The Swedish duo Jarmo Ollila and Jouni Ollila, better known as Teleskop, return with their third EP, “In Orbit”. This release features four tracks that stay true to the classic Swedish Synth-Pop tradition, with one track carrying a slight resemblance to the sound of Mesh. The EP is polished and stylish, with a retro flair that is both nostalgic and refreshing. It’s the kind of music that brings joy, evoking memories of legendary Swedish acts like S.P.O.C.K and Elegant Machinery. The question remains: when will we get a full album? (Rating:7½).

Listen to “Insomnia”:

Read the news on ‘In Orbit’.

About Teleskop

Teleskop is a Swedish synthpop duo consisting of brothers Jarmo and Jouni Ollila, who have previously been involved in acts including Daily Planet, Mr Jones Machine, MZ.412, Burg, and Pouppée Fabrikk. “In Orbit” followed their “One” EP; Side-Line’s news coverage at the time described it as the duo’s second EP under the Teleskop name, while this review counts it as their third. The EP was released as download, streaming, and on CD in a limited edition of 300 copies, with tracks “Insomnia”, “Lost Satellites”, “Porcelain Blue”, and “Capsules Of Light”.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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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Out on March 22nd is the newest Teleskop EP, “Orbit”. The EP from this synthpop duo will be out as download and streaming, and also on CD in a limited edition of 300 copies. The EP holds tracks: “Insomnia”, “Lost Satellites”, “Porcelain Blue” and “Capsules Of Light”.

Teleskop is a band consisting of the brothers Jarmo and Jouni Ollila who have been involved in several famous Swedish acts like Daily Planet, Mr Jones Machine, MZ.412, Burg and Pouppée Fabrikk to just name a few.

“In Orbit” is their second EP under the name Teleskop after the “One” EP and brings you back to the vintage world of 80’s electronic pop.

Check out the video for “Lost Satellites”. Read the review of ‘In Orbit’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Swedish artist Jouni Heikki Ollila aka Jouni Ulvtharm is a name that will for sure make ring a bell. He got involved with the legendary EBM duo Pouppée Fabrikk and the Dark-Ambient project MZ.412. He got also involved with other bands like Mr. Jones Machine, Project-X, Teleskop, Burg ao. By the end of last year he released the official debut-album of Ulvtharm entitled “Wrēkō”. This work released by Cyclic Law stands for a great, retro-like sounding production mixing Dark-Ambient and Industrial music. The atmospheres hanging over the work create an imaginary horror scape. The work has been accomplished by an impressive sound canvas resulting in a sophisticated production. “Wrēkō” is for sure one of the best albums in its genre from the past year.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: You’ve been involved with that much bands and projects dealing with very different music genres. So how do you explain the need to already start with a ‘new’ project like Ulvtharm? What does Ulvtharm stand for -and especially in comparison or addition to other projects? 

Jouni: I always have the need to create music, in any shape or form. Ulvtharm is really a derivative of demos that I initially made for the MZ.412 “Svartmyrkr”-album, but it did not fit the sound and mood so I put these aside. Once I listened back on the demos, I found a message in the music that needed to be shared, and this is want sparked the idea to make a solo project as ULVTHARM.

Q: I think to have read about the origins of Ulvtharm it all started when you were living in Malaysia, right? Tell us a bit more about it and in which way did it have an influence/impact on the music and the album you composed? 

Jouni: Yes, the Ulvtharm recordings were started in Malaysia, however only as demos. I did not start re-recording everything until I moved back to Sweden in 2019/2020, and at that time the world was hit with the pandemic. It was a particularly dark period in my life, it exposed the darker side of my psyche, and I think it heavily influenced the impending doom and end-of-times themes on the album.

Q: I think it’s interesting to see how different places and different cultures can have an influence on artists. It all looks like a very personal mental process. What’s your experience and perception? And are there specific places you would like to stay and/or visit to get inspiration? 

Jouni: For me, moving back to Sweden has helped a lot with inspiration; in these parts of the world, we spend the majority our days surrounded by darkness with very little sunlight in the autumn and winter. This helps to spawn new ideas and draw energy from the cold void; it’s refreshing and helps me focus on the music that needs to be done, especially when doing Dark-Ambient and Industrial music.

Q: “Wrēkō” sounds like a very personal and even intimate work. Can we speak about a conceptual work or what is it all about? What have been the different stages in the writing and production of “Wrēkō”?

Jouni: “Wrēkō” is indeed very personal, it is a revenge on my own self, on my ego, for not taking these creative steps earlier. It is the Alpha and Omega.

Q: The dark atmospheres recovering this album but also the global sound treatments and production have a very explicit retro-like feeling, reminding me to early 80s artists dealing with Industrial/Dark-Ambient music. Tell us a bit more about the ‘sound’ properly speaking and what equipment and gear did you use? 

Jouni: I use a lot of hardware instruments and synthesizers when composing; for me it is only natural since this is the way I have been making music since the 80’s. My eurorack modular system plays a very important role on the album; many of the electronic buzzing and harsher passages are made on that system. For me, the modular synthesizer is key when creating heavy drones and Dark-Ambient passages, only my imagination is the limit when it comes to sound design. Also, there is a lot of acoustic instruments and field recordings heavily treated by both my modular system and effect pedals, a wide array of soundscapes which are then later puzzled together in my computer which serves as an advanced multitrack recorder.

