Helsinki-Cotonou Ensemble

Interaction with a remote, northern and structurally strong music culture gives a distinctive tone to the diverse music that musicians from around the world create in Finland. That is why world music born in Finland stands out.

"​A decade into their career, Finnish-African jazz-funk band Helsinki-Cotonou Ensemble has come up with its fifth and strongest album."

The African music scene in Finland evolved in major cities in the 1980s and 1990s, and some of the pioneering musicians who contributed to this development are still active in the field. In this article, musicologist Elina Seye explores the early years of the arrival of multiple kinds of African traditional music in Finland and discusses some of the people and groups involved.

The Helsinki-Cotonou Ensemble has a good vibe, on stage and offstage. This can never be taken for granted, though. Both the band and the cooperative that runs it – No Problem! Music – have undertaken active efforts to sustain that vibe. One of the elements in the underlying framework is an Occupational Safety and Health Action Plan jointly drawn up by the band and the cooperative.

"Many tunes make me think of traditional wedding musicians: on their way to the ceremony, taking some jazzy turns half-way there, allowing themselves to roam free and aim for the horizon before arriving safely at their destination."

A small country must learn how to adapt, cooperate and innovate. Agility is key. Finland has a high degree of social equality, and in music this means that basically anyone can do anything. Creativity and curiosity are the wellspring of the vitality of contemporary Finnish folk music.

Helsinki-Cotonou Ensemble fuses West African rhythms to an array of jazz, funk and rock for a high-energy sound that appeals to heart, head and feet. Born in Benin in 2009, the band has won fans with high-energy live shows on three continents.

"After all the hype around HCE’s 2013 debut, the expectations were high for the follow-up. Luckily, the 11-member Finnish-Beninese collective manages to meet these high expectations..."