Arrangører og artister

Established in September 1990, 45 Special is the oldest rock club in Oulu. The 45 Special kitchen serves gastropub type food every day of the week. Here you find live music on several nights every week. In addition to the selection of 45 tunes played by resident DJs, we offer different kinds of special DJ clubs. Life and music on three floors. And of course the legendary Sunday Jam to end each and every week.

The basic idea behind the bar has always been that anyone should get along with anyone else at 45 Special, be it a "suit" vs. "heavy", black vs. white, striped vs. spotted etc. Whoever or whatever you are, titles or status make no difference at 45.

Akusmata Sound Art Gallery is a gallery for Sound Art, Sound Installations and sound-based Media Art and Video Art. During recent years also live concerts and sound performances has been arranged regularly in the gallery. Akusmata was founded in 2011 and it opened its doors in February 2012 in Helsinki. Akusmata is the first Sound Art gallery in Finland.

ALICE is Copenhagen's new powerhouse for adventurous music and is powered by the people and forces behind Global & Jazzhouse. ALICE will carry on the artistic ambitions– presenting a bold and high quality program of global roots, jazz/improv, electronic music, sonic experiments and much more. For the PULS shows, ALICE puts a strong focus on Nordic curators, reflecting not only a vibrant Nordic scene for bands/musicians but also emphasizing artistic collectives, labels and other curators of experimental music in the Nordic countries.

So far the PULS events have been held at Jazzhouse in downtown Copenhagen. We are now creating the new venue ALICE – a merge between Jazzhouse & the world music-venue Global. ALICE will open in February 2018 on Global's current adress on Nørrebro. The main part of our concerts will be held in the 250 cap. venue. However, a significant aim of ALICE is also to present concerts in external venues, to create unique live experiences and expand on a dialogue with other curators, festivals and more.

What is Arctic Sounds?

An annual music festival in Sisimiut, Greenland showcasing original artists from the Nordic countries (Greenland, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Åland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) as well as artists from Inuit Nunangat (Nunavut, Nunavik, Nunatsiavut and NunatuKavut).

A framework for co-creation, collaboration, mutual inspiration, networking, talks and meetings under the headline NORDIC PLAYGROUNDS. The philosophy is based on a playful approach to serious work.

A unique opportunity to experience the breathtaking Greenlandic landscapes and the people inhabiting it. Arctic Sounds offers exclusive dogsledding, snowmobiling, skiing and sailing trips in collaboration with local outfitters and tour operators for festival guests, artists and network collaborators alike.

A warm and welcoming atmosphere, and a laid back attitude to the ever-changing conditions of nature and it’s power over the day-to-day conduction of the festival.

A passionate and committed 100% non-profit, volunteer-driven organisation that works tirelessly to provide the best possible experience for all visitors.

A comprehensive program for development of skills and encouragement of education within the field of culture among the volunteers.

An organization bridging the gap between Greenland and the other Nordic countries to strengthen interest for Greenlandic music in the world through focused network building and information on what’s happening on the Greenlandic music scene.

VoxHall har eksisteret siden 1999, men blev i 2009 omfattende udbygget, således at kapaciteten blev øget fra 500 til 700 publikummer. Det i forvejen særdeles anerkendte spillested blev således yderligere optimeret med en betragteligt udvidet balkon, en ny front og et mere praktisk indgangsparti.

VoxHall samarbejder med såvel lokale som nationale kræfter med henblik på at præsentere de mest interessante bands og kunstnere fra ind- og udland – primært inden for genrerne rock, heavy, hip hop og elektronisk musik.

Audiorama initiates, plan and execute projects focusing on contemporary sound art, earplays and electroacoustic music. We commission, produce and present new works by composers, sound artists and dramatists. We collaborate on a regular basis with professional sonic/music/art organizations and institutions, as well as universities.

Audiorama runs two festivals: Tonband (music) and Dramaton (hörspiel). We also collaborate with a number of other festivals, some of them on a regular basis.

