Biography

The Smallest Big Band In The World?

Their second album 'Breaking Daylight' entered at #1 in the charts, staying at the top for three weeks, and was soon certified platinum. The lead-off single 'One MC, One Delay' went straight to #2 and stayed near the top for months. It also crept to the top in the Finnish Dance Chart going to #1 in its fourth week in the chart and keeping the position for a total of six weeks.

Don Johnson Big Band are a bona fide phenomenon in Finland, a true crossover artist breaking radio and genre barriers while receiving rave reviews from the press. Not bad for what - with only four members who originally met in school - might be the world's smallest big band, in a country where English-language hip-hop has never been a dominant chart force.

The band itself is a bit baffled by their massive new chart success. "We've been the first to ask how a band making this kind of music can go to number one - and we don't have an answer," says Kari Saarilahti, one of the band's co-producers who also plays bass, guitar and drums. The band's rapid-fire-delivery MC Tommy Lindgren isn't quite as coy: "I can't say what it is about our music, but it seems to appeal to both hip-hop fans and their moms!" he shakes his head. "But we are really glad that the album went so high in the charts. Commercial success doesn't always require compromise or forcing the music into an easily digested form. 'Breaking Daylight' is exactly the album we wanted to make. We spent over two years producing it, and this reward from our listeners makes us extremely happy," explains Lindgren.

Despite a name that conjures up an old-time jazz ensemble, this group is way more MTV than fuddy-duddy bandstand. Yes, the band's name refers to the 80's TV series Miami Vice, albeit tongue-in-cheek. "Starting out, we hadn't picked a name yet," says Lindgren. "When we were booking rehearsal time, we were asked to fill in our group's name on the form. So our saxophonist Pekka Mikkonen wrote 'Don Johnson Big Band' as a sort of joke. It just kind of stuck." And the lady who took the booking was amused. "Especially as there were only two of us there," says Mikkonen.

BACKPACK BEATS TURN PLATINUM

But perhaps the success isn't as big a surprise as the band makes it out to be. More than anything, it is a refreshing reminder that in a business normally dominated by forceful marketing plans and carefully polished brands, independent hard work and pure passion for music can still lead to good things. Even for a band that didn't know it was a band before finishing its first album, the self-released debut 'Support de Microphones' (2000).

"The band was born out of the music," says keyboard player and co-producer Johannes Laiho. "We pressed 500 copies with our own money and were trying to say that there is an alternative," he adds. Still in school, the band members carried the album from record store to record store, hand to hand, selling it out of their backpacks while pasting up stickers and posters on every lamppost they could get their hands on. A series of small live shows soon followed in their home city of Helsinki and helped to establish the band in the Finnish underground music scene by word-of-mouth.

In spring 2001, Sony Music took up the distribution of 'Support de Microphones', and the album went on to sell two thirds of the amount needed for gold in Finland - which makes it one of the biggest-selling self-released albums ever in Finland. Universal Music Finland signed the group in March 2003, and with the May 9, 2003, release of 'Breaking Daylight' on the band's own Beat Back label, the three-year wait for new material was finally over.

Although signed to a major, the band's attitude remains fiercely independent. "We like to have 100 per cent control over every aspect - the recording process, the videos and the artwork," explains Mikkonen.

At the Finnish Recording Industry Awards in February 2004, the band's success was topped with two coveted Emma Awards (that's your Finnish version of the Grammys). The honors for Hip-Hop and Dance Album of the Year (Breaking Daylight) and for Song of the Year (One MC, One Delay) officially affirmed Don Johnson Big Band one of the most successful Finnish bands of 2003. With their total of five nominations, Don Johnson Big Band was matched only by the likes of new international chart sensation, The Rasmus.

DUB THIS COUNTRY INNA JAZZ HOUSE SWING?

So what's all the fuss about then? Don Johnson Big Band's music is a unique blend of diverse influences, with hip-hop as one of the main ingredients. But when we say hip-hop, we mean the kind of organic sound, where the band's presence is clearly heard. Other ingredients include jazz, house, dub, country and even swing on the fast-paced hit single 'One MC, One Delay'. Some have called it 'progressive hip-hop', but maybe we should just call it 'Don Johnson Big Band music'.

The main elements are groove, dynamics, skill and a talented MC with plenty to say about the world around him. Which is not surprising, as Lindgren has a background in human rights, having worked for more than six years as press officer of the Finnish Section of Amnesty International. This background clearly comes through in some of his more outspoken, politically inclined lyrics.

In Finland, Don Johnson Big Band follows in a string of bands including Nuspirit Helsinki and Giant Robot influenced by the club scene as much as old school hip-hop. Internationally, they are breaking the boundaries of hip-hop in a similar way as artists like The Roots or Common. Other international counterparts, in both music and spirit, are the likes of Massive Attack, Beastie Boys, and Beck, to name a few.

Although still recognisably Don Johnson Big Band, the second album is more straightforward than the debut, more energetic and uptempo. On the other hand, 'Breaking Daylight' presents the band's moodier side with tracks like 'Penguin' and 'Royalty'. But in the end, it's the mix of loud groove and quiet contemplation that is Don Johnson Big Band's primary strength.

"Much of this album was recorded in an underground studio at night. During the recording sessions we had a habit of taking an unfinished version of a song for a drive at 4 am, just going around the city listening to the music. I'm sure it has had an influence on the outcome," says Lindgren.

NO PARTY LIKE A JOHNSON PARTY

Don Johnson Big Band has made its chart success possible by leaving a powerful impression with their hugely successful and riveting live shows. Due to the high energy nature of these concerts people come regardless of genre; even the Sony Music A&R who originally discovered them called the group "a straight up rock n' roll band."

When performing on stage, vocalist Tommy Lindgren is the perfect leader. Or, as one reviewer wrote following the band's first ever festival gig: "The audience, a couple of thousand people who had never heard the band play a single note, immediately surrendered itself in the hands of lead figure Lindgren." Meanwhile, the calm, composed players form a nice contrast to the singer's furious show. The audience is guided on a trip into the band's distinctive electro-acoustic live sound often flavoured with live percussion, turntables and female vocals by a host of visiting artists. On 'Breaking Daylight' their live force is apparent on songs like the band's 'Turkish motorcycle race' -track (shouldn't all bands have one?), 'Harlem Davidson' as well as the satirically political 'Jah Jah Blow Job'.

The chart-topping new album and the band's reputation as one of Finland's best live acts have made Don Johnson Big Band a headliner at nearly all the Finnish summer festivals. In 2003, the band was asked to perform alongside Jamiroquai in front of 26,000 eager fans at the internationally acclaimed Pori Jazz Festival; while in 2006, a similar accolade was in store where this unorthodox big band warmed up crowds for headliner Kanye West. By 2008, word of the band's live energy has begun spreading even further, with packed shows in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Russia, Estonia, Lithuania, China, and most recently at the Summer Sonic Festival in Japan.

Being advanced enough to be a critics' band while hooking up many followers with energetic live performances, Don Johnson Big Band is truly a breath of fresh air.

"Fun is the keyword! We love playing music, and we just want everyone to have tons of fun when they come to our shows," says Lindgren with a smile. "And when that happens, when you see the people smiling and having a good time, that's just the best feeling in the world. No words can describe it."


Don Johnson Big Band are currently working on their fourth album!

DON JOHNSON BIG BAND

Tommy Lindgren - vocals
Johannes Laiho - piano, synthesizer
Kari Saarilahti - drums, guitar, bass
Pekka Mikkonen - sax, flute