Eero Grundström is a master of the pump organ and the harmonica, but lately he has found himself working on modular synths and writing rap lyrics. “I’m at my best when I can work in the background, and when I’m involved in a bit weirder music”, he says.

People who know their jazz music might be familiar with the term sideman. It marks the role of a player who is not the soloist in a band but does a crucial work in creating a steady base for the overall sound. Sadly sidemen are often overlooked outside of genre enthusiasts, albeit they are often the ones who make it possible for soloists to shine.

Eero Grundström just might be the number one sideman in Finnish contemporary folk music. He is the guy that you call when you need an excellent arrangement, the airy hum of a pump organ, some electronic thumping – or even a rap verse.

“I just got my final raps recorded for the new Suistamon sähkö album”, he celebrates.

“I must admit that I’m a bit stubborn when it comes to artistic solutions. I’m at my best when I’m involved in a bit weirder music."

This week Grundström has been busy working on the third album for Suistamon sähkö, the flamboyant “ethno techno” outfit. The quartet combines Karelian accordion riffs with moldy, surprisingly rustic electronics, quirky rapping and some folk dance.

Suistamon sähkö has managed to produce a handful of cult bangers, filled live venues across Finland and succeeded in something many Finnish folk music acts relentlessly strive for: to win the admiration of non-folk music enthusiasts.

“It’s fun to realize that you can do this kind of crazy poppy stuff even in your forties”, he laughs.

“I must admit that I’m a bit stubborn when it comes to artistic solutions. But luckily the concept of Suistamon sähkö is weird enough for me. I’m at my best when I’m involved in a bit weirder music!”

Music nerding and curiosity

Grundström’s main instruments are the pump organ and the harmonica, and beside Suistamon sähkö you might know him from the delightful harmonica quartet Sväng or as the counterpart of accordion master Maria Kalaniemi’s latest projects. The duo released their new album Mielo in April.

But to frame him merely as a master of the reeds would be a grave understatement. Grundström is also a producer, recorder, synth expert, sound engineer, whatnot.

“I’ve always been driven by music nerding and general curiosity. When I hear something new and exciting, my method seems to be that I first come up with a “bootleg version” of it and then start working on it from my own perspective.”

“I think the reason I got into folk music was that I realized that I could somewhat easily play the same melodies as my idols."

Grundström views that as a continuum in the traditional way of learning music.

“I think the reason I got into folk music was that I realized that I could somewhat easily play the same melodies as my idols. Learning classical music was much more frustrating.”

When Grundström talks about his inspirations, he drops names from old kantele players to thrash metal legends Slayer to the experimental techno released by Warp Records, and even to the contemporary classical of Oliver Messiaen.

“But eventually I think that I’m always working on the one same song over and over again”, he sums.

“When I listen to my old demo recordings or think of new ways to use the sampler or whatever it is I’m doing, I sense a certain energy or style where I recognize myself. It’s the same stuff but with different colors!”

A five year grant

The role of a “sideman” hasn’t always been an easy one for Grundström. He loves what he does, but sometimes it has been difficult to translate his working methods to the average way of being a professional musician.

“For instance, when I’ve applied for grants, I’ve had a hard time explaining what it is I’m doing and why. Usually people seek grants for working on a certain solo project or a band, but I’m dealing with a handful of different projects all the time. Working in the background and playing as an accompanist has always felt the most comfortable for me.”

"Working in the background and playing as an accompanist has always felt the most comfortable for me.”

In June, Grundström luckily got a five year grant from the Arts Promotion Centre Finland.

“Of that I’m extremely grateful! Naturally it leaves much more time to work with new artistic ideas when you don’t have to count every single penny. Without economical support from different instances it would have been much harder to play all those Finnish tours with Suistamon sähkö in obscure venues and build the following that we now have.”

The machine is an instrument

The latest tools in Grundström’s artistic palette have been the modular synthesizer and the sampler.

“The machine is rarely viewed as an instrument per se. For instance, in Russia I have noticed that the idea of electronics in folk music was simply to throw some choir samples on a beat.”

Grundström wanted to take things further. His mission is to create something that truly responds to folk music’s acoustic sound material and brings some vividness to the music, instead of just being – well – a beat that goes in the same rhythm as the composition.

“What timbres, what sounds, what atmospheres do we seek? What kind of link does the electronic element have to the tradition? How to make the machine sound as seamless as possible? Those are the questions I’ve been juggling on.”

“The machine is rarely viewed as an instrument per se. For instance, in Russia I have noticed that the idea of electronics in folk music was simply to throw some choir samples on a beat.”

One of his recent innovations is the midi-pump organ that he created together with sound engineer Teemu Korpipää.

“It started as a pragmatic solution: When I worked on our latest album with Maria Kalaniemi, we thought about including some percussion on it, but we didn’t want to add any extra players. So I told her that I had some ideas on the modular synth.”

Eventually he ended up installing circuit boards and magnets under the bass keys of his organ.

“I ended up quite deep in the rabbit hole! But now I can augment my playing by controlling the bass lines and the percussive elements through the organ and a small keyboard controller. To play all that at once is motorically challenging but it feels really cool!”