Pekka Airaksinen’s Vitae Tennis Nest, released by One Point Life, is a striking journey through avant-garde piano and experimental electronics. Recorded in 1998 and remixed in 2015, the album’s first side features solo piano works that channel the improvisational freedom of Cecil Taylor and Lennie Tristano, the mechanical complexity of Conlon Nancarrow, the ritualistic pulse of Igor Stravinsky’s Les Noces, and the hypnotic repetition of Philip Glass. These compositions are marked by intricate, rapid-fire improvisations and the creative use of delay effects, producing a dialogue between the piano and its echoes-what Pekka Airaksinen himself described as “future robotic baroque.”

The album’s centerpiece, “Stress Graff No 11,” is a dazzling concerto for piano, delay, and rhythm machine, where acoustic virtuosity merges seamlessly with electronic manipulation. The second side of Vitae Tennis Nest ventures further into experimental realms, with tracks like “Hairstreak Annoyer” and “Reinsman Earthshaker” drawing inspiration from the avant-garde innovations of György Ligeti, Edgard Varèse, and Krzysztof Penderecki. Here, Pekka Airaksinen blends acoustic piano with dense, surreal electronic textures, crafting soundscapes that are both organic and otherworldly.

Vitae Tennis Nest is a testament to Pekka Airaksinen’s visionary artistry, fusing jazz, contemporary classical, and Raw/DIY electronic experimentation into a singular and unforgettable listening experience.