Black Trumpets

Black Trumpets are Alex Reed and Keijo Virtanen from Jyväskylä, Finland. Alex is best known for his work with Jukka Nousiainen and Mikko Siltanen in Räjäyttäjät. Meanwhile Keijo’s long career has seen him roam freely in the outer reaches of the musical galaxy with bands such as Rambling Boys, Vapaa and ever-changing constellations of artists, such as Pekka Airaksinen – one of the most important pioneers of experimental and electronic music in Finland. Black Trumpets is a change for both artists. Alex brings Keijo back into electronic contact with the rocks of this planet, using a large number of small navigational instruments that he hits tweaks or twangs. Meanwhile Keijo is able to break up Alex’s bedrock of pulsating life with his fine filigree of guitar and words (in both Finnish and English), rendering it fit for so much more. The end result is the sound of Black Trumpets, of mycelia underground whose fruit are often hard to find. Natural Screenery might sound unnatural to some, the songs are first and foremost based on a key moment shared playing together, but then this becomes the basis for stretching time in every way possible. Black Trumpet play whatever it takes to get the message across: hopefully saving 'pop' from the drooling jaws of populism; putting the boogie back in blues; and fiddling with the lesser-known electronic knobs of folk.