22:45 // LIITERI

Fed with early-to-mid 90s melodic electronic music, Esa emerged through a haze of free audio software, lo-fi samples and a desire to keep pushing until a soul (or just a bare hint, an outline of one) emerges through the collage.
No toy-synth, physical recording or radio station was safe from his grubby mits, no melody too frank, no beat too simple. Growing musically and learning technical tricks at a significantly slower pace than his ever-competitive peers, Esa was always destined to remain in obscurity, a permanent bubbling-under artist.
Yet, somehow, there was a demand for this very specific flair of innocence and frankness, and while nothing he did past his debut album Container ever had the staying power of such tunes as Thor’s Magic Bathtub, Cull Streak or Starcell U.K., Esa still managed to keep crafting away, even with a very visible – and heavy – albatross around his neck.
Now, close to two decades since the release of Container, where do we find Esa at? Why, at Ilmiö, Turku, of course! Approach him and ask him to play your favourite tune of his at the gig – you might or might not recognize it. Or he might not have it. Either way, Esa will do his utmost to keep himself entertained during the set, without turning into a best-of jukebox effort.