Circle is a Finnish

experimental rock Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, wit ...

band formed in

Pori Pori (; ; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Satakunta. It is located on the west coast of the country, on the Gulf of Bothnia. The population of Pori is approximately , while the Pori sub-region, sub-region has a population of a ...

in 1991. Their eclectic, ever-changing style has been associated with genres such as

krautrock Krautrock (also called , German for ) is a broad genre of experimental rock that developed in Germany in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It originated among artists who blended elements of psychedelic rock, avant-garde composition, and electron ...

, heavy metal,

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...

, and

ambient Ambient or ambiance or ambience may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Ambiancé'', an unreleased experimental film * ''Ambient'' (novel), a novel by Jack Womack Music and sound * Ambience (sound recording), also known as atmospheres or backgr ...

. On some albums they have defined themselves as New Wave of Finnish Heavy Metal (NWOFHM).

Biography

Circle was formed in 1992 by bassist and singer

Jussi Lehtisalo Jussi Lehtisalo (born 1972) is a Finnish musician. In 1991, he founded Circle, a prolific band drawing influences from heavy metal and krautrock to develop a style of repetitive experimental rock. He also runs a record label, Ektro Records, rele ...

, the only member who has been in the band throughout its career. Circle's krautrock-style debut album '' Meronia'' was released in 1994 and featured lyrics in a made-up language. A trio of albums, ''Andexelt'' (1999), ''Prospekt'' (2000), and ''Taantumus'' (2001), brought them international attention. Since recording 2002's ''Sunrise'', the core line-up has consisted of Lehtisalo with keyboard player and singer

Mika Rättö Mika is a given name, a nickname, and a surname. Notable people and fictional characters with the name include: People known just as Mika * Mika (singer) (born 1983), Lebanese-born British singer-songwriter Michael Penniman, Jr. * Mika (footba ...

, drummer Tomi Leppänen, and guitarist

Janne Westerlund Janne Westerlund (born 1973) is a Finnish musician, songwriter and visual artist known from such Finnish groups as Circle (with the band since 2001), Pharaoh Overlord, and . His main instrument is guitar but on his solo gigs he plays banjo as w ...

, playing more heavy metal-oriented music though continuously influenced by krautrock band

Faust Faust ( , ) is the protagonist of a classic German folklore, German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust (). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a deal with the Devil at a ...

. Since 2009, Julius Jääskeläinen and Pekka Jääskeläinen have appeared on all recordings by the band. Sound engineer and musician/composer Tuomas Laurila is also credited as a member of the band on a number of releases. Circle member have participated in a great number of side projects and split-offs, including

stoner rock Stoner rock, also known as stoner metal or stoner doom, is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of doom metal with psychedelic rock and acid rock. The genre emerged during the early 1990s and was pioneered foremost by Kyuss and Sl ...

spin-off

Pharaoh Overlord Pharaoh Overlord is an experimental rock (music), rock music band, initially featuring three members of the Finnish group Circle (Finnish band), Circle, Jussi Lehtisalo, Janne Westerlund and Tomi Leppänen. Originally begun as a vehicle to indulg ...

. Rättö and Lehtisalo play as a duo, Rättö ja Lehtisalo, and as a trio with

Kauko Röyhkä Kauko Röyhkä, (born Jukka-Pekka Välimaa, 12 February 1959, Valkeakoski), is a Finnish Rock music, rock musician, author and screenwriter. Since the early 1980s he has been a popular rock artist in Finland known especially as a strong lyricist. ...

. Other projects featuring members of Circle include

Steel Mammoth Jussi Lehtisalo (born 1972) is a Finnish musician. In 1991, he founded Circle, a prolific band drawing influences from heavy metal and krautrock to develop a style of repetitive experimental rock. He also runs a record label, Ektro Records, rele ...

, Ektroverde, Janne Westerlund's Plain Ride, Lusiferiinin Armosta, K-X-P,

Aavikko Aavikko is a Finnish synth music band, formed in Siilinjärvi in 1995. Their hallmarks include a campy, decidedly "East European" style and plastic-sounding synthesizer themes. The band themselves call their style "''muysic''" (a portmanteau of ...

, Lehtisalofamily, Split Cranium Moon Fog Prophet, and

Doktor Kettu Jussi Lehtisalo (born 1972) is a Finnish musician. In 1991, he founded Circle, a prolific band drawing influences from heavy metal and krautrock to develop a style of repetitive experimental rock. He also runs a record label, Ektro Records, rele ...

