Introduce yourself briefly, what kind of music do you make and what you do in the band?

I’m Ikon from Oranssi Pazuzu. My main instruments in the band are guitars, synthesizers and samplers / drum machines.

If Oranssi Pazuzu was an animal, which would it be and why?

Probably the raven, as it’s in our logo and the name of one of our songs. But I also think that a tarsier’s hypnotic gaze could be something we represent musically.

How did the band originally come together?

There was another band before Oranssi Pazuzu, and after it disbanded, the guys wanted to start a project that creates dark & psychedelic music inspired by black metal and krautrock. They shared the same vision and common ground in their music taste, so it happened naturally. I joined the band later but for similar reasons.

You are originally from the Seinäjoki area. How have the surroundings shaped the sound of the band? What kind of support did you get in the beginning?

It’s hard to say if Seinäjoki has anything to do with our sound. We all more or less grew up there, but only one of us lives in Seinäjoki at the moment, so it is not an aspect that plays a big role. I think our sound is shaped most by our shared vision and common ground of influences and art all around. Our home city has always been Tampere, where our beloved rehearsal place / studio is located. That being said, the local venue Rytmikorjaamo in Seinäjoki makes a really positive impact in bringing different artists and like-minded people together, and I sure have met lots of great people and seen great shows there.

What drives you to make the art that you do?

We like to explore the oppressive and hypnotizing side of music. We treat music as magic, an otherworldly medium, that immerses you and makes you react by dancing, laughing, crying – however you feel like when you listen to it. Even though our inspiration lies in dark matters, there is always a cathartic side to our music. In the end, it’s supposed to make you happy. At least it makes me feel like it in the end.

How do you balance between the recording process and live performing? Does either play a bigger part for the band?

The recording process and performing live are equally important for us. Of course playing fresh material live is always something very special. When touring, we try to perform our songs so that they have the same impact as on the album, but we leave room for improvisation as well. During the live performances we are improvising a lot both with sounds and effects, as well as improvised jam parts, to make it exciting. In order for this to go smoothly, we do a lot of preproduction and rehearsing.

What is going on in the Oranssi Pazuzu camp at the moment / do you have some future plans?

Working on a new album and getting ready to finally start touring for Mestarin kynsi album in April&May.

What would you name as the biggest highlights or hardships in the band's history?

I think that every album that we release is the greatest thing and a highlight at that point. And of course touring in support of that.

How do the visual aspects of the band come together and what kind of a role does it have in Oranssi Pazuzu?

Visual representation is important for our music, as it gives the music a visual context. During the process of creating new material we are always trying to describe our musical ideas by how a part should look or feel like. It might not be for everyone, but we find it a very effective and inspiring way to express ideas. That’s why we are having a lot of audio sensory overload parts and effects in our music. In the preproduction phase of the live show, our light designer Mikko Männistö creates a light show supporting those crazy audio fx cues and what we want to express in different parts. With album covers we like to work with different artists and let them interpret in their own style how our art translates into the physical world.

If you could collaborate with any past or present artist/band which would it be?

That’s a tough one. Maybe my personal answer for this would be Flying Lotus, since the results might be interesting.

Is there some special venue where you would like to perform?

After a couple of years without shows I’m happy to play at anywhere and everywhere.

Recommend three artists everyone should know? (bands or anything you wish to mention)

Can
Rose Kemp
Dungen

Last words of wisdom.

Thanks for the interview and take care!