It seems that there?s an unrelenting stream of amazing and creative people in Finland keen on sharing their unique and inspired wealth with the rest of the world. Can the Finns do no wrong? Case in point: visual artist and musician Juha Veltti. Veltti has his hand in a number of artistic endeavours (painting, illustration, graphic design, comic books, music) and seems to excel at whatever he decides to tackle. On the musical front, Veltti has two projects on the go: he plays with the group Hirvileuka and records solo as Mets?morfeus.

There are quite a few Mets?morfeus releases, as his catalogue stretches all the way back to 2003. ?Purkamo,? Veltti?s latest sonic outpouring, is somewhat unique from the others in that it?s essentially a remix record. The music of Vapaa, Kemialliset Yst?v?t, Lau Nau, Pekko K?ppi, Hirvileuka and others is reinterpreted and filtered through a unique lens. The original spirit of the music remains the same, yet Veltti?s deft hand establishes a new point of reference with which to listen. I?m not normally a fan of remix work in general, as there?s usually an unsurpassable staleness to the results. ?Purkamo? on the other hand feels fresh and vibrant ? the individual tracks work together as a cohesive and remarkably interesting album. Anyone with an affinity for all things Finnish would be wise to check out this fantastic release. 8/10 -- Bryon Hayes (30 April, 2007)