Oldschool Union Interview: ‘It’s good to challenge yourself’
Oldschool Union
Oldschool Union was formed in 2009 by Seppo Ahlstedt and Janne Vilen. After self-releasing their debut album “Vanha Koulu” in 2009, the duo signed with EK Product and went on to release three more albums. A defining characteristic of the band has always been their use of Finnish lyrics, which, as they describe it, adds an ‘exotic’ flavor to their sound. Musically, Oldschool Union has always stayed true to 100% old-school EBM. In 2020, Vesa Matti Pekkola joined the band as the new vocalist. This year, Oldschool Union is back on track with their new self-released album “Herra Ja Hidalgo” — a solid piece of EBM with a refreshing Pop touch. In my opinion, it’s also their most accomplished work to date: vintage EBM infused with a distinctive personal style. I got in touch with both members of Oldschool Union to learn more about this impressive new release. (Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)
Q: After the Oldschool Union album “Vartalovasara”, released on EK Product in 2020, it took until this year to release a follow-up. Those years were also quite hellish due to Covid-19, global unrest, and, in your case, EK Product not releasing anything. How do you look back on that period? How did you cope with it, and to what extent did it influence your music?
Seppo: When lockdown started I thought that I would have more time to make music but suddenly I noticed that I had lost all inspiration. I realized that meeting people, seeing other bands to play and overall living is the fuel that we need to be inspired. However, during lockdown I found Unternull kollektiv streams that brought lot of new German minimal and wave music to my attention. After lockdown ended and I started to see bands again, inspiration returned and I sure took something with me with those new music that I heard from live streams. Not necessary the style or even musical ideas but they returned more experimental attitude for music making and kind of a more free attitude for making music.
Vesa-M: It’s interesting to look back and think about that time, and realize that it’s only been a few years. I remember completely re-mixing my another project’s album (Lola Kumtus). Otherwise, I spent time with my family and in my free time, hiking in the woods, skiing, and playing online music quizzes with friends. Covid brought a whole new aspect to being considerate of other people, and I think that influenced my own contribution to the album.
Q: When did you start working on the new Oldschool Union album “Herra Ja Hidalgo”, and what is it about? Were there any new influences in terms of lyrics, music, or the production process?
Seppo: The album title “Herra Ja Hidalgo” is a Finnish expression that refers to a pompous, self-important person who acts superior and doesn’t care much about others. Nowadays, I feel it perfectly describes middle-aged men who look down on the younger generation for example taking part in climate change protests. The best feedback we’ve received was when Elokapina (Extinction Rebellion in Finnish) played our “Herra And Hidalgo” -song in front of the Parliament House during their demonstration. We of course have some lighter songs as well but as usual we take a stand for many things that are wrong in world today.
Production process and music is constantly changing. With Oldschool Union I constantly seek new ways of doing music, sounds, synths, effects and so on. Not sure if that can be heard by end-listener but to me doing things differently is important even if the end result may be similar. The journey is probably more important than the end result. This album was also first time that was tarted totally with Vesa-Matti so we got kind of an clean start.
Vesa-M: That Elokapina thing was pretty cool. Young people clearly understand good music and they also have a future. It’s mind-blowing to see your own generation’s inability to take responsibility and make the necessary changes for the future.
Speaking of the album, I had more influence on the lyrics and arrangements on this album than on the previous one, which is always uplifting, of course. However, I trust Seppo’s vision and the openness of our collaboration.
Q: Your music remains 100% old-school EBM—raw and powerful—but what struck me is a more refined, almost ‘Pop’ touch that really completes it. How do you see that yourself? Were there any conscious or new emphases on this Oldschool Union record compared with your previous releases?
Seppo: Yes, I did want to try more Pop approaches in this Oldschool Union album as well. I wanted to do couple very Synth-Pop songs that would be driven by EBM. I think it’s good to challenge yourself and put yourself out of your comfort zone. Of course, I was little bit worried if I went too far with but I think it’s better to fail to trying something new than stay stagnant. I have couple ideas for future for that area too but maybe we go little harder next time.
Q: How important is it for Oldschool Union to keep singing in Finnish, and how does the concept of ‘sisu’ (which is typically Finnish and can be described as resilience and steadfastness) connect to the content and spirit of this new album?
Seppo: It is very important as I think Finnish language is our main driving force. I can play more with language, use Finnish expressions and also we can try to do songs that translate to the people who don’t understand Finnish. If it works, then we know that we have succeeded. We do occasionally some English songs if it demands it. I first tried to “Captain Body” with Finnish language but soon realized that it just worked better in English. Sisu and other things which are quite ‘Fin’ are always part of the Oldschool Union songs.
Vesa-M: In my opinion, music sung in the mother tongue is always more expressive. There is a myth about Finnish as a difficult language, which is probably partly true and which brings an exotic tone to the performance. I personally think about language and the power built into it in such a way that we get our message across best by presenting it in Finnish. I would like to be a little critical of Sisu. The way it is perhaps understood can sometimes also prevent us from seeing things from multiple perspectives and thus appear as a rigidity in examining our own actions and their rationality.
Q: What were the biggest challenges Oldschool Union faced while creating “Herra Ja Hidalgo”? Were there any aspects you found difficult to agree on or to realize as planned? How did you overcome those obstacles?
Seppo: To use most difficult aspect for Oldschool Union in making records is that we live 200 km away from each other. So, when we record or rehearsals, we have to drive 200km. This is little bit problem but the solution is that when we meet, we work hard and really concentrate on doing. We use hard work ethics to go through obstacles.
Vesa-M: I agree. We have a really good work ethic when it comes to what we do.
Q: The Finnish Electro scene isn’t particularly a big one. How do you manage to reach audiences abroad—especially for live shows—now that you’ve released this new album independently?
Seppo: To be honest, previously EK Product did a wonderful job for promotion and it is much harder now when we are independent. We really do not like to promoting and I think most of the promoting has been done by our listeners. We are very grateful for all that support!
Q: What are the plans for Oldschool Union for the rest of this year and for 2026?
Seppo: I have started to thinking next releases and how to release them more quickly. Also I try check that if some other form for releases would be more suitable next. EP would give a possibly to release little bit faster and concentrate to certain themes and soundscapes. Otherwise the keep little break from gigs on next spring for personal reason but probably get back in stage in summer.
I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
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