Deep Turtle was a Finnish band, active 1990–1996 and 2002–2003.

Overview

Formed in 1990, Deep Turtle was a product of the burgeoning underground music culture of the city of

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 ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. Deep Turtle's music fused the energy of

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc) is a punk rock music genre#subtypes, subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots ...

, the harmonies of

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

rhythms, and the experimentalism of

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 ...

into a style, which was sometimes dubbed

jazzcore Punk jazz is a genre of music that combines elements of jazz, especially improvisation, with the instrumentation and performance style of punk rock. The term was first used to describe James Chance and the Contortions' 1979 album '' Buy''. Punk ...

by listeners and reviewers. Signature elements of the band's music were an abundance of uncommon

time signature A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates th ...

s; frantic and abrupt mood changes between soft jazz tones and blistering

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

assault; nimble

bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...

work providing a

counterpoint In music theory, counterpoint is the relationship of two or more simultaneous musical lines (also called voices) that are harmonically dependent on each other, yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. The term originates from the Latin ...

to the

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

attack; and often indecipherable lyrics delivered both in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

and in English. Some comparisons have been made to bands like

Cardiacs Cardiacs are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Kingston upon Thames by Tim Smith (Cardiacs), Tim Smith (guitar and lead vocals) and his brother Jim Smith (bassist), Jim (bass, backing vocals) in 1977 under the name Cardiac Arrest. One ...

(Turtle's 1994 album in fact has a song titled ''Cardiako'') and

NoMeansNo Nomeansno (sometimes stylized as NoMeansNo or spelled No Means No) was a Canadian punk rock band formed in Victoria, British Columbia, and later relocated to Vancouver. They released 11 albums, including a The Sky Is Falling and I Want My Mommy, ...

. The band released its debut EP, ''Snakefish'', in 1992. Deep Turtle broke up in 1996 but reformed again in 2002, only to disband again in 2004 due to drummer Erjossaari's insurmountable difficulties with

tinnitus Tinnitus is a condition when a person hears a ringing sound or a different variety of sound when no corresponding external sound is present and other people cannot hear it. Nearly everyone experiences faint "normal tinnitus" in a completely ...

, which forced him to quit the band. Deep Turtle made Finnish music history by being the first Finnish band to be invited to do a

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...

session in 1994. Contrary to public belief, Peel was not present at the studio, and he never managed to meet the band in person.

Lineup

Throughout their career, the trio had a constant lineup: * Pentti Dassum - guitar, vocals * Tapio Laxström - bass * Mikko Saaristo (formerly Erjossaari) - drums

Discography

Studio albums

*''There's A Vomitsprinkler In My Liverriver'' (1994)

Compilations

*''Rip-Off Dokumento'' (1995)

Singles and EPs

*''Deep Turtle'' (1991) *''Snakefish'' (1992) *''Satanus Uranus Tetanus'' (1993) *''Ghoti'' (split with Uhrilampaat, 1993) *''Riva!'' (1993) *'' John Peel Session'' (1994) *''Tungo/Born to Search Cheese'' (1995) *''Flutina'' (1996) *''Tutina!'' (''Tungo'' and ''Flutina'' reissued on one disc, 2002) *''VT/DT'' (split with Valse Triste, 2003) *''Turkele!'' (2003)

References

External links

Zerga Records
{{Authority control Finnish musical groups Finnish hardcore punk groups Finnish progressive rock groups Finnish post-hardcore musical groups Finnish math rock groups Finnish art rock groups Finnish experimental rock groups Art punk groups