v8 of SOMETHING features musicians Heli Hartikainen (reeds) and Hadi Hrekes (percussion), both of whom are making waves in their respective fields of jazz & improvised music, and Middle Eastern percussion & cross-genre collaborations. What happens when this comes together in a first time trio meeting of Hartikainen, Hrekes, and Wilson Tanner Smith (cello) at 8th edition of Something Else? Come find out! -- only in Helsinki, only in Kallio, only at Musta Kissa...
Free entry, suggested donation €5-€500 (mobilepay or cash)
SOMETHING ELSE is a concert series for improvised music focused on new meetings of musicians from across Helsinki's free improv, experimental, jazz, electronic, and global music communities, hosted every 4th Thursday of the month at Kallio's Musta Kissa bar. New small-ensemble groupings are highlighted each time, with an emphasis on surprise, difference, curiosity, energy, and connection. Curated/hosted by Wilson Tanner Smith.
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About:
HELI HARTIKAINEN is an award-winning saxophonist, clarinetist, composer, and sound artist whose music merges experimental sonic textures with hypnotic, evolving soundscapes. As a saxophonist, Hartikainen is a passionate instrumentalist who continually pushes the limits of their instrument, themself, and the possibilities of sound technology ever further.
Their debut solo album CHRONOVARIATIONS, which utilizes 3D audio technology, won the Finnish Critics’ Association’s honorary prize ”Kritiikin Kannukset” in 2025 for the year’s most significant artistic breakthrough and was nominated for the Emma Awards, the Finnish equivalent of the Grammys, for Best Jazz Album of 2024.
Hartikainen has studied classical clarinet, jazz saxophone, folk music, and improvisation, and holds a Master of Music degree from the Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki. Their studies focused on ancient improvisational styles and the aesthetics of repetition in Finnish folk music, while also deepening their expertise in electroacoustic music, spatial audio, and live electronics. Their music has been featured at prestigious festivals such as Flow Festival, Ung Nordisk Musik and Nordic Music Days.
www.helihartikainen.com
HADI HREKES is a skilled percussionist and a student at the Sibelius Academy’s Global Music Department in Helsinki, Finland. With a solid foundation in darbuka and ethno-oriental percussion, he has gained recognition for his rhythmic talent, solo improvisations, and collaborative nature. Hadi’s musical journey includes various records and collaborations, as well as participation in numerous festivals and ensembles in Syria, Lebanon, the Arab region, the Balkans, and Finland. He has lent his talents to renowned Syrian drama series and has composed cinematic rhythms. Passionate about blending different traditions, he enjoys experimenting with live ethno-oriental percussion and incorporating elements of world percussion into his work. Hadi continually explores creative projects that celebrate unity and diverse soundscapes in the global music scene.
www.instagram.com/hadi.hrekes
WILSON TANNER SMITH is a cellist, composer, improviser, and music-theatre artist currently based in Helsinki. His musical sensibility is informed by free improvisation/free jazz, ambient, DIY and found sounds, and by many cross-cultural/-genre collaborations in his former hometown, Chicago, and more recently across northern/western Europe. He frequently collaborates across music, theatre, and dance projects, and is also a member of the improvising quartet Mad Myth Science, whose debut album was released August 2023 to acclaim from The Wire, the Quietus, Chicago Reader, and Stereogum.
www.wilsontannersmith.com
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