Exclusive: Jimi Tenor shares life-affirming ‘Life Hugger’ promo ahead of new album and book
Finland’s finest – and quite possibly only – techno crooner Tenor is back
Jimi Tenor, the eccentric and utterly unique Finnish techno crooner, is back with a new album, a book and a video shared exclusively here on Juno Daily.
‘Life Hugger’ is an upbeat and joyous tribute to or even manifesto of Tenor’s own easy going outlook on life, a stark contrast to the gloom and doom that global events of late have cast over the planet.
It’s taken from his next album Multiversum, which is set for release on the Bureau B label on May 20., a relationship that heads back some 20 years although Tenor has also recorded for Warp and Sahko among many others.
Whilst Tenor has predominantly released jazz and Afrobeat records over the past two decades, his live performances have often seen him return to his minimalist roots. Enthralled by how Jimi Tenor the solo artist conjured up his space music with just a synthesizer, flute and saxophone, Bureau B ultimately invited him to record an album with this basic and yet astoundingly effective set-up.
May 20 also sees the release of ‘Omniverse – Sounds, Sights and Stories’, a book about his live and primary loves – music and photography.
The Helsinki-based based polymath says of the book.
“While I was at high school, music started to take up so much of my time that I almost had to give up photography. But I could never really quit; I kept taking photos and shooting super 8 film. I was a big Andy Warhol fan and I was really interested in silkscreen too.
“Then in around 1992 I thought that my dreams of a music career were over so decided to try and become a photographer in New York. My plan was to start out as a studio assistant and gradually become professional but those jobs proved tricky to come by. I ended up working at the Empire State Building as a tourist photographer and spending my spare time taking arty photos and making music. There are plenty of photos from back then in this book, mostly from my friend Hitoshi Toyoda’s archives. He worked with me at the tourist photo booth and has an ongoing photo diary project. We spent a lot of time together in those days, often drinking after work at the Dominican restaurants until the early hours. Then I’d wake up at 10 the next morning and make music until 3 pm when I had to leave for the Empire State Building again. I was very productive in those days!
“So by 1994 I was back in the music world and this time it was for real. I started making albums for Sähkö Recordings, Warp Records, Bureau B and many others. I started my own Ronet label to release 7” singles, put on a wild stage show at Sonar and collaborated with everyone from concert orchestras to Tony Allen. My photography skills have been very useful in the music world and I have been able to create some interesting PR shots and album covers over the years, some of which are in this book. I hope you enjoy your time with my sights, sounds and stories!”