V.C.

December 6 marks Finland's Independence Day, and while I've never been to Finland, if their Independence Day is anything like our 4th of July, then there's bound to be a lot of celebrating going on in the European nation.

This is rather important for V.C., who's been a pioneer in the Scandanavian-born music genre skweee, both as a solo act and as 1/4 of Yöt, which has come to grow and firmly plant itself in the electronic music world. Today also marks the release of his LP, Invisibility. Unique in his approach to the electronic world, infused with an obvious influence from hip hop and funk, his music is undeniably catchy, but also filled with an emotional depth.

Today we've managed to snag "Yes," a standout from his LP, which in itself is a standout. Teetering on a careful balance of eighties funk and hip hop influenced drums, the track smoothly pleases the ears, and is a jam-packed experience. He carefully spends the first 45 seconds drawing the listener in, before kicking things off for the remainder of the song. It's a fun yet complex track that highlights why V.C. has been so influential in the Scandinavian dance scene, and why we should expect to hear his name across the world soon.

"Yes" is a part of Invisibility, which is out today via Raha & Tunteet. - Earmilk.com

Helsinki-based producer V.C. recently released his debut long-player, Invisibility, via his own Raha & Tunteet label. After first giving us a taste of the 12-track effort last month with a colorful video for LP cut "Roy M.," V.C. returns to our pages to give away the slinking "Closing In." Echoes of the producer's time spent as an innovative figure within the skweee movement can be heard across the tune's three-plus-minute run, which cobbles together a playful hybrid from glowing synths, loose basslines, and a bit of understated boom-bap. While still evolving, "Closing In" is a welcome reminder that the miniature tones and crisp beats of skweee are still alive and well. - XLR8R.com

Helsinki producer Jukka Santanen has been making high-contrast, hip-hop-leaning electronic music as V.C. for more than half a decade now; on December 6 (coincidentally, Finland's Independence Day) Raha & Tunteet will release his debut LP, Invisibility. The title track is a good idea of what his sound represents, with pinging, colorful synths and a strengthened backbeat. - Pitchfork

Donky Pitch: Recorded in late 2010 and mixed in a remote studio during the Finnish snowstorms of early 2011, ‘The Trick EP’, features six original tracks of synth soaked computer funk, electro inspired slow jams and colourful hip hop heaters. Support from Kutmah, Nasty Nasty, Coco Bryce, FS Green, Ital Tek, Slugabed and Om Unit.
- Groovement.co.uk

Unfortunately, relatively unnoticed by the hype machine, the small label Donkey pitch in recent months, some more neglected foothills of the UK bass waves adopted, including, inter alia, that still does not quite mainstream arrived Scandinavian genre Skwee curated lovingly. VC's super fluid then it sounds like a jam session between the current Jimmy Edgar and Mr Savio personally, visually accompanied by frantic cuts and beautiful stills. - hhv-mag.com

Here’s the brand new video for ‘Superfluid’ from Helsinki based electro producer V.C. Recorded in late 2010 and mixed in a remote studio during the Finnish snowstorms of early 2011 the result is a synth soaked, computer funk slow jam. Coupled with a deep, abstract video this is the type of funk only found in the cold reaches of the Nordic region … - kickkicksnare.com

Recorded in late 2010 and mixed in a remote studio during the Finnish snowstorms of early 2011, Donky Pitch present The Trick EP, a six track EP by Helsinki resident and skweee pioneer V.C. Like the Lo-fi Funk it’s next level Skweee. All the basic ingredients for a Skweee track are there. And he makes it sound so simple. Of Course with these sounds you make amazing music but how he composes, like a 5 star chef is so gooooooood.

Where do we start? Kind of Bad drags your lazy asses of the couch into the vibe. The title track is this old skool hip hop vibe with the claps, the beats and arcade fire but how he details it is so beyond Bambaataa. Cool! Amazing is the 123 First thought was (Sci-fi lover) which soundtrack is it. Perfect late seventies moviescore! The synth bass on Superfluid is so real I could swear it’s an instrumental from the days. Silly Dope has this enormous epic push which builds and builds to newer heights. Deuce Dues, closing track of the EP is almost a style break. So organic such a band feel with these Coco sparkles. - Lowriderscollective.com

Do you know what skweee is? Maybe?! No?! Well, it's a type of electronic hip-hop that's been bouncing around Scandinavia for a while now and is characterised by digital beats, rubbery bass and shrill, P-funkified synths. It's a fledgling, local genre that has been gaining popularity for its sense of bouncy and downright unpretentious fun. Here in the UK, Brighton based promoter and label Donky Pitch has been importing skweee and nurturing homegrown electronic hip-hop talent. They've just released their first video, which you can watch above, to go alongside their next record from Helsinki's V.C. Let's get skweee!

'The Trick EP' by V.C is due for release in mid September on Donky Pitch. In the meantime, the crew have made a lush video for lead track 'Superfluid', which showcases V.C in full skweee flow. The Nordic producer has previously put out tunes on Ramp Recordings and is known for his slick brand of electronic funk.

Donky Pitch has been steadily gaining a reputation for throwing some of the best parties in Brighton, specialising in underground electronic hip-hop, aquacrunk, wonky, skweee and fizzy, bass heavy down-tempo beats in general. They regularly fly in Scandinavian talent and book the best UK based producers on the rise, as well as having a whole crew of residents on stand by to bring in the freshest far-out riddims.

If you're on the search for new music and exciting micro-genres, then dive in to the Donky Pitch back catalogue. Check their website here or preview V.C's EP below! - Mixmag.com