Music Style Sound of Helsinki

Musical Influences 80's Disko and 90's clubtools

Artist History While growing up in the 80's at the crossroads of East and West, Ural 13 Diktators had really controversial musical influences. Though they were introduced to Russian melancholy through numerous Finnish and Russian songs, they also found cheerful and energetic 80's Hi-NRG from some rare record stores in their hometown Helsinki. For those days it was usual for young people to listen to rock/heavy music and such Hi-NRG fanatics were in the minority. Despite of this, Ural 13 Diktators kept on spinning the hi-lights of the 80's and later on started to play more and more house and acid vinyls to the mixes.In the beginning of the 90's the Diktators started their own computer module group Ural 13. With just one Amiga 500 and 9.6k modem they conquered the underground techno music scene of Helsinki and Finland. This act built up a stable name for their later musical career. The tracks were greatly influenced by Chicago's newly born hard sounds and beats which fascinated greatly the new producers. However, after a while the Diktators started to miss the energy and melody of their 80's vinyls. Starting with just two turntables and a mixer they created the slammin' new sound from 80's disko atmosphere and modern, hard club beats. This sound the Diktators are proud to call the Sound of Helsinki.Ural 13 Diktators consider the Sound of Helsinki to be the continuation of Patrick Cowley's (Megatone Records) outstanding work in the beginning of the 80's. Filled with synthesizers, Cowley's sound influenced a wide range of dance music like Hi-NRG and Techno. He invented techno like it's known today: straight mechanic beats and percussion with futuristic synthetic sound with progressive and repetitive structure. Patrick Cowley's tragic death in November, 1982 was a great loss to modern dance music.Wanting to introduce their own sound to people all around the world, the Ural 13 Diktators decided to found a label of their own, Ural 13 Records. With the launch of their first record, Diskossa EP, the Diktators got their first international public response. DJs around the world wondered if this record, which soon gained kult status, should have been called disko, techno or even something else. The audience felt in love with the Diktators' Russian melodies and high energy and soon everybody knew what was this sound all about: It was the sound of Helsinki that was burning the dance floors everywhere. Encouraged with this feedback the Diktators decided to release a record, Helsinki-Chicago Connection EP (u13002), in co-operation with a Chicago based producer, DJ Skip (Pushpac Productions USA). The EP also included a remix from Helsinki based star producer, Jori Hulkkonen. The record got sold out in few weeks mainly to France and Germany and the phenomen seemed to just be growing. When doing a record with a producer from a city of hard beats, Chicago, the Diktators wanted to more clearly mix up the 80's sound with the hard beats. Ural 13 Diktators : Still alive from this EP is an excellent masterpiece and clearly defines one bit of Sound of Helsinki from which much is still to be revealed in the future.This success guaranteed the Diktators also other co-operation possibilities. While serving in the Finnish army's elite forces in the barracks of Helsinki they still managed to produce an album, Total Destruction on Christian Morgenstern's Forte Records, Germany. The Diktators also re-produced three songs from their old promo release to be released on powerful Swiss label Mental Groove Records. Check them out!

Location Helsinki, N/A - Finland

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