“I have all her records. She’s fantastic. She’s amazing and cool and strange.”
Henry Rollins
“With membership rights to a number of different bands and outfits, Jonna Karanka's reputation in the 21st Century Finnish underground is well established to say the least. Now this collaborative but solo-led project - which also features the likes of Jan Anderzen, Tsemba and Lau Nau - looks set to cement that status further with yet another evocative body of strange pop-psyche-ambient that seems to have landed from another planet.
At times it feels like you're knee deep in some alien jungle the arrangement is so textured, natural and organic ('Ihmispennut', or 'Summer'). In other moments it seems to glint with the sheen of crisp modernity in moonlight ('All Nighter'), before darting off into more exotic aural adventures. A work of real imagination and vision, to say the least.”
Plz Tell me reviewed at Juno Records
Kuupuu is the solo-project of Finnish visual artist and musician Jonna Karanka. Her records have been released on such labels as EM Records (Japan), Time-Lag Records (USA) and Dekorder (Germany). She has performed in KRAAK Festival (Brussels), ISSUE Project Room (NYC), Flow Festival (Helsinki), Fylkingen (Stockholm), Museo do Chiado (Lisbon) etc. She also plays in Olimpia Splendid (best stoner shit with Heta Bilaletdin and Katri Sipiläinen), Black Bikini (underwater dreamland sounds with Pentti Dassum), Hockey Night (free jazz for fun with Arttu Partinen, Sami Pekkola and Jaakko Tolvi) Kukkiva Poliisi (polyrhytmic kantelecacophony - or techno, who knows - with Johanna Ketola, Annika Lintervo, Johanna Lonka, Inka Yli-Tepsa) and Hertta Lussu Ässä (dream trio with Merja Kokkonen and Laura Naukkarinen). She has also made sounds with Avarus, The Anaksimandros, Way of the Cross, Kemialliset Ystävät and IAX.
Kuupuu was born in the early 2000s when four trackers started to be in fashion again and the inspiring spirits of Tampere underground (Avarus, The Anaksimandros, Islaja and Kemialliset Ystävät, to name a few) were labouring magical tunes next door. Almost 20 years later Kuupuu is still swimming in the lake of muddy dream-pop, found sounds, loops and electro-acoustic hiss & bliss.
The Belgian record label KRAAK re-released her album Plz tell me (with few new tracks) as a vinyl album in November 2020.
︎ Kuupuu interview for the Avant-guardian
︎ Olimpia Splendid live at Sonic City 2017
︎ Al Jazeera documentary on “Finland Forest Folk”
KUUPUU DISCOGRAPHY
PLZ tell me, LP & digi, KRAAK, 2020
PLZ tell me, tape & digi, self-released, 2019 Balsam / Rat Baby Baby, 7” ep, Vauva, 2015 Sisar, LP, EM Records, 2013 Sous juju, 2 X CD, EM Records, 2013 Kuupuu / Umpio, split tape, Nekorecords, 2012 Spring High Spiritual Spree Spray Ray, tape, Cabin Floor Esoterica, 2010 Kuupuu live 19.11.2009, CD, Unsound Recordings, 2010 Lumen tähden, CD & LP, Time-Lag Records, 2009 Kuupuu / Smack music 7, split tape, Threshold Tapes, 2009
Tinakenkälurtta, tape, Lady Garden, 2008
Tour musik, cdr, self-released, 2007
Unilintu, LP, Dekorder, 2007
Yökehrä, LP, Dekorder, 2006
Kulta sulka, cdr, self-released, 2005
Illusia, 7” ep, Time-Lag Records, 2005
Hätä hotilla, cdr, self-released, 2005
i can walk the dark, 3” cdr, Foxglove, 2004
Kevätlauluja, cdr, self-released, 2004
Sateen suutelemat, tape, Nidnod, 2004
s/t, cdr, self-released, 2003
PLZ tell me, LP & digi, KRAAK, 2020