. Whilst recording the album Miljard in 2006 the band was filmed by Esko Lönnberg, and the resulting movie, ''Saturnus Reality'' released as a DVD, by No Quarter Records (2007). Lönnberg's attempt to make the film itself became the subject of another movie, ''The Man With The Video Camera'', filmed by Petri Hagner, which has also been released as a DVD by

Fonal Records Fonal Records is an independent record label from Finland. It was initially founded in the mid-1990s by Sami Sänpäkkilä to release his recordings under his recording name Es. Sänpäkkilä initially ran the label from his childhood home in ...

(2010). The band are also closely associated with the filmmaker

Mika Taanila Mika Taanila (born 1965 in Helsinki) is a Finnish film director and Visual arts, visual artist. His films can be categorized somewhere between the traditions of classic documentary film-making, avant-garde and video art. His most notable films ar ...

: in 2011, they provided a live soundtrack to his 1998 silent film ''

'' (released as an album, ''Suur-Pori''); and in 2012 recorded several new tracks for '' Six Day Run'', also released subsequently as an album. In 2011, Circle/Pharaoh Overlord were artists-in-residence at Dutch rock festival

Roadburn Festival The Roadburn Festival is an annual music festival held each April in Tilburg, Netherlands. It was founded by Walter Hoeijmakers and Jurgen van den Brand in 1999, who ran a stoner rock blog of the same name. The festival has been held at Tilburg ...

. The group made its 32nd full-length album, ''Terminal'', available for streaming on Soundcloud shortly before its official release on Southern Lord Records on 23 June 2017. In November 2021, Circle released ''

Henki ''Henki'' is a 2021 collaborative album by the English singer-songwriter Richard Dawson and the Finnish experimental rock group Circle. The album has seven songs that are all related to the life of plants and trees. The title, according to Circle' ...

'', a collaborative album made with English musician

Richard Dawson Richard Dawson (born Colin Lionel Emm; 20 November 1932 – 2 June 2012) was an English-American actor, comedian, game-show host, and panelist. Dawson was well known for playing Corporal Peter Newkirk in ''Hogan's Heroes'', as a regular panel ...

, on Weird World (an imprint of

Domino Recording Company Domino Recording Company, or simply Domino, is a British independent record label based in London. There is also a wing of the label based in Brooklyn, New York that handles releases in the United States, as well as a German division called ...

Discography

Albums

* 1994 '' Meronia'', CD/2LP (

Bad Vugum Bad Vugum is an independent record label originally based in Oulu, Finland. It was founded in 1987 by some of the members of the hardcore punk groups Kansanturvamusiikkikomissio and Radiopuhelimet for releasing the latter's music. The label's ...

), 2007 CD re-issue (Ektro Records) * 1996 '' Zopalki'', CD/2LP (

), 2012 CD re-issue (Ektro Records) * 1996 ''Hissi'', CD (Metamorphos /

Captain Trip Records Captain Trip Records is a Japanese music label founded and run by musician Ken Matsutani. The label specializes in experimental music and various subgenres of rock, particularly psychedelic rock and progressive rock. In addition to the publicatio ...

(Japan)) * 1997 ''Fraten'', CD (Metamorphos) * 1998 ''

'', CD (Metamorphos), 2000 CD (Feldspar (USA)) * 1998 '' Kollekt'', compilation CD (

) * 1999 '' Andexelt'', CD (Metamorphos), 2000 CD (tUMULt) * 2000 '' Prospekt'' CD (Ektro Records), 2002 2LP (Static Resonance) * 2001 '' Taantumus'', CD (

) * 2002 ''Sunrise'', CD (Ektro Records), 2006 2LP (Headspin) * 2002 '' Alotus'', CD ( Klangbad) * 2003 ''Guillotine'', CD (Ektro Records), 2005 CD (Scratch) * 2004 ''Forest'', CD (Ektro Records), 2005 CD (No Quarter) * 2005 '' Tulikoira'', CD (Ektro Records), 2007 2LP + 7" (Headspin) * 2006 ''Miljard'', 2CD (Ektro Records) * 2006 ''Tyrant'', CD (

Latitudes In geography, latitude is a geographic coordinate that specifies the north-south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from −90° at the south pole to 90° at the ...

) * 2007 ''

Tower A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...

'' feat. Verde, CD (Last Visible Dog) * 2007 ''

Panic Panic is a sudden sensation of fear, which is so strong as to dominate or prevent reason and logical thinking, replacing it with overwhelming feelings of anxiety, uncertainty and frantic agitation consistent with a fight-or-flight reaction. ...

