Autumn 2015 I participated in an exhibition called “The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa”. In addition to the actual art (more about that here  http://islaja.com/?p=1087 ), I gave a special Teresa-concert. For that I researched her texts, poems and biography. I found her a fascinating woman. 
It was a one-off concert, but the songs stuck with me, and i wanted to sing them again. 

Jasmine and I had talked about doing some music together, and i thought she could accompany me on these songs. It worked out so well, that we are now planning to do more shows and compose more material together. Is this the birth of Mermine? 

18th of December 2015 we performed at an art exhibition opening party. We are sitting in the middle of the room, between two big speakers. Candles are lit and the bar closed for the next 30 minutes. Enjoy!



MERMINE : Islaja & Jasmine Guffond LIVE @Hilbertraum, Berlin

Clip from a live show recorded at Kuudes Linja 25.8.2018
photo by Pyry Kantonen

The land of the dead in Finnish mythology is sometimes called Pohjola, which comes from the word pohja, meaning bottom, what lies beneath us, but it is also the land of the far north, a terrible place of dark forests and eternal cold. By falling into a trance, the shaman can travel there to seek the advice of the ancestors, or to learn valuable spells.

Tatu Rönkkö, whose latest album Spheres (2018) has been described as “Aphex Twin performing with Konono No1 in the Finnish woods”, joins forces with Islaja and her uniquely haunting vocals and synthetic shamanic melodies.

Islaja & Tatu Rönkkö_Tuli Turvanani_(teaser)

islaja

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