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Flow Festival 2012: Helsinki Hosts AraabMuzik, Feist, Lykke Li And More

: By Megan McCormick; Published on August 17, 2012

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Photo Credit: Megan McCormick

Flow Festival, organized August 8 to 12 in Helsinki's Suvilahti, attracted a record-breaking 63,000 visitors during its four days of activity. The ninth edition of Flow Festival was the most versatile thus far, showcasing a newly updated festival area and dozens of internationally acclaimed acts.

The Black Keys, Feist, Tamikrest, Lykke Li, Charles Bradley, Four Tet, AraabMuzik and many more descended upon the European land while appreciative fans reveled at what would might prove to be their only chance to catch them all year.

Some of the most notable performances of the weekend would include Björk presenting her "Biophilia" concept album live and American jazz pianist Jason Moran completing a successful residency with a show each day. The club program at the festival catered to the electronic crowd with up-and-comer Richie Hawtin leading a stellar lineup that also included Monolakeand Pinch.

The festival also featured food trucks from several prominent eateries, upscale restaurants and gourmet grocers, including Tori and Juuri farm-to-table establishments and more exotic caterers, such as Tamarin and New York Ninja. (My personal favorite was the New York Ninja beef burger with sirracha mayo, hoisin and crispy onions with mint and basil).

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Photo Credit: Megan McCormick

The first thing you notice when entering the venue in Suvilahti are the bikes.

Located in the Sornainen district, Suvilahti is the site of an abandoned power plant and warehouses that have been embraced by the youth and cultural activists since its rejuvenation efforts began almost three decades ago.

Flow Festival is located in an urban setting in northeastern Helsinki, giving this festival a distinctly different atmosphere. Hoards of festivalgoers arrive en masse on bicycles, with Finland’s eco-minded way of life thrust into the forefront early on.

The weekend proved to be a trip around the world with acts from numerous countries around the world. It started for me in Turkey, with Kolektif Istanbul. Featuring a French horn and a clarinet that evoked exotic dance moves to warm up the crowd on a quickly cooling evening, the band set the stage nicely for a long weekend of music.

Photo Credit: Megan McCormick

Next, I visited the Main Stage to see France’s Yann Tiersen and his band play songs that surrender to love and life, including one of his new numbers sweetly named “Fuck Me.” Tiersen showcased his virtuosic abilities by playing the guitar, keys and violin with equal talent and intensity, transitioning into dramatic instrumental music that leaned towards the classical.

Tongues were wagging during the build-up for Tamikrest, who would take over the Wasteland Stage for two incredible sets. Adding to their intrigue, this band from Mali is comprised of several orthodox Muslims, as evidenced by their traditional garb.

The set was prefaced by a poetic monologue by the band’s spokesman, who urgently called for an awakening in a time of talk without action. Folkloric songs smoothly evolved into a psychedelic frenzy. As surely as a snake charmer coaxes a cobra from the basket, Tamikrest brought out the inner belly dancer in the entire audience through a melodic and quickening pace.

Now that I was officially warmed up for a great night of dancing, I thought it’d be a good time to check out Theo Parrish in the Back Yard. This area is a cozy, grassy area where you can picnic in the shade or throw down on the dance floor. Parrish was in his natural habitat, bobbing his head and deftly rummaging through vinyl with record speed. His mix of funk and jazz had the audience tossing down their bags, throwing up their hands and forgetting about their cares.

AraabMuzik dealt the audience a heavy hand of drum and bass during a particularly heavy ghetto-tech set, in which he simply used a sampler and a drum machine. The more gritty it got, the harder the audience danced, which created a vicious cycle of ever heavier dubstep with splashes of hip-hop samples throughout. His concentration was unrivalled, and the mood was lightened by his entourage, who buoyed the otherwise down-and-dirty crowd.

Photo Credit: Megan McCormick

The closer for Friday night’s festivities was pop icon Lykke Li, who donned what looked like a trash bag and looked like a sea otter rescued from an oil spill. Her unassuming and downright bizarre garb was overshadowed only by her anthemic songs and sultry performance. Building the drama throughout the set, she played dramatic versions of some of her biggest hits including “I Follow Rivers” and “Rich Kid Blues.”

Reuniting yet again, the Caribou and Four Tet DJ set attracted the indie dance crowd, including yours truly. The mood quickly fizzled, as it became apparent that the duo were having too much fun talking each other during the set, rather than concentrating on keeping up with the flow of the music. Instead, the crowd got a dose of a musical tug of war, with each DJ playing his pick with no regard for the preceding track or flow.

