Sometime around the mid 90's two school mates, Markku Louhio and Matti Elsinen, inspired by early techno, acid house and Prodigy, got their hands on the Fastracker program. Creating hardcore techno and experimental dance music changed radically for these guys when they discovered Goa trance. Soon their hobby of making music only with the computer evolved to a home studio set-up of MIDI instruments, mixers and drum machines.
Even though their history as producers was rooted in the Goa trance scene, performing in underground forest parties and listening to bands like Koxbox and Eat Static, they were soon to widen their scope of music. After Kiwa's first live show on New Year's Eve 1996, Markku and Matti started challenging themselves by incorporating breakbeats, atmospheric soundscapes and their trademark funky bass lines, at a time when using influences of breaks, drum 'n' bass and house was still very exceptional within the genre. Louhio says that the past ten years has been a journey in learning to blend all the influences and styles to what Kiwa represents today, as well as finding a balance between energetic dance floor tracks and music interesting enough to be enjoyed also outside the party venues.
The music of Kiwa escapes genre labels and has been said to have a unique sound of it's own. Their debut album Dreamtime Enhancer in 2002, according to many critics, was acclaimed to be a milestone in the scene due to it's style-blending approach on electronic music.
Since 2002 Kiwa has toured on live and DJ gigs around the world from Brazil to Israel and from Russia to Western Europe. Kiwa's live setup consists of two synchronized laptops, keyboards and loads of samples and audio channels by which they build their energetic performances on. DJ/Producer Kris Kylven, with a strong history in bands like Killing Joke, Juno Reactor, UX, The 69 Eyes and many more has been flavouring their performances as a live drummer in the past. Kylven and Louhio also started to produce tracks together in 1999 as an industrial and ethno influenced trance project, the Faithealers.
Elsinen and Louhio have worked with many different projects in genres ranging from hip hop to rock, including compositions and sound production for the Finnish television. Aside from Kiwa, Markku Louhio is known as a producer in the breakbeat influenced band Headphonics
and the progressive trance act Highpersonic Whomen.
Albums:
On The Frequency CD /Exogenic Records 2007
Retroactive CD /Surreal Audio 2004
Dreamtime Enhancer CD /Surreal Audio 2002
EPs:
Phat Cat / Disco Infection Promo CD /Exogenic Records 2006
Phat Cat / Disco Infection 12" /Exogenic Records 2006
EP 12" /Surreal Audio 2001
Compilations:
Psy Trance Euphoria CD /Ministry Of Sound 2008
Ultrapop 2 CD /Fabula Records 2007
Ear Pleasure CD /Chill Tribe Records 2007
Funland Boogie Files CD /Space Boogie productions 2006
Ultrapop CD /Fabularecords 2004
13th Moon: Journey Into Future Consciousness CD /Interchill Records 2003
Angelic Science CD /Surreal Audio 2003
Trance Of Scandinavia 2xCD Trance Of Scandinavia /Digital Structures 2003
Complications CD /Exogenic Breaks 2002
Elucidations CD /Liquid Sound Design 2002
Loopus In Fabula CD /Demon Tea Recordings 2002
Psycholympics CD /Protune Records 2002
Custom File CD /Exogenic Records 2001
Open CD /Surreal Audio 2001
Beats And Beyond CD /Surreal Audio 2000
Remixes:
Hidria Spacefolk - Nasha Universo /Exogenic Breaks 2004
Snake Thing - It's All Good 12" /Surreal Audio 2002
--------------------------------------------------------------- Markku Louhio - Discography of other releases
Albums:
Headphonics - Evolution Of Funk (2xCD)/Exogenic Breaks 2008
Highpersonic Whomen - Push The Limit /Exogenic Records 2007
