RinneRadio

RinneRadio
RinneRadio are (from left) Juuso Hannukainen, Tapani Rinne and Verneri Lumi
Background information
Origin	Helsinki, Finland
Genres	jazz, electronic, techno
Years active	1988–present
Labels	Rockadillo Records
Associated acts	SlowHill
Website	http://www.rinneradio.com
Members	Tapani Rinne Juusonik Verneri Lumi

RinneRadio is group of electro jazz pioneers from Finland. Operating on the boundaries of jazz and electronic music, the output of RinneRadio has been described as "some jazz, plenty of techno and ambient influences, a few poppy melodies, and hints of world music". The biography on the band's website provides this description of the music they produce: "RinneRadio fuses electronic underground beats with progressive jazz. As the rhythms of drum'n'bass and hip hop are fermented with dark dub, lush ambient soundscapes and timeless soprano sax textures, the resulting brew becomes equal parts sexy trance jazz and surreal dance music." RinneRadio currently consists of Tapani Rinne (reeds), Verneri Lumi (electronics), and Juuso Hannukainen (percussion).

The band was formed in 1988 by saxophone player/reedsman and composer Tapani Rinne, who still leads the band. Rinne participated in the composer and drummer Edward Vesala's legendary Sound & Fury workshops in Helsinki, and during these workshops the band started to form.

RinneRadio's eponymous debut album was released in 1988 and it featured a stellar cast of Finland's current jazz elite, including Raoul Björkenheim and Iro Haarla.

The second album Dance and Visions was released in 1990 and the album featured the Sami yoik singer Wimme Saari for the first time in RinneRadio's history. Dance and Visions also introduced Jari Kokkonen as a member of RinneRadio. He continued in the group until 2001.

In 1992 RinneRadio released the album Joik, where another long-time collaborator of Rinne, Kimmo Kajasto appeared for the first time. The same year Tapani Rinne garnered the Finnish Yrjö award for Jazz Musician of the Year, given by the Finnish Jazz Federation.

The group's fourth album, Unik was released in 1994 which followed an EP titled DiorInNera, released in 1993. Unik received one of the highest record industry accolades in Finland, the Jazz Emma Award, which could be called the Finnish equivalent of the Grammy. By this time, word had spread about the new concoction of jazz, techno and ambient sounds played by RinneRadio, and the band toured extensively in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Japan, Spain and Sweden.