Finn Olli Aarni has tread a unique path among Northern European ambient artists (a statement that specific probably overqualifies it). His first release on Preservation—and indeed first album proper—was 2010’s Nuojuva Halava. That LP, which indirectly supplied Aarni with his new moniker, was a heady patchwork suffused with decayed vinyl samples, field recordings and a diverse range of sonic influences spanning from modern classical to hip-hop. An intermediate release announcing the retirement—”death’—of the old Ous Mal name followed before this, the proper Preservation follow-up to Nuojuva Halava. It provides an interesting insight to a flourishing young collagist who has pared down his influences in search of a statement that is ultimately more moving and better realised than its predecessor.
I’m still new enough to ambient music to occasionally grapple with the feeling that if the endgame is to be passively enjoyed, how then can you really go wrong? Perhaps that is the wrong question to ask; I see two primary ways in which ambient music can go wrong. The first is uninteresting or clichéd use of samples of instrumentation. The second is unfocused use of repetition. We know enough about the giants of modern classical and ambient—names like Eno, Glass, Reich and Ligeti—to be aware that repetition and uniformity of tone are used judiciously in order to induce a certain musical motif or listener state of mind. Aarni does that while working within a paradoxical modern phenomenon. He is an artist who compiles and creates warm, analogue music (the crackle of vinyl is a fundamental element of Valot Kaukaa) through primarily digital means, and indeed for a digitally-attuned listening audience.
The comparison between this album and Aarni’s previous provides a revealing insight into a musician who is always looking to hone his craft. Valot may be less replete with different influences than its predecessor, but, like the feature of those artists mentioned before, possesses a tactfulness and restraint that ultimately makes it much more effective. Most tracks are underpinned by a single rolling sample which lends Valot the coherence that, though full of ideas and creativity, Nuojuva Halava sometimes missed in its exuberance. The inclusion of several stately, elegiac pop gestures is another factor that elevates Valot Kaukaa not only above Olli Aarni’s previous work, but also straight into the top tier of modern ambient music.
Mateo Szlapek-Sewillo