'', CD (Ektro Records) * 2007 '' Katapult'', CD/LP (No Quarter) * 2008 ''

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

'', CD/2LP (Ektro Records) * 2010 '' Rautatie'', CD (Ektro Records) * 2011 ''

Infektio ''Infektio'' is the thirty-fifth album by Finnish experimental rock band Circle (Finnish band), Circle. It was released in April 2011 on CD and limited vinyl. Track listing *A1 Salvos (15:10) *A2 Maatunut (6:20) *B1 Peruuttamaton (7:57) *B2 Pisar ...

'', CD/LP (Conspiracy Records) * 2011 ''Noiduttu'', MC (Ruton Music) * 2011 ''Rakkaus tulessa'' feat.

Erkki Kurenniemi Erkki Juhani Kurenniemi (10 July 1941, Hämeenlinna, Finland – 1 May 2017,Elektronisen ...

, LP (Full Contact) * 2011 ''Giardino'' feat. Verde, MC (Ruton Music) * 2012 ''Manner'', LP (Hydra Head Records) * 2013 ''Enharmonic Intervals (For Paschen Organ)'', with

Mamiffer Mamiffer is an American band based in Seattle, Washington. It started out as a solo project for former Pyramids and Everlovely Lightningheart member Faith Coloccia that later saw several session musicians and collaborators, most consistently Aa ...

, CD/LP (Ektro Records) * 2013 ''Incarnation'', CD/LP (Ektro Records) * 2013 ''Frontier'', as "Falcon (ex-Circle)", CD/LP (Ektro Records) * 2014 ''Leviatan'', as "Circle (ex-Falcon)", CD/LP (Ektro Records) * 2015 ''Pharaoh Overlord'', CD/LP (Ektro Records) * 2017 ''Terminal'', CD/LP (

Southern Lord Records Southern Lord is an American heavy metal record label that was founded in 1998 by Greg Anderson. It initially specialized in experimental metal: particularly doom metal, stoner rock, and drone metal. The label later expanded its line-up to ...

)

Live albums

* 1998 ''Surface'', split w. Marble Sheep, CD (Metamorphos /

(Japan)) * 2001 '' Raunio'', CD (Ektro Records), 2002 CD (Squealer Music) * 2004 ''Golem / Vesiliirto'', 2LP (Kevyt Nostalgia / Super Metsä) * 2004 ''Empire'', LP (Riot Season) * 2004 ''Mountain'', LP (Kevyt Nostalgia / Super Metsä) * 2005 ''General'', LP (Kevyt Nostalgia / Super Metsä) * 2006 ''Arkades'', LP (

Fourth Dimension Records Fourth Dimension Records is a British record label, specialising in international underground music. It was founded by Gary Levermore as an offshoot of his Third Mind label before being taken over by Richard Johnson (aka Richo) in 1984. The l ...

), 2007 2CD (

) * 2007 ''The Blaze Game'', as "Sunburned Circle" with

Sunburned Hand of the Man Sunburned Hand of the Man are an experimental rock band from Boston, Massachusetts. They are a loose collective known for their frequent line up changes and large discography released on a variety of labels including Eclipse Records, Thurston ...

, CD/LP (Conspiracy) * 2007 ''Telescope'', 2CD (Sunhair) Recorded in 2003 * 2007 ''Rakennus'', CD (Ektro Records) * 2008 ''Triumph'', 2LP (

) Recorded in 2007 * 2009 ''

Soundcheck A soundcheck is the preparation that takes place before a concert, speech, or similar performance to adjust the sound on the venue's sound reinforcement or public address system. The performer and the audio engineers run through a small po ...

'', LP (Full Contact) * 2011 ''Maxim'', LP (Full Contact) * 2012 ''Serpent'', CD (Ektro Records) * 2014 ''Hukkaamiskielto'', MC (Ruton Music) * 2014 ''6000 km/h'', LP (Full Contact)

Collaborations

* 2021 ''

'' with

, CD/2LP, ( Weird World/Domino)

Soundtrack albums

* 2013 ''Suur-Pori'', MC (Ruton Music) * 2013 ''Six Day Run'', LP (Ektro Records) * 2014 ''SSEENNSSEESS'', CD/LP, (Ektro Records)

EPs - 7"

* 1991 ''

DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid (; DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of al ...

'', 7" (Seventh Seal) * 1992 '' Point'', 7" (

) * 1993 ''

Silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

'', 7" (

) * 1993 '' Crawatt'', 7" (

VHF Records VHF Records is an American record label, known for their extensive work with several major experimental artists. The label is based in the Washington, DC suburb of Fairfax, Va., and it initially focused on indie and experimental bands from that reg ...

