By Robert Burnham-Rusk
Painting a story with their music, Johanna Juhola Reaktori whisk the audience away in an emotion fuelled, musical journey, that visits both comedy and tragedy.
Johanna Juhola Reaktori are a Finnish quartet who explore many different styles and genres throughout their lively set. The group mix elements of traditional folk and tango with electronic drum beats, conveying musical storytelling with a catchy dance vibe. Johanna describes the band’s sound as “Fantasy Tango” and played her song Fantasiatango at the 2007 Eurovision contest held in Finland, receiving well deserved recognition for her innovative music.
Unsure of exactly what I was about to witness from the genre defying quartet hailing from Helsinki, I took to my seat, excited. The house lights dimmed and a video of an old black and white film was projected on to the curtain at the back of the stage. The band bounded over to their instruments, in brightly coloured, cartoonlike outfits and one by one joined in with the music from the video. I soon realised that this wasn’t just simply a gig; it was an artistic performance, a show, an experience.
After their enticing and innovative introduction Johanna Juhola Reaktori lunged into one of their own songs and it was immediately apparent that Johanna felt strong love for each and every note that she played on her accordion. This love was communicated to the audience through her animated facial expression and movement to the music, the other band members joining her in sheer enjoyment of the music.
Accordion, double bass, piano; a natural combination of instruments which complement one another with grace, and then an electronic drum pad joins the jamboree! The electronic element of the music fitted unbelievably fluidly within the band, and by the end of the first song you just couldn’t imagine the pieces without the deep thumping bass drum and tinny cracking snare. It was bold musical moves like this addition to the quartet that instilled excitement and anticipation throughout.
After each song the band stopped playing and Johanna and Sara Puljula, the band’s double bass player and vocalist, spoke to the audience, sharing stories in a light hearted, comical and genuine way. This broke up the evening nicely and gave the performance a structure that kept the audience hooked throughout.
After the show, I asked Johanna why she felt that the crossover of these dissimilar and previously unfamiliar genres gelled so seamlessly together and she explained that it was down to the musicians’ understanding of her pieces. “We arrange the music together, talk about the music a lot and try lots of different things” It’s clear that experimentation and understanding in the rehearsal process is key in the band’s success in developing their unique, hybrid sound.
The gig was completely led by emotion. Throughout the course of the evening, Johanna Juhola Reaktori shared ecstatic and uplifting highs as well as dramatic, atmospheric and sombre tones. The quartet needed no lyrics as their instruments truly spoke, sharing a story through musical phrases and movements, evoking a variety of emotions from beginning to end.
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