Debaser is a venue and independent live music promoter based in Stockholm. We opened up in 2002.

Debaser has a focus on contemporary pop, rock and urban music 50% Swedish and 50% foreign artist Debaser Strand has 2 separate stages, 750 capacity + 250 capacity

https://www.instagram.com/debasersthlm/

The Royal Academy of Music, Aarhus/Aalborg is a state institution under the auspices of the Danish Ministry of Culture, charged with responsibility for the further education courses in music, and for otherwise contributing to the promotion of musical culture in Denmark.

Concert activities at The Royal Academy of Music spans widely – from small practice concerts in the academy classrooms i both Aarhus and Aalborg over larger concerts on the stages of Musikhuset Aarhus and Musikkens Hus to the grand RAMA Festival that represents the best of what students and teachers at both addresses of the academy have to offer. Furthermore, the academy is part of a long line of local and regional collaborations with e.g. SPOT Festival, Live Music in Schools, Aarhus Jazz Festival and many more.

Ekko is an annual electronic music and art festival at the venue Østre in Bergen.

Ekko focuses on showcasing local talents, and present some of the most exciting and original electronic artists worldwide. The festival includes everything from performance acts and sound art to concerts and club nights.

Photo: Cecilie Bannow

Fanø Free Folk Festival is one of Denmark's most intimate festivals with a focus on the meeting of local roots, global inspirations and experimental sounds. We encourage new meetings and collaborations between musicians from all over the world and often present site-specific performances using existing and unique spaces in the village of Sønderho, working with field recordings or going into dialogue with the surrounding nature of the Wadden Sea, which was recently added to the Unesco World Heritage List.

Fanø Free Folk Festival uses Sønderho Forsamlingshus as our main venue – a traditional community hall where folk music and folk dances have taken place for several generations. Also, the festival explores other interesting spaces in the village and create all acoustic concerts in galleries, cafés and the village church. Furthermore we present concerts and events all year long in all parts of Denmark – and also cooperate with international partners.

New page has been turned in the history of Finnish jazz! Turku Jazz Festival, Flame Jazz and Turku Jazz Orchestra are now combined under one new organization: The Jazz City Turku association. Jazz City Turku aims to bring forth new cooperative models, which benefit jazz listeners, organizers and players alike. 

Turku Jazz Festival is an annual festival held in Turku, Finland. First held in 1969, it is the second-oldest jazz festival in Finland. Legends such as Art Blakey and McCoy Tyner have paid us a visit, and more recently the festival has included a wide array of current esteemed domestic and foreign jazz players. › www.turkujazz.fi 

Flame Jazz concert series was originally founded as a part of the Turku 2011 -project in 2011, when Turku was the European Capital of Culture. Since its inception, it has provided entertainment for avid jazz fans throughout the Turku region with hundreds of successful concerts. One of its unique manifestations, the Flame Jazz Cruise, is held twice a year on a huge cruising ship with 6-7 jazz groups and more than 2000 attendees. › www.flamejazz.fi 

Turku Jazz Orchestra is a big band which features 17 professional players on stage, but on any given day its roster is actually 30+ players strong. They have performed with lauded international acts such as Bert Joris, Viktoria Tolstoy and Nils Landgren. › www.tjo.fi 

The most recent innovation of Jazz City Turku is an archipelago-focused festival: The Archipelago Sea Jazz festival series, which include established festivals Baltic Jazz, Korpo Sea Jazz, as well as newcomers Turku Sea Jazz and Åland Sea Jazz. › www.archipelagoseajazz.fi

Folkelarm is a get-together of the international folk- and world music community in Scandinavia. Artists from the Nordic countries get to play in front of a large audience eager to discover new music. The concert program is a mix of the most intriguing newcomers in the Nordic region, and established and well known artists. The event was initiated by the Norwegian National Association for Folk Music and Dance in 2005 to provide a display place for folk music.

