Since 2010 Haapoja has captured the sonic image of Helsinki in his project Helsingin reitit – The Routes of Helsinki. The piece 'Beeline' is part of the permanent exhibition at Helsinki City Museum. Haapoja's media & sound art has been presented in many galleries and events in Helsinki and internationally for example in Berlin, New York and Oslo. Meanwhile, Haapoja has recorded many acclaimed global music albums like Okra Playground's Turmio, Nathan Riki Thomson's Resonance and Sarah Palu's Etno-Emma 2021 nominated Ikivirta. News
NEWS
Uni uni's debut single Pyöriäinen is released! Helsinki-based archaic electronic art pop duo consists of Ella Isotalo (violin, bowed lyre, viola, ilimba, live looping) and Mikko H. Haapoja (synths, programming, bowed lyre, vocals).
Contemporary Circus Performance Fragile premiered in Culture Centre Caisa in 15.9.2022. The music of the performance will be also on the upcoming Unheard Landscapes album. Read the first review of Fragile here (FI)!
haapoja & illmari's third folk/rap album Huomeneen (Tomorrows) is out! Read a review (EN) from Finnish Music Quarterly!
'Joutohetki | Kauas' - a permanent soundscape installation by Haapoja & kantele player Maija Pokela was opened in Kalevan Navetta, Seinäjoki 3.12.2021. More about the piece on YLE news (FI).
Helsingin reitit - The Routes of Helsinki 2010-2020 anniversary soundscape collage was broadcasted by YLE. Listen to the composition on YLE Areena. Helsingin sanomat wrote an article about the project and its 10th anniversary exhibition. In August 2022, YLE broadcasted and published also new Helsingin reitit piece 'Keskusmetsä' (The Central Forest).
productions / music / sound art / media art
Currently Haapoja is creating new music for his solo project Unheard Landscapes and touring with his folk-rap collective haapoja & illmari. Alongside music productions, Haapoja does also sound design for film, performing arts and installations.
Haapoja's musical background is in the new wave folk music. However, Haapoja has graduated from the Centre for Music & Technology, Sibelius Academy, and studied music with wide perspective from classical and jazz theory to contemporary music composing. In 2013 Haapoja founded the alternative hiphop collective haapoja & illmari. The collective combines electroacoustic folk and pop music, rap and urban sound art together.
In 2019-2022 Haapoja is creating his first solo album in the project called Unheard Landscapes, where Haapoja's global field recrodings meet electronic new wave folk music. Haapoja's main instrument is jouhikko, the Savo-Karelian bowed lyre.
Part of the upcoming Unheard Landscapes solo album pieces were heard already in September 2022 in the Contemporary Circus Performance Fragile to which Haapoja composed the music. (Pic by Aleksi Hakala)
productions / music / sound art / media art
Haapoja's artistic work is a mixture of music & soundscape composing and video art. Helsingin reitit – The Routes of Helsinki is Haapoja's long term art project, which focuses on soundscapes in the boundaries between nature and the city. Haapoja's sound art piece Luotisuora - Beeline is a part of the permanent exhibition in the new Helsinki City Museum. In November 2016 the piece was installed first time in Manhattan, New York. In September 2019, all The Routes of Helsinki works were exhibited at the Sound Art Gallery Akusmata, Helsinki. Finnish national broadcasting company YLE premiered the 2010-2020 soundscape collage of The Routes of Helsinki in May 2020.
In 2021, various Haapoja's new soundscape works were presented around Finland: in EMMA Espoo Museum of Modern Art, Retretti Punkaharju Art Cave and Tytyri Lohja, in Kalevan Navetta, Seinäjoki and also in Helsinki City Museum's inner yards alongside museum's permanent exhibition.
Keitaat / Oases, created with Amanda Kauranne, is a series of audio-visual installations about Nordic nature. In 2022, Keitaat / Oases installations take place in Theaterhaus Berlin Mitte (May) and Kaustinen fmf (July). Furthermore, Haapoja & Kauranne with visual artist Kira Leskinen and dance artist Gesa Piper are creating new piece for the series in the Faroe Islands.