) * 1995 ''Ghatarian'', 7" (

) * 1996 ''Kitin'', split w. Psychoplasma, 7" (Metamorphos) * 1998 ''Valas'', split w. DisCo., 7" (Zerga) * 2002 ''Tour'', split with

Acid Mothers Temple Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O., commonly shortened to Acid Mothers Temple or AMT, is a Japanese rock music, rock band, the core of which formed in 1995. The band is led by guitarist Kawabata Makoto and early in their career feat ...

, 7" (Verdura) * 2003 ''Elcric'', 7" (

) * 2006 ''

Earthworm An earthworm is a soil-dwelling terrestrial invertebrate that belongs to the phylum Annelida. The term is the common name for the largest members of the class (or subclass, depending on the author) Oligochaeta. In classical systems, they we ...

'', CDEP (No Quarter) * 2006 '' Void Star'', 7" (DotDotDot) * 2007 ''Vaahto'', 7" (

Trensmat Records Trensmat Records was an independent record label based in Ireland. It specialised in drone, noise music, krautrock and grooves. All releases were on vinyl in limited editions. The label's name was a made up word, based on "transmit." Making up a ...

) * 2009 ''Odottamaton'', 7" (

Sub Pop Sub Pop is an independent record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman. Sub Pop achieved fame in the early 1990s for signing Seattle bands such as Nirvana (band), Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, central players in the gru ...

) * 2011 ''Mylläri'', 7" (

Svart Records Svart Records is a Finnish independent record company focused on heavy metal music, especially doom metal. It concentrates mostly on releasing LP reissues of albums previously unavailable on vinyl. Discography * Callisto, ''Providence 2LP'' ( ...

) * 2012 ''End of Time/God Told Me To'', 7" (Ektro Records) (Cover versions of two songs by Jesters of Destiny) * 2013 ''Beer and Ribs'', as "Falcon (ex-Circle)", 7" (Full Contact) * 2014 ''Kumiluoti'', 7" (Full Contact) * 2017 ''Kummitus'', 7" (Full Contact)

Compilation appearances

* 1995 ''Yllättäviä kohtaamisia / Surprising Encounters'', LP/CD, (

) (Features the Circle tracks "Öja" and "Surrounding") * 1998 ''MetaZoon'', CD, (Metamorphos) (Features the Circle tracks "Friitalan Nahka" and a cover version of

King Crimson King Crimson were an English progressive rock band formed in London in 1968 by Robert Fripp, Michael Giles, Greg Lake, Ian McDonald (musician), Ian McDonald and Peter Sinfield. Guitarist Fripp remained the only constant member throughout the ...

's song " The Talking Drum") * 2000 ''Tuonen Tytär - A Tribute to Finnish Progressive'', CD, Mellow Records (Features a cover version of Haikara's song "Kun Menet Tarpeeksi Kauas Tulevaisuuteen, Huomaat Olevasi Menneisyydessä") * 2002 '' Klangbad First Steps'', CD, ( Klangbad) (Features the Circle tracks "Scotch" and "

Northern Sky The northern celestial hemisphere, also called the Northern Sky, is the northern half of the celestial sphere; that is, it lies north of the celestial equator. This arbitrary sphere appears to rotate westward around a polar axis due to Earth' ...

") * 2003 ''Painted Black'', CD, ( tUMULt) (Features a cover version of

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

' song "

Paint It Black "Paint It Black" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. A product of the songwriting partnership of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it is a raga rock song with Indian, Middle Eastern and Eastern European influences and lyrics ...

") * 2006 ''Innature'', CD, (Barge Recordings) (Features the Circle track "No Battle, No Fire") * 2006 '' SuperSonic 06'', CD, (Capsule) (Features the Circle track "Nöyrä Ninja") * 2008 ''Like Black Holes in the Sky: A Tribute to

Syd Barrett Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett (6 January 1946 – 7 July 2006) was an English singer, guitarist and songwriter who co-founded the rock band Pink Floyd in 1965. Until his departure in 1968, he was Pink Floyd's frontman and primary songwriter, ...

'', CD, (Dwell Records) (Features a cover version of Syd Barrett's song "

Rats Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Species of rats are found throughout the order Rodentia, but stereotypical rats are found in the genus ''Rattus''. Other rat genera include ''Neotoma'' (pack rats), '' Bandicota'' (bandicoot ...

") * 2009 ''Every Noise Has a Note'', CD, (

) (Features the Circle track "Vaahto")

References

External links

Circle homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Circle Finnish musical groups Musical groups from Pori Tumult Records artists Finnish experimental rock groups