Folkelarm’s main objective is to show the exclusive wealth of talent in traditional, folk and roots music produced both by Scandinavian musicians. With the launching of Folkelarm, the Norwegian National Association for Folk Music and Dance created a structure hitherto missing in Norway; a gathering place connecting performers and international concert promoters, agents, organizers and record labels constantly growing its international contingent. This event provides a unique opportunity to see the best established and up and coming Scandinavian folk artists.

Gimle is venue and youth culture house in Roskilde. At Gimle you are always an active part of the event. Whether you are in a concert, a lecture or a guest at our nightclub, you will help create the experience. We believe that any event will be better both for you and the other guests if you participate in the experience - so bring your good mood when you go to Gimle.

Photo: Bo Källberg 

Heaven Up Here is a nonprofit organisation based in Stockholm, Sweden. We have organised club nights and festivals since 2011, with the goal of being one of the best places for early adopters to discover new and up-and-coming indie artists and bands. Everything we do is completely non-profit and we have a 50/50 gender equality booking policy.

Most of our events are held at the small and intimate venue Restaurang Landet in the south of Stockholm, where we operate on a monthly basis.

Humlan is a non profit organisation based in north of Sweden, Umeå. For more than 30 years, our goal has been to present culture in any form of high quality to the citizens of Umeå as well as new visitors. We strive for equality and strongly believe that everyone should have the opportunity to take part in what we do either in front, behind or on the stage. Umeå Open festival is the heart and soul of our organization at has for more the 20 years filled Umeå with exciting new music combined with acclaimed acts from Sweden and the world. Taking over the city center with venues, spreading from rough bars to concert halls!

Humlan does not own or operate one specific venue, instead we currently host concerts all over Umeå. We frequently use the citys two concert halls Väven and Idun. But also utilize pubs, restaurants, churches, Norrlands Operan and sometimes also transform facilities not originally intended for live music in to new exciting venues. This makes for a broad variety of venues and by extension a broad variety of artists and experiences.

HUSET is a arts and culture center in Aalborg, situated in the northern part of DK. Our music venue HYBRID presents mainly Folk, World, Jazz, Impro, Experimental, Singer/Songwriter, Roots and Traditional Music - in other words: All sorts of music you won't find in mainstream media and at bigger and commercial venues. With approximately 100 shows per year and a capacity of 100 audiences (90 seated & 120 standing) Huset & Hybrid offers intimate settings for a lot of different shows most of the year. Beside HYBRID and the concerts HUSET contains a vegetarian Café, an art gallery, practice Rooms, workshops, meeting rooms, Urban Gardens, yoga and a lot more. Follow on instagram.com/husetaalborg to get a picture so to speak :-)

Celebrating its twentieth year in 2018, Iceland Airwaves Festival is the world’s most northerly music showcase and industry festival, situated halfway between North America and Europe. Iceland Airwaves brings together the country’s brightest emerging musical talent and forward-thinking international acts.

Each November for four days and nights, downtown Reykjavík comes alive, filled non-stop with music, with performances hosted everywhere from tiny record stores and art museums, to cool bars and stately churches, to nightclubs and large scale venues.

For two decades Airwaves has shone a spotlight on new talent, with early appearances from the likes of Mac DeMarco, James Blake, Sufjan Stevens and others, along with many local luminaries such as GusGus, múm, Singapore Sling, FM Belfast, Of Monsters and Men, Ásgeir, sóley, Sin Fang, Kaleo, Mugison and Retro Stefson, all of whom have gone on to great success.

Launched in 1999 as a one-off event in an airplane hangar, Airwaves has since become Iceland’s longest-established festival and best recognised music brand, and an integral part of Reykjavík’s yearly cultural calendar.

Iceland Airwaves is now promoted and produced by the concert company Sena Live, with support by Iceland’s national airline and founding sponsor, Icelandair, and in cooperation with the City of Reykjavík.

ILK is an artist-run label and collective of 22 musicians based in Copenhagen, releasing new music hybrids, avant-, improv- and jazz related sounds by artists acknowledged as innovators on an international scale.

