interview by: Roberto Martinelli

H.P. Lovecraft would totally dig Kemialliset Ystävät. The image of the blind, idiot god at the center of the universe making music by his most primal instinct really jells with the sound of this Finnish folk group. If you can imagine a sinister group of idiot savants playing instruments that are so old that they are on the verge of disintegration, then you're on your way to understanding what kind of magic this wondrous band weaves. The following interview is a conversation with Jan Anderzén, the "Christ-like" leader of the group.

Maelstrom: Kemialliset Ystävät totally fascinates me. What does that name mean?

Jan Anderzén (above): It's "chemical friends," but I think it's less stupid in Finnish.

Maelstrom: Does that mean drug buddies? I would understand if drugs had a part in making your music. Is this what the name is all about?

Jan Anderzén: We didn't invent the name - it was given to us, and believe it or not there's no drug reference. The drug we use when making our sound is the pee of fairies we gulp once in a while. The "friend"-part of the name is much more important.

Maelstrom: Are these Finnish lake fairies?

Jan Anderzén: As you might know, Finland has thousands of lakes. Nowadays they are all surrounded by summer cottages, and I'm afraid the lake fairies are fading away. The grove fairies around the seashore of southern Finland are the ones we collaborate with.

Maelstrom: Indeed, your first two albums in particular (the CDR and Pieni Palatsi, what does that mean?) sound super lethargic, almost like you are stumbling over your instruments.

Jan Anderzén: Pieni palatsi is "a small palace." Those aren't our first two albums. We've been releasing music since 1995.

Maelstrom: In my reviews, I imagined the instruments you play as being dug up out of some forgotten antique store. I imagine strings missing from the guitars and the wood eaten away by termites and mold. The sound of the instruments and the way they are played gives your band its charm. It's sort of part the charm you feel when you hear an old, scratchy record, and part the charm of venerable, timeless objects. How do you approach playing your music and what are your instruments really like?

Jan Anderzén: Thank you. All our instruments are from flea markets, stores who sell second hand goods and god knows where. Your vision of them is incredibly correct. I think most bands wouldn't no what to do with our equipment. We approach our instruments like toys.

Maelstrom: There's also this kind of thing you do on your albums that I call "evil music box" music. You know, like those wind up, hand held music boxes you had as a kid and that some people collect like maniacs. What makes this music on your records?

Jan Anderzén: We have material that is inspired by the art of ornaments, the cycles and the patterns. We tune the strings with intuition and pluck them without too much rational thinking. Give it a try and you might come up with an "evil music box" of your own.

Maelstrom: What are your songs mostly about?

Jan Anderzén: Beauty/absurdity of life/world, nature, childhood, anti-fanaticism... we don't sing with words anymore.

Maelstrom: Anti-fanaticism... That sounds interesting. What exactly do you mean?

Jan Anderzén: I think it's dangerous when people think they know the truth. You know, I always try to remind self: "Jan, you know nothing."

Maelstrom: That sounds like a Buddhist principle.

Jan Anderzén: Maybe so. It works for me.

Maelstrom: Of course, I can't tell that you aren't using words. What sounds are you making?

Jan Anderzén: The new recordings have fewer lyrics than the last few albums. Lately I've gotten into the idea of music as a nonverbal communication. Human voice can be a beautiful instrument and we try to discover different ways to use it.

Maelstrom: I think that's cool. There's this kind of music that we talk about in my zine called death metal. I don't know if you've ever heard any. Anyway, the vocal style is generally completely incoherent (as are many, many other vocal styles in so-called "extreme" music). Objectively, not only are the vocals pretty absurd, but it's pretty ridiculous that people take the time to write lyrics and then deliver them in a way no one could possibly understand.

Jan Anderzén: I agree, that is strange.

Maelstrom: You have at least a few fans in California. I got your albums through Aquarius Records in San Francisco. One of the Aquarius guys said I'd like your stuff. Sure enough. I started with your CDR, fuzzy case album. What's that called? I was hooked.

Jan Anderzén: The CDR is called Varisevien Tanssi / Silmujen Marssi (something like "the dance of the falling leaves" / "the march of the buds"). For a reason unknown, most of our fans seem to live in California.

Maelstrom: That's funny. It's weird how illogical things get in so called "cult" or "underground" music. My friend's local band just released a split with a Finnish group on a Malaysian label. At the same time, it's not so surprising you guys caught on in California. Maybe the combination of latent/ neo-hippy culture and just general liberal "far out" ness makes Kemialliset appealing.

Jan Anderzén: The friends of far out sound are everywhere and that is wonderful.

Maelstrom: How did you get into music and specifically what inspired you to start Kemialliset Ystävät?

Jan Anderzén: I wasn't that interested in music as a child. I think it was some artsy punk rock that gave me the idea to grab an instrument. Kemialliset Ystävät was born without too much thinking.

Maelstrom: How old are you and what do you "do"?

Jan Anderzén: I'm 24. At the moment I'm doing a 13-month civil service for not going to the army. I got some education in the fine arts and now I'm wondering how to make my living.

Maelstrom: Andérzen...that's not a Finnish name, is it?

Jan Anderzén: It's a Danish name. Son -> sen -> zen.

Maelstrom: I have a Kemialliset Ystävät album on Fonal Records that comes in a digipak. There are lots of pictures of people inside. How many people are in your band and which guy are you?

Jan Anderzén: There are only three of us playing on almost every track of the album and then there are about seven people who pay a visit. I would be that Christ looking guy far right.

Maelstrom: When I traveled through Hungary, I got myself this Lonely Planet guidebook. I read this really fascinating thing in it. It was saying that the Hungarian language didn't at all resemble the languages from the countries around it. It said that the only language that was close was from Finland, which is pretty far away. It was also talking about how Hungary has this cultural infatuation with suicide, almost to the point where it's romantic. It said that Hungary has a very high rate of suicide, and that Finland is close behind. What do you make of these words? Would you care to comment?

Jan Anderzén: There are many similarities in these two languages. For instance, they're both very complicated. As they say, we are prisoners of our language and maybe the high suicide rate really has a connection to the strange words we use.

Maelstrom: By the way, do you consider Finland as being part of Scandinavia? I've gotten some conflicting stories about this.

Jan Anderzén: Finland is between east and west and it's an interesting place to be.

Maelstrom: I'm going to check out a Finnish band called Avarus. It's supposed to be a bit like your band. Have you heard of them?

Jan Anderzén: They are my good friends and we share members. I've played with Avarus many times.

Maelstrom: Do you have a different feeling concerning the music of the two groups?

Jan Anderzén: It's a very different experience. Avarus is jamming with friends and not paying too much attention to recording, while the Kemialliset Ystävät approach is a more personal one, concentrating on the details.

Maelstrom: what music do you find yourself listening to a lot?

Jan Anderzén: I do spend plenty of time listening to records. I have a great hunger for magical sounds and most of my money is spent to obscure audio. I try to be aware of the contemporary actions but mostly it's the stuff from the past: folk, psych, experimental, kraut, jazz, prog, etc...

Check out the Kemialliset Ystävät site at http://www.vip.fi/~anderzen

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