Q: I’m always fascinated when an artist is involved with that much projects/bands and music genres. How do you switch from one project till the other and where does this eclectic side comes from? Are there specific genres you still want to explore? 

Jouni: This is a cyclical thing really depending on the state of my mind and from where I draw my influences. As an example, after making the Ulvtharm album my ideas were completely depleted, and I needed to feed my mind other influences to cater to the urge to compose new materials. At this point, it was natural to change genre; my artistic and creative senses need different input depending on the music I need to make. It was easy for me to move to Burg, to start working on the “Pendulum Swing” album which had sensory inputs like popular science, sci-fi books and movies. I switched my mind to these new influences and started my musical journey on a completely different project. I have found over the years that I cannot walk in the same shoes musically; I need to make these changes else I will quickly get bored and there will be no music made at all.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Minimal-Electro, Electro-Pop.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: The last year released third album “Teleskop” brought German duo Rector Scanner back on the map. Andrea and René Nowotny -still involved with AD:Key strike back again with three new songs.

Content: The new stuff sounds in the prolongation of “Teleskop”; pure Minimal-Electro-Pop which I often define as ‘Kraftwerk-Pop’. The songs are made of retro elements with a very personal touch on top while driven by robotic vocals. We next get 5 remixes which by the exception of the 808 Dot.Pop-remix have been all accomplished by the duo -featuring 2 remixes of their other alter-ego AD:Key.

+ + + : “Teleskop” was a great album and “Fluormenschen” holds on to the same qualitative level. Rector Scanner isn’t exactly an innovative band and yet they have something refreshing and very personal. All new songs are sonic jewels, which could be all title tracks. I’ve a preference for “Technosignaturen” which sounds more into Minimalism. I also notice great remixes, but here again it’s the “Extended Mix” of “Technosignaturen” which gets my preference.

– – – : No real minus points to mention, but quite curiously the title track isn’t my favorite one.

Conclusion: Rector Scanner stands for efficient, sexy and retro-futuristic Electro-Pop music!

Best songs: “Technosignaturen”, “Wand Aus Glas”, “Fluormenschen – Single Edit”, “Technosignaturen – Extended Mix”, “Fluormenschen – Remix by AD:Key”.

Rate: 8½.

Artist: www.facebook.com/rectorscanner

Label: www.alfa-matrix.com / www.facebook.com/Alfa.Matrix Read the news on ‘Fluormenschen’.

About Rector Scanner

Rene Nowotny founded Rector Scanner in Berlin in 1997 as his first electropop project, alongside the more EBM-oriented AD:Key, which he runs with his wife Andrea Nowotny. After 15 years of studio silence, the duo returned in 2021 with the EP “Der Dichter Und Die Frau”, followed by the twin EPs “Das Mädchen Aus Dem All” and the third studio album “Radioteleskop”. The “Fluormenschen” EP follows on Alfa Matrix with three new songs and five remixes, including two by AD:Key.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-Pop.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Teleskop is a new signing on Progress Productions featuring ‘old’ servants from the Electro scene. This Swedish duo is driven by Jarmo Ollila and Jouni Ollila who both were involved with Mr Jones Machine. Jarmo Ollila was also the singer in Daily Planet. Jouni Ollila was involved with numerous projects but Pouppée Fabrik, for sure remains the most famous one. He was also involved with MZ.412 and Burg.  “One” is the duo’s debut featuring four songs.

Content: Teleskop holds on to the Electro-Pop influence of Mr Jones Machine although the sound is different. It’s a styled and elaborated Electro-Pop format carried by solid choruses. The music is danceable while mixing melancholia with ‘happy’ pop.

+ + + : I appreciate an EP format with 4 different songs instead of a title track with an endless list of remixes. The opening cut is a great and artistic piece of music but I’ve a preference for the last cut “True” which sounds more danceable and accomplished with cool sound treatments. The least I can say is that Teleskop doesn’t sound like a stereo-typical Electro-Pop formation.

– – – : Cool songs and enjoyable music but no absolute hit featured at this debut work.

Conclusion: “One” is an honest debut delivered by two experienced artists from the Swedish electro scene. Let’s keep an eye on this band.

Best songs: “True”, “Violent Dawn”.

Rate: 7.

Artist: www.facebook.com/TeleskopBand

Label: www.progress-productions.com / www.facebook.com/progresspro

About Teleskop

Teleskop is a Swedish synthpop duo of the brothers Jarmo and Jouni Ollila, signed to the Swedish label Progress Productions. Both members had long careers before the project: Jarmo Ollila sang in Daily Planet, while Jouni Ollila worked with Mr Jones Machine, Pouppée Fabrikk, MZ.412 and Burg.

The four-track EP “One” was their first release under the Teleskop name. A second EP, “In Orbit”, followed on March 22, 2024 as a download, on streaming services and on CD in a limited edition of 300 copies. It holds “Insomnia”, “Lost Satellites”, “Porcelain Blue” and “Capsules Of Light”, with a video released for “Lost Satellites”.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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.

www.side-line.com