As recently portrayed by DownBeat magazine ( https://ilk-music.myshopify.com/blogs/news/93320705-ilk-in-downbeat ), thanks to its integrity and independence, high level of artistic quality and a desire to collaborate both within and beyond the Danish jazz landscape, ILK is a continuing success story and a possible paradigm in the artist run label world.

Besides releasing over 15 albums every year, ILK has been running and curating its very own exciting festival stage at a beloved local venue 5e for the past 7 years.

A catalogue of timeless and cutting-edge music with a strong personal character has put ILK Music at the top of the list of the most important and relevant independent European jazz labels of today.

ILK concerts mostly takes place at a beautiful hidden old slaughter-house in the central old meatpacking district of Copenhagen. Yes. It’s raw, it’s underground and also one of the hippest venues during Copenhagen Jazzfestival. Journalist Kim Faber wrote: “..I’d wish that many, many more would get off the usual worn out jazz-paths and got to Slagtehusgade for an experience that might tickle your ear, but also could refurbish your brain a little. Amen.”  

As a cultural production collective, Indgreb develops both its own cultural projects as taking on assignments in collaboration with external partners. 

Indgreb has a particular interest in the link between art and culture, civic involvement and society.

Inkonst is an independent venue in Malmö that features performing arts, music, talks and other art forms. We present innovative and contemporary culture that moves outside of the established, obvious and genre defined. We’re passionate about art that push the boundaries, challenge and take risks, yet remain playful, entertaining and fun.

IÐNÓ is, without doubt, a beautiful landmark in the heart of Reykjavík. Located in a wooden house on the banks of the romantic Tjörnin pond, right next to City Hall. Dating back from 1897, the building combines history, traditions and culture in one place.

IÐNÓ is Reykjavík’s living room for curiosity. A hangout where a polar bear can meet a penguin, where perspectives can change. A monumental venue with a fresh and varied programme.

IÐNÓ is a public house for coffee, events and working together. A cozy cafe as an inviting entrance, serving conversation starting coffee and food for thought. Event spaces that host of all kinds of activities. A platform for arts, design and education in all its forms. On top of that all that IÐNÓ provides office and studio space for creative minds to elaborate on their dreams.

Kaustinen Folk Music Festival, est. 1968, has had a firm position more than five decades as one of the most important folk music events in Europe. It has a crucial role in preserving and promoting folk tradition. It is an irrepressible blend of professional and amateur musicians, Finnish and international folk music and dance, performances, workshops, and jam sessions. In 2017 the festival, lasting 7 days, had 56.000 visits, 1800 performances, 60 workshops and 5200 performers in almost 700 groups. 

The festival area offers a broad range of possibilities for performances and teaching events of all kinds. There are approximately 30 venues of different sizes in the area, giving performers lots of room for expression. Some venues have equipment for video installations; others are optimal for dance and other physical performances, whereas the music venues range from intimate acoustic stages to large concert venues with a full range of audio technology. Every year artists from all over applaud the amazing and enthusiastic audience and the magical festival atmosphere at Kaustinen.

Kerubi is historical venue in Joensuu. At this new location Kerubi has been open from 2011. Kerubi content 3 floors. Main floor is our Kitchen, where we offer good food, made mostly by local products. Up stairs is our main live stage Sali. 450 capacity venue, where most of our live shows happen. Down stairs in our smaller venue Kellari for smaller acts and night club. Kerubi is open for all live art, from all kind of music to theater and stand up. Year around we do music shows from jazz to black metal - and all between.

As promoter, we do also many bigger Areena shows in the year. Up to 5000 capacity

Korjaamo is a privately-owned culture center which has two venues for music. We also have a movie theatre, two restaurants and arrange talks, stand up and theatre. The music program consists of bigger Finnish and foreign artists and also smaller more experimental acts. We are open to all but the program consists mainly of pop, rap, electronic, rock, jazz/rhythm and left field metal.