An awkward Black Tent full of people tried to keep up, but ended up looking like a room full of knee-jerk epileptics. This was a disappointment for those of us that remember fondly Caribou’s awesome set from Flow Festival two years ago.

Charles Bradley took over the late-night festivities in the huge Nokia Tent. The man inspired the James Brown in all of us, as he embraced the crowd with open arms. His Extroardinaires were up to par, keeping up with Bradley’s moody and passionate voice throughout the night. The whole set electrified the crowd, spinning us off into one hundred different directions and after-parties, and reverberating throughout the rest of the weekend.

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Photo Credit: Megan McCormick

Beverly Girls: The duo singers started an early set of sappy 80s-style love songs, reminiscent of Vanessa Williams, but without the voice and talent. What they lacked in vocal abilities, they made up for in matching sequined dresses, though their guitarist, wearing a kilt and black eye mask, looked a little out of place and seemed to steal most of the attention.

Awesome Tapes From Africa!: This was not just the name of the DJ or the set, Brian Shimkovitz actually does travel to Africa, finding rare, old tapes and recordings of sprouting talent. Using tape decks and a Mac to mix, his set ranged from Mbalax pop to reggae and everything in between. He might want to work out a more creative name, though . . .

Nicole Willis and The Soul Investigators: Playing safe hits like “If This Ain’t Love,” “Keep Reaching U” and “Feeling Free,” the crowd sang along joyously. With a few new songs thrown in for good measure, including “You’ve Got A Funny Way (Of Saying I Love You),” the band kept to their studio versions, implying they hadn’t practiced much together recently – which is understandable since Willis did look at least seven months pregnant.

Baba Zulu: The most exotic set of the weekend, the front man wore traditional, colorful Turkish robes and a hat. He warmed the crowd up by commenting on the close relation between Finnish and Turkish and extended a heartfelt oneness to them in a genuine way.

Photo Credit: Megan McCormick

They then proceeded to blow minds, with the psychedelic, alternative electronic sounds of Turkey. The music came alive with an electronic baglama and the show took on an added dimension with a guest belly dancer, who shimmied voluptuously in his face in front of a delighted and intrigued audience. The band finished up the set in the Wasteland Stage by descending from the platform and playing in procession around the circular arena.

The Swans: This group is to the music world as modern-art surrealist and abstractionists are to the painting one. Known for their extraordinarily loud bass, wearing earplugs is an absolute must at their shows. The crowd stood in awe as the ethereal bass pulsated through them via palpable vibrations. As Michael Gira’s voice harkened that of The Doors’ Jim Morrison, he transformed before our very eyes, from chanting to screaming to howling incomprehensibly, until he seemed to be channeling the dark energy of the universe. Or throwing a temper tantrum.

The drums and keys improvised in likewise disharmony, as Gira stood on encouragingly for a three-minute drum solo that seemed to encapsulate a mantra of “I’m angry and edgy and have never seen a drum kit in my life – so let me bang the hell out of it!”

After about 30 minutes of that droned on, Gira announced to the crowd that this would be their last song, which was met with the puzzled bemusement of the audience as they mouthed to each other “last song, when did the second one begin?” Communicating amongst one another was reduced to lip reading or texting by this point.

Mopo: Featuring a drummer and the trumpet player from The Northern Governors, this trio played all day in the packed TIIVISTÄMÖ warehouse. Their set combined classic jazz, blues and improvisational elements, but they also had fun playing with non-traditional “instruments” as well, including a dog’s squeaky toy and a plastic recorder.

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French Films: This young Finnish band has the energy and zeal of a new wave Cure. Still up-and-coming, the group looked a bit self-conscious on the Main Stage at Flow Festival, playing a smaller venue with more confidence. This humble attitude endeared them to a positive and encouraging audience.

Friends: Starting off the gig, a fan from the audience presented the lead singer with a trucker hat, which had been lost at a different show two months prior. Excited by the return and the friendliness of a stranger, the singer announced, “This set is dedicated to you!”

Feist: The indie princess played a show full of crowd favorites and hits, including “The Circle Married the Line,” “I Feel It All” and a very interesting version of “Mushaboom”

As Leslie tried to enlist the crowd into vocal harmonizing, she quickly realized that Finns aren’t eager to hear their own voice amongst a crowd. Either that or they weren’t drunk enough.

St. Vincent: This band played an emotional set, displaying versatile musical abilities on multiple instruments. As the crowd embraced the music emotionally, with spirited dancing and clapping, they then embraced her physically as she let herself freefall into the crowd. She continued to sing and enchant the crowd from her transient position above a sea of enthusiastic fans.