Kumea Sound is a meditative and experimental rhythm album by busker/sound artist Lauri Wuolio. The record unfolds around the deep acoustic sound of a rare 21st century instrument. Kumea Sound will be released next autumn with your help. Become a patron now & support the release!

I am an artist and a musician. Since 2011 I have performed on the streets in Helsinki and of cities around Finland and Europe. In the past my interest was in experimental electronic music, but I always longed for a more direct playing experience. As a busker I have found what was missing.

My music is at the same time meditative and experimental. I attempt to combine effortlessly flowing improvisation with an artisan’s mindset and craft. When I play, my songs are for the most part improvised — they are not linearly proceeding forms frozen in time, but living rhythmic weaves. They breathe and change from one moment to another. I believe that is why my music reaches deep in the listener. I am not a machine, that copy-pastes the same tunes over and over again.

In 2011 I became acquainted with a Russian instrument builder, who had the rare skill of building amazing instruments only a few had heard of. He invited me to visit his workshop and home, and during that trip I bought the instrument, that gave my music and — one could say — my life a new direction.

Cupolas (or handpans) are novel instruments that were invented in early 21st century in Switzerland. PANArt’s original creation, the Hang, proved itself a revolutionary instrument that spawned a rich subcultre around itself. The instrument, that takes its inspiration from the Trinidadian steelpans and various Asian percussion, awakens in the listener often a strong and mixed set of feelings, such as hope and longing. It is a new instrument, which, unlike many other contemporary musical inventions, does not lose its voice during an electricity blackout.

“REAL MUSIC FOR UNREAL TIMES”

On Kumea Sound I combine my experience as a busker to my background as an experimental musician. I believe, that the result is a fresh and different combination of acoustic rhythms and experimental soundscapes. The mood of the album is meditative and reaching inwards, yet rough and ragged at the same time. My aim is to make honest music that resonates deep and catches the pulse of these days.

Alongside the cupolas, the record will also feature other beautiful and rare instruments, such as jouhikko, kantele, sitar and various world percussions and analog drum machines. Amazing musicians, such as David Kuckhermann, Ilkka Heinonen, Veli Peltonen, Karoliina Kantelinen and Eva Louhivuori will join me on some tracks. The producer Ercola will leave his sonic fingerprints on some of the tracks, and the sound artists Joonas Sirén and Elin Øyen Vister will contribute soundscapes originating from modular synths and the islands of northern Norway.

Kumea Sound is new music reflecting these times. It acknowledges the past, but reaches beyond the history to the present — to this moment, here, right now.

SUPPORT THE RELEASE!

The album will be released in autumn 2013, but only with your help! Become a patron and support the release by claiming one of the perks. You may pre-order the album as a download, cd as a collectible special edition. Check out the list!

FUNDING

The minimum target of the campaign is 2000 €. It will cover the basic production of the album. If I reach 3000 €, I will hire a sonic ninja to mix and master the album for a a perfect sound.

FURTHER INFORMATION

You may read more about my work at my website www.wuolio.fi. More sound demos can be found on the Kumea Sound website at www.kumea.net.