Korrö Folk Festival is one of Swedens most renowned folk festivals and is almost an institution in the Swedish folk music scene. With over 34 years of organizing the biggest gathering in Sweden for professional musicians along with amateurs, dancers, audience, visitors, children and everyone else, Korrö Folk Festival is a must visit for a lot of people. Last weekend of July, every year, the tiny handicraft village will explode in a mix of tents, people, music, food, movement, stages, interacting, sessions, community, bathing and everything else that makes a good festival. On seven different stages you can listen to everything from acoustic solo music to the most heavy music you can think of – folk music style. Do you like to dance? You have more than 70 hours of live music for dancing, so bring your best shoes.

Kulturhuset Oceanen is located in the district of Majorna in Gothenburg, Sweden and has been officially running as a culture house since 1995. Oceanen represents innovative scenic concepts for bridging social and cultural distances, youths own creation and gender equality. Every year Oceanen hosts more than 100 public events, where about half of them are collaborations with different partners. 

Our contribution to Puls is the Øresound concert programme that focuses on evolving the knowledge about and mutual understanding for the venues and music business on both sides of Øresund. It’s a collaboration between the two venues The Tivoli in Helsingborg (S) and Kulturværftet in Helsingør (DK). In the first Puls season we will present Danish music in Sweden and Swedish music in Denmark. Later on the Øresound programme will present a broader variety of Nordic artist.

Listastovan is a small (60 capacity) venue in Miðvágur and one of the youngest venues in the Faroe Islands. Recent recipient of a Faroese Music Award for “Best new initiative”, Listastovan is fast establishing itself as one of the key small venues on the Faroes. It is informal and “homely” and is well suited for small-medium sized acts, singer-songwriters and similar.

Lutakko is a live music club with capacity of 530 people, based in Jyväskylä, Central Finland, since 1990 in an old bakery building built in 1950’s. During the past years all top Finnish acts, both mainstream and underground, have performed at the club along with many international artists. The genres regularly presented include rock, pop, rap, metal and punk with occasional events of jazz, blues, electronic and world music and almost anything but classical. The club is run by Jyväskylä Live Music Association Jelmu, which is a non-profit organization. Almost all of the workers are volunteers and many of the shows are all ages.

Mengi is an operation created and managed by artists in Reykjavík, situated in the heart of the city center.
Since opening in 2013, Mengi has hosted close to two thousand events of all sorts, mostly music and performance art but also art exhibitions, lectures, design and workshops. Mengi operates an art & record store as well as running a label called Mengi Records. The aim of Mengi is to create a small frame around the lively and prosperous art scene in Reykjavik. The idea was to react to the increasing number of people that create art as well as those who enjoy it in our society by offering a venue that make it easy for artist to perform and audience to attend. A broad audience of all ages with a genuine interest in the arts visit Mengi on a regular basis, Icelandic and international. Mengi is a non-profit establishment with a strong social awareness. It has become an important venue to develop ideas and encourage co-operation between people with different backgrounds.

Mentanarhúsið - the Culture House is located close to the harbour of the small village Fuglafjørður, with 1500 inhabitants. Mentanarhúsið is a versatile venue hosting concerts, theatre productions, dances, conferences and meetings, perfectly situated in the centre of town between the beach and the marina. The café part is cosy, the conference rooms are functional and inviting and the acoustics of the concert hall are perfect for live performances with local and international artists. Mentanarhúsið arranges events of all kinds and prioritizes to create musical experiences of high quality.

Mix Musik is a concert promoter from Malmö, Sweden. Our concert program includes local, national and international artists. The aim is to cover large parts of the world and highlight music that has difficulty to penetrate the media noise. Mix Musik is a stamp of quality for the audience. In 2016 Mix Musik got the award ”Promoter of the year” at Folk- och Världsmusikgalan.

