Basket case (Täynnä tarmoa)

A tragicomic documentary of a small-town (Porvoo) basketball-team that all of a sudden doubles their budget and hires a manager and a coach that know each other too well.

More info:
YouTube channel (more teasers)

Trickle-down theory, Korjaamo Gallery, 18.4.-10.5. 2009.

Desert Planet: "Face invaders"

Trickle-down theory is a right-wing political term that refers to the policy of providing tax cuts to rich individuals in the belief that this will eventually benefit the larger population. The exhibition deals with the crash fall of capitalism and its theories, through the combined effect of works of almost 100 individual artists.

18.4.-10.5. 2009
Korjaamo Gallery, Korjaamo Hall
Open daily from 11 am until 5 pm.
Free entry.

More info:
www.korjaamo.fi

South Park: We Gotta Get Rid of Finland

Season 13: Pinewood Derby.
Stan reflects on his victory. Meanwhile, the world leaders are concerned Finland's going to squeal.


More info: www.southparkstudios.com

Villa Nah: VN EP

Villa Nah, a duo of Juho Paalosmaa and Tomi Hyyppä, makes pure electronic pop with plenty of emphasis on catchy melodies and meticulously crafted soundscapes reminiscent of the 1980’s.

Stylewise, Villa Nah is related to 80’s bands like Heaven 17 or New Order, but that is only the tip of the iceberg. Once you’ve heard their debut single, you’ll know that Villa Nah is about nothing else but their own style and sound.

Villa Nah is not merely a production duo but an actual band with a live show that is not to be missed. Next live show: on 24th of April 2009 @ Mbar, Lasipalatsi, Helsinki.

All songs are co-produced by Jori Hulkkonen.

More info: www.sahkorecordings.com

The first batch of Flow09 artists released

Flow Festival, organised in Helsinki’s Suvilahti as part of the Helsinki Festival August 14-16, brings together a vast variety of top-notch artists in urban music, both domestic and international.

The program will again be a versatile mixture - or a "soup" - consisting of some of the most intriguing music around right now. In addition to the interesting pop, indie and electronic acts, the festival will offer a variety of fresh world music. As something totally new, Flow09 will offer Makasiini - a space dedicated to experimental music and arts.

Especially the program on Friday and Saturday will still get both international and domestic heavy weights added to the lineup. The Kraftwerk concert with the warmup acts is already finalized. Sunday program is also almost complete, but will get a few finishing touches later on in the spring. The next program update release will take place in May.

You can find info on all of the artists at the program section of the Flow Festival site.

Pixelache09: Festival of electronic art and subcultures

With the 8th edition of Pixelache Helsinki, the festival is returning back to its roots. Instead of focusing on one main theme, they’ve allowed the programme to develop gradually around a selection of diverse topics. This reflects the nature of the festival: it’s built from bottom-up, with the voluntary efforts of the Pixelache community.

They are expecting around 100 international guests to join this annual gathering of artists, designers, engineers, researchers, architects, hackers and activists.

Pixelache09
Festival of electronic art and subcultures
Helsinki, Finland
2-5 April

More info:
http://2009.pixelache.ac/

Manifesto of the Free World: 26.3.–4.5.2009 @ Amos Anderson

Jani's and Riiko's Free World
26.3.–4.5.2009 @ Amos Anderson

Manifesto of the Free World

The world of free market economy is a Free World. Nations without a capitalist economic system are not free and are thus enemies of free nations. It is the responsibility of all free nations to spread freedom by any means necessary. The people of the world have a right to live in a Free World and benefit from the free market economy and the happiness and wealth that Capitalism provides.

Exhibition info:
http://www.amosanderson.fi

Fisker Karma

Fisker Automotive debuted in Europe three weeks ago the world’s first luxury plug-in hybrid vehicles during the Geneva Motor Show. The 2L/100km Fisker Karma saloon will start at 78780EUR, excluding VAT, and be available through a network of 40 retailers across Europe beginning early 2010.

The Fisker Karma proves environmentally friendly cars do not have to sacrifice performance, style or function. New technology, materials and applications can be found throughout the car’s purposeful interior. For example, the Karma will be the first car to feature a haptic touch-screen interface and offer an animal-free interior.

The Karma is an Extended Range Electric Vehicle (EREV). It can reach 100km/h (62mph) in about six seconds and achieve a top speed of 201km/h (125mph), yet has the potential to use as little as 40 liters (10 gal) of petrol per year.

Fisker Karma vehicles will be manufactured in Finland. Valmet Automotive will be the engineering and manufacturing supplier for Fisker Automotive. Valmet Automotive is a provider of automotive engineering and manufacturing services of premium cars. Today Valmet Automotive manufactures Porsche Boxster and Porsche Cayman for Porsche AG.

Amer Sports: Eco products

Amer Sports, the world’s leading sports equipment company, has created innovative eco products:

Atomic‘s Renu is the world‘s first regenerative ski boot. Made from biopolymers, cotton and bamboo fibre, it reduces the product‘s ecological footprint while still delivering the same performance as a conventional ski boot. The entire boot comprises of 80% renewable raw materials which can be recycled. The Renu is able to achieve all of its environmental goals without compromising on either comfort or performance, and it is also 13% lighter than comparable ski boots.

The Wilson Staff Eco-Carry Bag is the first golf bag on the market made from 100% recycled polyester fabric. The eco-friendly lightweight carry bag utilizes GreenPlus® fabric, which reduces the release of carbon dioxide by 70% as compared to normal polyester production. One Wilson Staff Eco-Carry golf bag is made from the equivalent of 12 plastic gallon bottles.

The Salomon SickStick snowboard, winner of the 2008 Volvo SportsDesign Eco-design award, is another example of matching environmental goals with product performance. The SickStick was awarded for its new patented bamboo sandwich construction process, driven by the goal to improve the performance of Salomon products while significantly reducing the ecological impacts of snowboard production. The SickStick contains fast growing, CO2-absorbing bamboo – an ultra renewable material. In each board, 400 grams of bamboo replace 300 grams of plastic, 100 grams of resin and 200 grams of fiberglass. The SickStick comes in a cotton-bamboo knit bag instead of a PVC sleeve, while the hangtags are printed on recycled paper instead of coated stickers.

Amer Sports was found in 1950 in Finland. It has been listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Ltd since 1977.

More info: www.amersports.com

Kraftwerk @ Suvilahti, Helsinki Aug13th 2009

The most influential group in electronic music to date, Kraftwerk, is set to perform in Helsinki’s Suvilahti on Thursday August 13. The event, co-produced by Flow Festival and Live Nation, takes place at the Flow Festival Main Stage on the night prior to the kick-off of the festival’s 2009 edition.

Kraftwerk’s live incarnation includes founding member Ralf Hütter alongside Henning Schmitz and Fritz Hilpert, both with already several decades of live experience with the group, and Kraftwerk’s video engineer Stefan Pfaffe. The iconic on-stage visuals play a key role in the band’s constant policy of minimalism also evident in their celebrated album artwork. Kraftwerk’s (German for "powerplant") live milieu could hardly be more fitting than that of the Helsinki gig in August: the historic Suvilahti power plant area celebrates the first full century of its existence this year.

The event on August 13 also marks the debut of the new and improved Main Stage area at Flow Festival. The sixth edition of Flow, organised as part of the Helsinki Festival, is held in Suvilahti on August 14-16.