PLZ tell me, tape & digi, self-released, 2019 Balsam / Rat Baby Baby, 7” ep, Vauva, 2015 Sisar, LP, EM Records, 2013 Sous juju, 2 X CD, EM Records, 2013 Kuupuu / Umpio, split tape, Nekorecords, 2012 Spring High Spiritual Spree Spray Ray, tape, Cabin Floor Esoterica, 2010 Kuupuu live 19.11.2009, CD, Unsound Recordings, 2010 Lumen tähden, CD & LP, Time-Lag Records, 2009 Kuupuu / Smack music 7, split tape, Threshold Tapes, 2009
Tinakenkälurtta, tape, Lady Garden, 2008
Tour musik, cdr, self-released, 2007
Unilintu, LP, Dekorder, 2007
Yökehrä, LP, Dekorder, 2006
Kulta sulka, cdr, self-released, 2005
Illusia, 7” ep, Time-Lag Records, 2005
Hätä hotilla, cdr, self-released, 2005
i can walk the dark, 3” cdr, Foxglove, 2004
Kevätlauluja, cdr, self-released, 2004
Sateen suutelemat, tape, Nidnod, 2004
s/t, cdr, self-released, 2003
ALSO APPERING ON
KEMIALLISET YSTÄVÄT: Siipi empii, LP, Ikuisuus, 2018 V/A: Neptunalia, LP, Ikuisuus & Lal Lal Lal, 2018 OLIMPIA SPLENDID: s/t, CD & LP, Fonal Records, 2015 BLACK BIKINI: s/t, CD, Musik Atlach, 2015HOCKEY NIGHT: Substitution Infraction, CS, self-released, 2014 MATOMERI: Ybermudan kolmiossa, CS, Ikuisuus, 2014 HOCKEY NIGHT: Neutral Zone Trap, LP, Ikuisuus, 2013
OLIMPIA SPLENDID: Nuttu nurin, 7” ep, Fonal Records, 2013 HERTTA LUSSU ÄSSÄ: s/t, LP, De Stijl, 2011
HOCKEY NIGHT: Playing With Too Many Sticks, CS, self-released, 2011 BLACK TO COMM: Alphabet 1968, CD & LP, Type, 2009 JONNA KARANKA & JAAKKO TOLVI: Kaappirausku / Albiinobambi, cdr, self-released, 2008
BLACK TO COMM: Fractal Hair Geometry, CD & LP, Dekorder, 2008 WAY OF THE CROSS: Mind Of The Dolphin, LP, Phoenix, 2008
V/A: Larm: From Mouth To Cavity Laptop, 2xCD, Kning Disk, 2007 V/A: Broken Brain, cdr, Chocolate Monk, 2007
V/A: Women Take Back The Noise, CD, UBUIBI, 2006
V/A: Maan matoset, CD, Pohjoisten kukkaisten äänet, 2005
DIRECTING HAND: Love Will Waste My Body, cdr, Memoirs Of An Aesthete, 2005 V/A: Gold Leaf Branches, 3xCD, Digitalis Recordings, 2005 AVARUS: Ruskeatimantti, 2xCD, Tumult, 2005
KUKKIVA POLIISI: Kukkiva Poliisi, CS, Monopolka, Ej tu dirst, 2005
KUKKIVA POLIISI: Ilola, cdr, Audiobot, 2005 THE ANAKSIMANDROS: River Of Finland, LP, Eclipse Records, 2004 KUKKIVA POLIISI: s/t, cdr, self-released, 2003 AVARUS: Luonnon ilmiöitä, 7”EP, Boing Being, Kuusi pientä kustantajaa, 2002
KEMIALLISET YSTÄVÄT: Siipi empii, LP, Ikuisuus, 2018 V/A: Neptunalia, LP, Ikuisuus & Lal Lal Lal, 2018 OLIMPIA SPLENDID: s/t, CD & LP, Fonal Records, 2015 BLACK BIKINI: s/t, CD, Musik Atlach, 2015HOCKEY NIGHT: Substitution Infraction, CS, self-released, 2014 MATOMERI: Ybermudan kolmiossa, CS, Ikuisuus, 2014 HOCKEY NIGHT: Neutral Zone Trap, LP, Ikuisuus, 2013
OLIMPIA SPLENDID: Nuttu nurin, 7” ep, Fonal Records, 2013 HERTTA LUSSU ÄSSÄ: s/t, LP, De Stijl, 2011
HOCKEY NIGHT: Playing With Too Many Sticks, CS, self-released, 2011 BLACK TO COMM: Alphabet 1968, CD & LP, Type, 2009 JONNA KARANKA & JAAKKO TOLVI: Kaappirausku / Albiinobambi, cdr, self-released, 2008
BLACK TO COMM: Fractal Hair Geometry, CD & LP, Dekorder, 2008 WAY OF THE CROSS: Mind Of The Dolphin, LP, Phoenix, 2008
V/A: Larm: From Mouth To Cavity Laptop, 2xCD, Kning Disk, 2007 V/A: Broken Brain, cdr, Chocolate Monk, 2007
V/A: Women Take Back The Noise, CD, UBUIBI, 2006
V/A: Maan matoset, CD, Pohjoisten kukkaisten äänet, 2005
DIRECTING HAND: Love Will Waste My Body, cdr, Memoirs Of An Aesthete, 2005 V/A: Gold Leaf Branches, 3xCD, Digitalis Recordings, 2005 AVARUS: Ruskeatimantti, 2xCD, Tumult, 2005
KUKKIVA POLIISI: Kukkiva Poliisi, CS, Monopolka, Ej tu dirst, 2005
KUKKIVA POLIISI: Ilola, cdr, Audiobot, 2005 THE ANAKSIMANDROS: River Of Finland, LP, Eclipse Records, 2004 KUKKIVA POLIISI: s/t, cdr, self-released, 2003 AVARUS: Luonnon ilmiöitä, 7”EP, Boing Being, Kuusi pientä kustantajaa, 2002
