Mika Vainio, who is currently based in Berlin, is one half of the minimal electronic duo Pan Sonic from Finland (the other being Ilpo Väisänen), which started in the early 90's. Before that, he played electronics and drums as part of the early Finnish industrial and noise scene. Pansonic's brand of quirky, lo-fi minimalism has transformed them into one of the most popular exports from the Northern European techno underground, but unlike their hard, comparatively more dancefloor-oriented music, Vainio's work tends more toward the ambient and experimental, wedding sparse machine noises with shifting rhythms, stubbornly unmusical sonic textures, and assorted channel separation weirdness. His solo works, under his own name and aliases like Ø, are known for their analogue warmth and electronic harshness.
Be it abstract drone works or minimal avant-techno, he is always creating unique, physical sounds. Mika has released on labels like Touch, Wavetrap and Sähkö, and has been producing with artists such as Björk, Alan Vega of Suicide, Keiji Haino and Chicks on Speed. His new album has been recently released for Touch label in the UK, with a 12" forthcoming on Raster-Noton. In Belgrade he will be playing as part of the Raster-Noton label showcase, for which he has published several releases under his own name or as Ø.
