Exclusive Interview with Petteri Karjalainen from Bad Loop

Residing in Helsinki, Finland, Bad Loop is an IDM electronica music band fronted by Petteri Karjalainen. Started in 1991, Karjalainen is a pioneer of IDM, ambient and down-tempo electronica. Bad Loop provides a unique sound, tripped, harmonic and discordant. As an avid listener it was an honor to get the chance to interview Petteri on matters musical and material. You can check out Bad Loop's bio here.

Cheyne Johnson: What is your musical background?
Petteri Karjalainen: Well... I have studied music at the Music Institute of Vantaa for about 12 years. Classical piano was my subject. I started listening to electronic music when I was about six years old.
Cheyne: That's impressive.
Petteri: My mom travelled a lot and she bought me some vinyls from her travels. And, I fell in love with disco music and especially Italo, Giorgio Moroder and such. When I was 8, I was introduced to Kraftwerk and that changed my whole life. I started producing music with a friend from school at 11 and haven't stopped ever since. That was 19 years ago...

Cheyne: Do you teach or mentor professionally?
Petteri: Well I don't mentor as such. I have given vague lectures on electronic music at the University of Helsinki but nothing special.
Cheyne: Its an abstract subject even once you get down to the production matter.
Petteri: Yeh. Especially IDM music, production techniques to such abstract music.

Cheyne: What best defines your style from the rest of the industry? How do you judge a performance or song?
Petteri: What defines my style? I think I am the wrong person to ask that but I think it all comes down to my music being very melodical. I like the contrast between hard, slightly glitched beats over harmonic soundscapes and a melody that carries the whole song. So I think its 'melodic and emotional idm'. I have tried to do more monotoneous idm but I think my classical training forbids me doing that.
Cheyne: Haha, I can understand that.
Petteri: And [despite beginning from an abstract] somehow melodies and harmonies always find a way to inject themselves into my music.

Cheyne: Are there any teachers or peers you credit as part of the reason your sound is the way it is today?
Petteri: There are three. Vangelis, Aphex Twin and Brothomstates; especially the last one. Lassi Nikko, the person known as Brothomstates, has been a huge influence in my music and Vangelis' Bladerunner really broke something in my head when I was young! My life has not been the same since.

Cheyne: Do you employ kind of practice or warm-up prior to creating music or setting up live?
Petteri: When it comes to creation, I dont really warm up. If I have no inspiration, I just make weird sounds or just jam. But, when inspiration hits me, I can wake up at 4am to start making music. I dont care if I have to go to work in 4 hours. I'd rather not sleep than miss making something that is playing in my head. As for livesets, I usually work on a set for about 2 weeks prior to playing it. I don't want anything to go wrong and it has to be perfect. Sometimes that is not possible. Because some gigs I have played on a days notice. And, they usually suck. But it is OK. I love performing live, really the reason why I do this.

Cheyne: What is a memory in public performance that makes you smile?
Petteri: I think the gig that takes the cake is one I played in 2005 in Tuusula. The event was so badly organized that I was amazed, it was held in a place that holds about 2000 people but the organizers did not advertise. So, I played a gig for the sound technician, a couple of security guards, and a camera man.
Cheyne: *laughs*
Petteri: But, the best experience I had was in London in 2007 warming up to Plaid of Warp Fame. That was very special.
Cheyne: Very cool, I haven't heard some of these names before.
Petteri: Plaid is awesome :)

Cheyne: What is your current favorite track you've thus far released?
Petteri: Hmm... I think the most popular song I have is "Lumme", hands down.
Cheyne: That's some beautiful sound.
Petteri: As for favourite, I don't know since I pretty much hate everything I have released. It is never good enough. I think my forthcoming album will be my favourite.

Cheyne: What has been your greatest challenge so far as a musician?
Petteri: Well, I suffer from extreme self criticism. Therefore I haven't released anything for couple of years. I make a track, and in the morning it is horrible! Making a song that lasts over one day [against criticism] is hard. I have tons of unfinished work, but it has been getting better lately. I'm just getting over myself and just doing the songs like I should.

Cheyne: What are your current and longterm musical goals?
Petteri: Currently I am finishing up my 1st full length album Sorina and doing some performances on the side. As Bad Loop, I have no plans set for after that. I will see what the album brings along but I also produce music for adverts, film and computer games so I am hoping that it will be my 'bread' someday. I am currently working in Computer retail store. That is not really the work I want to do but I am taking it slowly. As I get more work I can consider moving away from retail and do this full time. But yes, in a nutshell, make an album and see what happens. I additionally produce music for other artists sometimes.
Cheyne: I'll definitely be looking out for that.
Petteri: Its been a long time in making. Sorina, that is.

Cheyne: Kind of arbitrary, do you run with a business plan?
Petteri: I try very hard making some deadlines and keeping them. I love the sound they make as they fly by.
Cheyne: *laughs*
Petteri: And they can do that quite frequently.

Cheyne: Any advice you would give to a nervous beginner? For making music and performing it.
Petteri: Why nervous? Making music today is easy. Today, the internet is FILLED with software. Just try out what best suits your working process. With Youtube oozing with tutorials for tons of software, I think there is no problem for anybody to just start producing. It was very different 20 years ago, hence the name Bad Loop.
Cheyne: Interesting...
Petteri: Because I had to use hex numbers to set loop points in software that had no graphical representation of ANYTHING musical. Just text mode in DOS, numbers and more numbers! And I am not good with numbers, so setting loop points with hex values. I hate hex values.
Cheyne: I can imagine, that's just wrong to have to go through that. Except for the willpower and chasing your dreams part... *ahem* Yeah..


Bad Loop is set to release their next EP, Fragments, later this year with the full length album, Sorina, next year. Check out the Bad Loop website, containing a plethora of information and downloadable tracks at http://www.badloop.com/. Petteri can be found performing live on Youtube, along with the video compilation, Sentience, and you can also catch a full set here. You'll find additional content on Facebook and MySpace. The album Luo, shown above, is available online at http://www.badloop.com/luo/.