Drauget is a folk-club in Odsherred, DK. Our music is all kinds of folk-music from Denmark, Scandinavia, Scotland, Ireland and other artists on the road coming through Denmark. We play singer-songwriters, new and old music, blues and country. We are trying to reach the corners of folk-music with up-coming artists and also some who is well-known.

We have about 20 concerts every year in three villages in culture-houses, churches, schools and cafés. All the jobs in Drauget are made by volunteers.

Márkomeannu is an outdoor festival.

Norbergfestival has been taking place in the old mine of Norberg, Sweden since 1999. Four stages of high quality production is established in and around the preserved buildings from the old mining days. The festival is Swedens oldest and arguably the most important for electronic and contemporary music. Today the festival presents electro-acoustic composers, experimental musicians, fringe club music, performing arts, digital art forms and a discursive program.

The Nordic House in Reykjavík is a cultural venue focused on cultural collaboration and exchange between Iceland and the other Nordic countries. The house welcomes around 100 000 visitors every year and is an architectural landmark designed by the world-renowned Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. Since its opening in 1968, the Nordic House has been an important concert venue in Iceland offering an intimate concert hall with great acoustics. Apart from the main hall, smaller gigs are often held in the greenhouse with an amazing view towards the man-made pond in front of the Nordic House and Reykjavík city center. In 2017 the house hosted 320 events, within various culture events, including 70 concerts.   

The Nordic House in Tórshavn is the main cultural venue on the Faroe Islands. We programme approximately 100 music events each year (in addition to art exhibitions, theatre etc.) ranging from small recitals to large scale concerts and spanning across all genres. We have two main performance spaces for music: a 400 capacity internationally recognised concert hall well suited for anything from rock concerts to opera and a 170 capacity recital hall with beautiful acoustics and architecture.

Radar explores, challenges and re-thinks the concept of a music venue. We work with partners in the fields of visual art, architecture, poetry, dance and technology to create new ways to experience concerts within a broad spectrum of genres such as electro, rock, pop, alternative, metal and classical music.

Agent and Concert promoter that operates all over Scandinavia, Office in Finland. Collaborators in all Nordic Countries

Salurinn Concert Hall is the first specially designed concert hall in Iceland. From the time of its opening twenty years ago it has been renowned for its exceptional acoustics and is a popular venue for all kinds of music. A variety of concerts are given at Salurinn each year, covering all kinds of music, in the form of solo concerts, recitals and groups performing classical, jazz, chamber, pop, electronic music etc.

The hall itself has a seating capacity of 300 but the beautiful front house gives opportunities for smaller concerts for a more intimate experience in a café like atmosphere.

Salurinn is available for all kinds of musical events or recording sessions; it also has good facilities for meetings, lectures and small conferences. A convenient bar in the lobby is usually open during concerts and other events.

Sound of Stockholm is a festival, held in November each year, bringing together different societies, associations and concert organizers within Stockholm's extra-institutional music life. The festival strives to present a breadth of different directions, ranging from notated music, sound art, free improvisation, drone, audiovisual art and performance, taking joy in the range of expressions that the world of contemporary music offers.

Foto: Vlad Brăteanu

SQUEEZEBOX Roots & Traditional is an annual quality-conscious and innovative music festival, where the accordion is the overall instrument.

With the accordion in focus we present a festival that professionally conveys the versatility and potential of the accordion. A festival that speaks to the general public and brings together and unites musicians across genres, ambitions and musical levels.

We have a high level of musical ambition, an inclusive set of values and a great focus on participant service and concert settlement.

SQUEEZEBOX is a genre-broad festival. Tango, jazz, world, folk, klezmer … you name it! … All genres are welcome. Our only requirement is that the accordion must be represented in one form or another. The instrument doesn't have to be a front figure. It can also just play a secondary role in an orchestra.

SQUEEZEBOX takes place in Frederikshavn in the northern part of Denmark at the end of August and is arranged in collaboration with the regional venue Det Musiske Hus.

