Beyondjazz (Matti): So here we are, it’s been over two years since the first Dalindèo release, and now your debut full-length is finally here. Let’s begin with the clichéd sports journalists’ question: How do you feel right now?
Dalindèo (Valtteri Pöyhönen): Feeling good, thanks for asking. I’m happy with the end result. Naturally, the album has been a long time coming already, and we had been recording stuff for quite some time now after the first releases. It’s nice that everybody else can finally hear it, too!

How long was the actual recording process of the album?
We started somewhere around March 2006 and added bits and pieces here and there. The big thing during the summer was getting the string arrangements done and I was actually a bit surprised myself that there were so many tracks with the string section on the album.

I remember talking to you back in March as you were about to hit the studio. Back then, you still weren’t quite sure what the album’s going to sound like. How would you reflect on your feelings then and now regarding the overall vibe of Open Scenes?
To be honest, all in all it turned out pretty much as I would’ve envisioned it back then. Like I said there were some details that took shape during the process, but essentially, the tracks are the same ones we had already been playing live before. Of course [the producer of the album] Tuomas Kallio added some nice touches here and there to make our sound more complete as well. What I really like about the album myself is how balanced it seems now after a few spins. Soundwise, it’s pretty basic Dalindèo without too many additional gimmicks. A good friend of mine, Georgios Kontrafouris [whom some of you might remember from Timo Lassy’s African Rumble 12”] plays organ on one of the tracks, and there’s a bit of trombone somewhere, but that’s basically it when it comes to guest spots. Aside of the strings I mentioned, and Michiko on vocals, of course.

How did you initially discover Michiko?
I remember thinking quite some time ago that it would be good to have a vocalist on some of the tracks when we eventually would release a full-length album, and we ran into Michiko at this studio where she was painting a few years back. She studies art in Helsinki, and we were rehearsing in a another room on the same building. Well, she just came by to hang out and ended up on the mic. We really liked her vibe and kind of worked it on from there.

That sure seems like a natural way of finding a vocalist.
Yeah, that’s right. And I feel that many Finnish people sort of struggle with English lyrics, not to put anyone down specifically, of course, but speaking in general terms. I want to stress that there are plenty of good Finnish vocalists out there also singing in English, so don’t get me wrong there. I just like Michiko’s uniqueness as a person, plus her Japanese articulation too. Of course it’s always risky to bring up a new vocalist, but so far we’ve thoroughly enjoyed working with her.

Next, I would like to ask you to take us through Open Scenes track by track.
Sure.

‘Empty Fruits’
The opener is one of my personal favourites. It’s a vocal track, a jazz waltz, if you will. I’m really happy about this one, and I think it opens the album quite fittingly.

‘Leviathan’
This is a track that’s been a central part of our live sets for a long time already. The album version sounds good to me. There have been different versions of the track over the last couple of years, and we jokingly called the most recent one ‘Leviathan 2.0’, but this one we have here seems like the final one to me. A nice closure for its evolution, I think.

‘Non-Stop Flight’
Coming up third, we have ‘Non-Stop Flight’, which has already been causing some stir in Japan. The people promoting the album there think that it could be a fitting track for radio play. I think it’s a crossbreed track of sorts, because if you really think about it, it has a Finnish band playing music influenced by Brasilian bossa nova, the singer is Japanese, singing in English, and on top of that you have your Bollywood strings stirring things up!(laughs) That’s just the age we live in, then, I guess. On the other hand I think it’s important to have respect for the originals, but at the same time it’s just a natural part of the present day that people are able to check out different things from all around the world. There are always footnotes here and there, but eventually it’s the end result that counts. As a composer, I am not interested in making pastiches of any kind. When different musical elements blend together, the result should always be something more than the sum of its parts.

‘Poseidon’
Next, we have a track familiar to many from our first release. We decided to keep ‘Poseidon’ pretty much as it was, albeit it was remastered for the album.

‘Samba Da-Li’
This is one of our earliest compositions. That’s also the reason why it’s one of the more “Brasilian” tunes on the album. It’s a version that stays true to the original live cut with some added spices, of course.

‘Open’
‘Open’ is basically just an intro for the next track. A short mood piece played by myself and [Dalindèo trumpetist] Jose Mäenpää.

‘Tsunami’
Another track with Michiko. This one includes a short spoken word/rap sequence in Japanese, and actually Michiko, who wrote all the lyrics on the album, had full Japanese lyrics lined up for ‘Tsunami’. However, she decided to go with English ones here.

‘Vedenneito’
Another track that really came to bloom on the album. Actually, the oldest one of all the compositions here. A part of our usual live set as well. The studio setting with an acoustic guitar really helped in recording this one. I’m really happy about the final version.

‘Voodoo’
This is the same version that was the B-side of our second 12”, Go Ahead, Float. Again, the album cut has just been remastered.

‘Sold Out’
A loose composition, really enjoyable, I think. Georgios Kontrafouris added some delicious organ in there. All in all, I see the latter part of the album as being more of a “live” section with tracks like ‘Voodoo’, ‘Sold Out’, and ‘Helium’. That’s certainly not far off from what we do on stage.

‘Helium’
As I said, a live cut more or less. This track is another central building block in our live sets.

‘Solifer-Lento’
Ending the album, we have ‘Solifer-Lento’. A familiar track from the first 12”, although I feel that this updated version takes it on a whole another level. In my opinion, the album version captures the composition in its very essence in a really beautiful way. One thing I would like to highlight on this one is Jose’s lyrical playing, which occupies a central role here.

In general, an important feature on this album was my new guitar, which I just recently acquired. It was a surprising add to the overall sound that I came up with this sort of tone, which was quite different stylistically when compared to the sound I used before. It was something I hadn’t planned ahead. It just happened as I bought this new guitar in June and started playing it. Well, it’s hard to explain, I’m sure you’ll notice the difference when you listen to the album.

OK, that’s cool. There’s this one question regarding the album I just can’t avoid asking. Where’s ‘Go Ahead, Float’?
I feel that it’s basically a club tune, a bit of dancefloor jazz, if you will, and I just couldn’t find a place for the track on the album. It’s added as a bonus track on the Japanese version, though. I have always though of it as a club track, and personally, it would not be one of my first choices to listen to at home. Of course there are other songs on the album with a somewhat similar club feel, but I felt that it didn’t fit the album as it is rather nicely balanced now as it is. It’s loads of fun to play live, so we’re not abandoning the track in any way.

Have there already been any plans of future singles and/or remix projects?
No, none as of yet. I’m just glad the album is finally coming out! (laughs)

Well, one thing at a time, right? What about touring plans and such?
The album comes out in Europe early 2007, so we’re definitely up for gigs abroad. Let’s hope that people pick the album up and book us. Dalindèo initially began to take shape a live band, so that’s what we are about and that’s certainly a high priority for us.

How do you see the relationship between the recorded and live “versions” of Dalindèo?
The energy we have live is really different, of course. So soundwise, it’s much more intense. Obviously there are also things on the album that are not going to be reproduced live. I don’t worry about it, because good compositions prevail both live and in the studio. It doesn’t have to be exactly the same. Those are two different levels, so we do solos and enjoy ourselves, trying to go with the flow. It’s not like we would go back and listen to the album and go “oh my gosh, how are we gonna do that!”. (laughs)

More info:
http://www.dalindeo.com
http://www.myspace.com/dalindeo

Check out Dalindèo performing a relaxed live version of ‘Leviathan’. You might want to listen to our upcoming radioshow tomorrow too, maybe you win some tickets to their live gig in De Kreun, Kortrijk (BE).