PERTTULA – Pajavasara
Bafe’s Factory – 14 May 2021
To begin at the beginning, Bafe’s Factory is an award-winning independent record label and publisher based in Helsinki that champions the work of young Finnish artists that don’t seem to accept the preconceptions of the modern music industry and follow their own path. Tony Perttula is one such artist. He combines a prodigious facility on the accordion with high-level programming skills to create a blend of traditional and modern styles in a process that he likens to metalwork. He describes working to “…change the innate nature of a raw material, manipulate its shape and make it behave in the desired way”. His philosophy is reflected in each of the eight tracks on this album and the title Pajavasara, which translates as ‘Forgehammer’ is appropriate. Perttula’s webpage states “…PERTTULA´s lyrical accordion playing is accompanied by the primal, rhythmic beating of hammers and anvils found in a blacksmith’s workshop, inviting the listener into a new world where sounds are melted and manipulated by a musical blacksmith into a whole new form.” I couldn’t put it better. It is a joyful experience to listen to this music and, though I have to admit my dancing days are now long gone, much of the music has a trance-like quality and appeal.
A good example of the roots of Perttula’s music creation can be found in the track ‘Magnetar’ where there is a lot of space in the music to allow the listener to clearly identify some of the sampled sounds from the smithy and Tony’s accordion careers from a very traditional style to a more contemporary sound with a jazz-like feel at times. ‘Vaskinen/Copper’ has a rhythmic pulse to it that is typical of much of the album but the delicate accordion steps forward in the middle passage to make its statement amid the percussive sounds. Like many of the tracks here it is relatively short with unexpected twists and turns that delight as they do when the final track ‘Pohjoistuuli/North Wind’ gives a huge variety of ways in which it is possible to make use of a three-in-a-bar waltz time signature. And lest you forget that Tony’s virtuoso accordion is at the heart of this album we have the opening track ‘Talvenselkä/Heights of Winter’ where the breath-taking accordion technique remains centre stage surrounded by the wild sounds of the forge. Be in no doubt that this guy can really play!
There is a lot of fine music coming out of Finland today made by young musicians like Perttula who are influenced by the music of other cultures but not to the degree that their own individuality is overwhelmed. A label like Bafe’s Factory is right at the forefront of this. I found this music completely absorbing and it will be on my playlist for a while, I’m sure. There is much to enjoy here; prepare for a few surprises.