TAPE seeks to develop and support the country’s growing music environment, with a main focus on the music scene in Aarhus. Development is sought through close cooperation between the venue, musicians and talent in a wide range of art forms and thus creates a more whole live music experience for the audience, than what can be expected from most other venues.

Tavastia is one of Europe’s oldest rock clubs still running.

VEGA is located in the middle of Copenhagen and is the largest concert venue in Denmark with approximately 370 concerts a year and +700 bands on stage. VEGA has three stages and presents a program filled with new talents and established legends from the rock, pop, hip hop, electronic and world music scene. For more than two decades VEGA has been defining the Danish venue landscape and played a crucial role in breaking local and international artists to a bigger audience. VEGA is recognized as one of the leading concert venues in Europe. This is not only due to optimal audio and lightning conditions but also because the building is an exciting architectural gem from the 1950es, which provides the perfect setting for evocative events. With a capacity spanning from 200 to 1550 guests VEGA embraces both the intimate live show and bigger crowds. VEGA has presented legends like David Bowie, Amy Winehouse, Foo Fighters, Björk, Coldplay, Ed Sheran, Prince, Lady Gaga, Portishead, Queens of the Stoneage, Arctic Monkeys, Willie Nelson.

Right in heart of Malmö, both physically and metaphorically. Victoriateatern is located right on the main pedestrian street in the center of Malmo. A 100 year old venue with an exciting history. The theatre has taken a variety of shapes over the years; from silent cinema to revue theatre and concert hall.

Victoriateatern is today a modern cultural center with a wide range of performances that has something to offer most audiences. It is a well respected live stage both nationally and internationally with a program that ranges from blues and jazz to pop, rock, world and folk music, as well as stand up, theatre and performance. Always striving to widen the range of what’s on offer.

The  intimate concert venue, in addition to giving a great stage with high quality sound och light, also has access to a café, lobby and three small lodges in connection to the stage. The maximum capacity is 169 seated persons, but the venue is flexible and can easily be rearranged both for larger and smaller events.

We Jazz is an event first established in 2013 to present a selection of the best contemporary jazz music. Both foreign and domestic artists spread around Helsinki to perform during this week of concerts. The producers at We Jazz make an effort to continually discover new spaces for music and many of the venues change from year to year. The pairing of artists and venues is aimed at creating the best possible context for the music at hand. This is why many of the We Jazz venues are quite small. In addition to introducing the best possible music, We Jazz aims to challenge and renew the ways of presenting jazz. Music is often at its best when experienced at short range and quality before quantity is what We Jazz wants to present. Every concert is a handpicked and thought-out piece of the bigger picture. We Jazz is often referred to as a festival and as Helsinki’s biggest annual jazz event, there’s no denying that We Jazz is exactly that.

The event takes place in December when there’s not much else going on. While the timing offers a break from Christmas shopping and some relief into the winter darkness, it also permits an annual glance back at the year of jazz. This year the event spreads over Helsinki in 16 different locations during December 2–9. Many topical artists with fantastic 2018 releases are present in the lineup. We Jazz is a cross-section of the current music but also a collection of timeless jazz across the broad spectrum of styles.

Established in 2019 with funding from the Nordic Culture Fund, Above 55° strengthens the Nordic dimension of Liveurope.

The initiative supports the Liveurope venues in their efforts to boost the promotion of Nordic talent across Europe. It provides up-and-coming Nordic artists with opportunities to play in iconic concert halls, increasing their visibility in the international live music circuit and helping them find new audiences in the four corners of the European continent. In its first phase (2019 – 2022), Above 55° supported nearly 70 Nordic artists to play in 18 European countries.

As part of Above 55°, we also host annual gatherings for the Liveurope venues in a different Nordic country each year to foster tighter connections between the region and the rest of the continent.

The initiative is coordinated by Liveurope in close cooperation with our three Nordic venues: Blå (Oslo), Debaser (Stockholm) & VEGA (Copenhagen). Above 55° gets its name from the geographic latitude at or above which all Nordic countries lie.