Headphonics - Mass /Exogenic Records 2007
12" & EPs
Headphonics - Protect! (10") /Exogenic Breaks 2006
Faithealers: Optical Dreams EP (12") /Aurinko Records 2000
Remixes:
Headphonics - Ferris Wheel Remix /Exogenic Breaks 2008
Headphonics - Kaikki Tai Ei Mitään Remix /Exogenic Breaks 2007
Spies - Wide Shot 12" (Faithealers remix) /Aurinko Records 2000
Compilations:
Highpersonic Whomen: "Push The Limit" /Psy Trance Euphoria /Ministry Of Sound 2008
Headphonics: "Behind the Case" /Abstract Boundaries /Cinetiks 2007
Headphonics: "Sunday Cut" /Helsinki Cooler 2 /Cymbidium 2006
Highpersonic Whomen: "Free Space" /Ear Pleasure /Chill Tribe Records 2007
Subfocus: "Fountains Across" /Angelic Science /Surreal Audio 2003
Faithealers: "Spiritualizer" /Magnox CD /Atomic Reactor 2002
Faithealers: New Breed /Catcher CD/ Aurinko Records 2001
Faithealers: "New Breed, Sacred Hearts"/Catcher - Japan Edition (2xCD) /Equinox 2001
Faithealers: Optical Dreams /Cyberl@b v2.0 (2xCD)/ Matrix Cube 2000
Faithealers: New Breed (original mix) /Catcher (2x12") /Aurinko Records 2000
Fusion Festival 2008, Germany
Soulclipse 2006, Turkey
Spugedelic Revolution 2006, Hungary
5 element 2005, Estonia
Systo Festival 2005, Russia
Porto das Aguas 2005, Brazil
Retroactive album release party with Son Kite 2004, Finland
Koneisto Festival 2002-2004, Finland
Samothraki Gathering 2003, Greece
Provinssirock 2001, Finland
Yes we do it again, like we have never done before! Bigger and better than ever - more than 70 acts from all around the world will set the vibes during this 4-days gathering on this unique spot in the Czech Republic called Skalak..s Mill. Massive Sound on 2 Floors, chillout area, camping facilities and much more. Check out our website www.sol-festival.com for presales and special goodies. We soon will provide you with a map and further details. Hope to see u there.
Hi KIWA - Drop Control OUT NOW! Don't miss the opportunity to play at the world's biggest festival for upcoming bands! Play at the best and biggest venues in your country. Sign up your band today at www.emergenzanordic.com Hope to see your band ON stage! All the best Emergenza Festival
While nowadays it often seems like all the Psy Trance labels either reduce the speed of their releases and turn to more and more body-orientated club sounds or crank up the tempo of their music to rather hectic levels, Solar Tech Records delivers an excellent selection of tunes that keeps the golden mean: With tracks between 142 and 145 BPM the music is powerful, driving and very psychedelic on the one hand but also progressive in the original meaning of the word and does not get stressful or kitschy at any point. For this second compilation label owner DJ Natron extended his network of promising producers from South Africa, Switzerland, UK, Germany and South America and again presents some sparking pearls for original Psychedelic lovers.
Solar Atmosphere trifft genau die selten gewordene Mitte zwischen immer langsamer und minimaler werdendem Progressive Trance und den zur Hektik tendierenden Geschwindigkeiten zeitgenössischer Psychedelic Produktionen: Mit 142 – 145 BPM sind die Tracks auf dieser zweiten Compilation des Labels Solar Tech Records treibend, druckvoll und psychedelisch, ohne jedoch stressig oder gar kitschig zu werden.
Pleased to meet you--thanks so much for being friends! Perhaps we'll meet for real at a show sometime soon. All the best 'til then!
Cheers,
Aaron
P.S. twitter/aaronbeaumont :)
Dawn Sessions & Northbound yhteiskeikalla Club Libertéssä tiistaina 9.6.2009 klo 21.00 alkaen, liput 4 euroa. Lisätietoa: www.clubliberte.fi - Tervetuloa tsekkaamaan ja tukemaan samalla Club Libertén toimintaa! :)
