

Michael: There is hardly any other band generating so many associations in the head of the listener while listening to this kind of music. Why does your CD’s always contain just “cut” booklets? Why don’t you utilize the “normal” size for more graphical possibilities? Is it pure intent – not anticipating the visual interpretation of the listener?
Ilmari: It is totally a matter of composition. We prefer the "cut" booklets for the "normal" size gives a square as a platform for composition. For us the square form is not a good starting point.

Dajana: Since all band members are into art in different ways, can you imagine to add some sort of artistic expression to possible live shows or to wrap them in artistic events? What sort of?
Is: Many bands have combined music and graphics in a successful way. Just a while ago I saw Danish band Mew performing live with a continuous visual show projected on a huge canvas hanging behind the stage. It was really impressing and intensified the concert a lot. But if the musicians are charismatic enough, the shows need no add-ons besides that. Think of legends like Johnny Cash for instance. It's the charisma that counts. Concerning TENHI, even more interesting than adding graphics to the show might be having a live theater or an art performance onstage while playing... or maybe some wild animals walking around the stage...

Dajana: Apropos live shows … most common question ;) Any chance to see ya performing live in the near future? Any idea of a live concept? What sort of venues would you prefer if you could choose?
Tyko: We aren't playing live in a while. First we have to sort out the problem with sessions members as we have had problems with their schedules. One option is to do a smaller show more acoustic based but that would need the songs to be re-arranged etc. so that would take time, which we rather use to make new music. I don't mind about the venues, everything goes for me, the music will take care of the rest.

Dajana: Being so close to Mother Earth it must hurt you tons to see this planet being destroyed step by step and nature abused… How to deal with these feelings? I personally get unbelievably angry and want to reflect to the committer what they do to animals, human beings and nature. Ya know, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth… Stupidly this thinking drops me down to the same level of these ones *sighs* But it makes me crying to see what happens around us…
Ilmari: This planet has taken a lot shit from us that is for sure. I think that a good starting point is thinking about our own actions - what kind of things are not necessarily important to us. Giving up a little is so much harder than constantly raising your standard of living. I think that the linear religions (from A existence to B final existence) has caused a lot of our hedonism and lack of consideration towards nature. We Europeans should learn from the wisdom of the Eastern cyclic religions where all the indifference comes back to you in a way or another.

Dajana: Many people are wondering about the “progressive” aspect named in the style description in the info text to your new album. Since most of your listeners are related to the metal scene they associate “prog” with prog rock/metal as it is known in the metal scene. I personally associate the progressive part with the freedom to experiment with music, instruments and styles as you do in Uuvu Oravan Luu… What’s your approach?
Is: For us being “progressive” means being broad-minded and unconventional in our musical and contextual approach, so you're right in your definition. It's in a way the same attitude that the 'original' progressive bands had in 60's and 70's, but it doesn't mean our delivery would be the same. It has been always rather hard for us to categorize our music or even to describe it in words, which is in the end totally unnecessary unless speaking of marketing or asking from the record label.

Michael: Stylistically TENHI gets often put into the Neofolk drawer. You feel well with this categorization? How you think about this scene, especially with the political context that quite often gets drawn to?
Tyko: I can picture certain parallels to that scene, to the romantic-art side. I don't mind being connected to that and the scene has some excellent bands, which are able to create thrilling spheres through the music. However, TENHI has nothing to do with politics of any kind.

Dajana: You have your rehearsal home in an old school building and one of your girls said in an interview some time ago, if she would have went to such school, her life wouldn’t be the same anymore… What does it mean? Is this building that eerie?
Ilmari: I'm not sure what "one of our girls" are you referring here (your session musicians?; one of them was asked in an interview if I remember right - Cal) so I do not know what she meant by this. Sure the building can be a scary place... I love being there though - it has been truly a blessing for us.

Michael: What sort of music you are listening to in your leisure time? Which bands did influence the music of TENHI?
Is: I've grown up listening to metal music, so it's obvious that it has had the strongest influence on the way I make music. Nowadays I'm more into artists like Mew, Pink Floyd (70's), Ed Harcourt etc. but I also listen to bands like Slayer and Metallica and some classical and folk music as well.

Michael: In European countries Finnish musicians have quite often the reputation having … erm … an odd humor, acting furthermore introverted and quiet but are in any case hard drinking. You too?
Tyko: Yeah... gulp.

Dajana: Thank you very much for spending your leisure time answering all these questions :) Cheers!
Ilmari: Thank you.