Mustik Motel Music

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Tahmela Six, Hatka and Oresme media mentions

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Recent press round-up: reviews and features for Mustik Motel artists across print various media.

UK Vibe – Steve Williams

“The band, the album and the label are creating something worth keeping.”

“This is jazz — it is simply their way of exciting us, and nothing about it is typical.”

“No studio walls, no isolation: wind, insects and sheer distance are part of the record, and with nothing to bounce the sound back, the six are audibly listening to one another across open ground.”

Valon Kuvia – Jukka Piiroinen

“Birdsong, insect buzz and the hum of wind become part of a shared, open soundscape.”

“The beautiful free jazz of the Tahmela sextet absolutely belongs on Valon kuvia’s 2026 listening recommendations list.”

Jazzrytmit – Osku Rajala

“Altogether a fine, tasteful serving of free jazz — made without ‘limits’, in a healthy rural landscape.”

“Check it out!”

Lux – DJ Bunuel

North Star Sounds

One Man’s Jazz

The Free Jazz Collective – Charlie Watkings

“Quartet feels like a good old-fashioned free jazz album, in the best sense. Start to finish it is imbued with that 60s viscerality, creative and raw, moving ever-forwards with driving force.”

“It feels like the second they entered the studio, something must have clicked: this sounds like a group who have been playing together for years.”

“The three musicians together achieve that holy grail of psychic connection where they seem able to turn corners and move the music on with almost simultaneous decision making.”

North Star Sounds

Latest Mustik Motel features in Media

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Recent press round-up: reviews and features for Mustik Motel artists across print various media.

SuomiJazz — Pentti Ronkanen

“It doesn’t take many minutes of listening before the feeling arrives: this is my kind of music.”

“They know how to build compelling musical narratives — the tension holds throughout these stories.”

Happy to receive review of Tahmela Six debut album review just before the second one is coming! Here’s another by Pentti who been busy listening to our releases.

“This quartet has its own sound — and it’s a good one.”

“Savela and his partners have crafted a record’s worth of really excellent contemporary jazz.”

“Clear structures and catchy melodic elements blend enjoyably with the music’s freer currents.”

UK Vibe — Andy Hazell

“Oresme is a triumph of close listening.”

“The music prioritises the extension of tone over the moment of impact.”

“Percussion that feels richer and more melodic as a consequence.”

One Man’s Jazz — Maurice Hogue

One Man’s Jazz featuring Mika Kallio & Janne Tuomi around 1h 44mins time.

What the Press Says About Quartet

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Here are three recent Hatka – Quartet reviews.

Jazzrytmit — O.R.

“The result is intense, playful, and unafraid of noise, abrupt beauty, or the unknown.”

“I dare recommend both a live encounter with Hatka and this Quartet album to anyone seeking variety, freedom, and difference — without any preconceptions.”

SuomiJazz — Pentti Ronkanen

“Together, the three-man Hatka has created a magnificent, powerful whole in the best traditions of free jazz. After the intense journey, you’re left in a state of happy bewilderment: where on earth did you just go?”

“The Quartet album can be heard as an obituary to Takamäki — to his sound, his music, his life.”

“The intensity of the playing on Saari is enormous. Wilkinson takes his time building, but eventually accelerates enough to set the whole Saari ablaze.”

UK Vibe — Steve Williams

“This is improvisation at full tilt: bold, sometimes challenging, and adventurous, but never gratuitous.”

“Quartet is as much about absence as presence. Takamäki’s intended contribution lingers in memory, shaping the emotional texture of the recording.”

“Hatka’s Quartet is an uncompromising, thrilling journey into sound.”

Kadi Vija’s Tiny Hands in the Press

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Kadi Vija album A side

Further Kadi Vija Emma winning album reviews are here!

Levyhyllyt — Auli Särkiö-Pitkänen

“Tiny Hands is an intuitive, organically structured whole, one you listen to wide-eyed and with a fluttering heart. The sonic world lingers in the moment — softly rustling, dimly gleaming, and intimate.”

“Vija’s use of voice is free and breathing, minimalist and endlessly rich.”

“Instead of a scat virtuoso, Vija is now nakedly a person observing the world, and jazz phrasing surfaces only now and then, as if from another reality.”

SuomiJazz — Pentti Ronkanen

“A bold visionary who always makes music on her own terms, without worrying about others’ opinions.”

“Many of the tracks are puzzle-building, and we’re often talking about very small pieces. Skillfully they find their place, interlock, find a shared pulse — the instrumental and the vocal blend. Vija and Mäkynen paint with powerful color combinations.”

“At the same time, this is a total artwork — the album should be heard as a whole, from start to finish, to really feel it.”

UKVibe — Imran Mirza

“A captivating and incredibly nuanced record that finds Vija conveying the album from the perspective of a child, capturing the joys, wonder and curiosity of those early years.”

“The very categorisation of Vija as a ‘vocal instrumentalist’ is demonstrative of the dynamic and considered approach to her own affections for vocal improvisation.”

“A genuinely fantastic release that just gets better with repeat listens.”

First Hatka Media Bites Are Here

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Hatka’s album Quartet lands on 26 February and the signal is already out there. Before the record is even officially released, the trio has been picked up by international jazz media and radio, and you can see and hear why.

To set the scene, here’s a clip from Hatka’s explosive live set at Telakka Jazz 2025 in Tampere: Darin Gray (bass), Janne Tuomi (drums), Alan Wilkinson (saxophone) in full flight. This gig happened two days before the Quartet album recording session.

Hatka also appears in Rob Garratt’s All About Jazz festival report from Telakka Jazz 2025 — capturing the trio’s intensity and the sense that something new had arrived. Read the gig report here: Telakka Jazz 2025: Finland’s Second City Gets Spiritual article @ All About Jazz

“Describing this music would be like trying to catch bullets in your teeth, and spit them out onto a plate…”

“…did not let up for breath until 40 minutes later.”

Valon Kuvia blog wrote review of the Quartet album. Blog post it self is in Finnish: here! For your convenience here’s same blog post with Finnish to English translation by Google: here!

“Alan Wilkinson’s raw sound, and occasional electronic effects, enrich the album’s palette of timbres.”

“Shaping a tense dramatic arc without melodies or a catchy tempo.”

Daniel Spicer is a writer, broadcaster, improviser and poet based in Brighton, UK. He writes about music for The Wire, Jazzwise, Songlines, WeJazz and The Quietus. He runs monthly radio show one One Jazz streaming radio called Mystery Lesson. Hatka is featured on his February 2026 show on around 27 minutes mark.

Canada-based One Man’s Jazz featured Hatka on episode #1447, with the host giving the trio (and Mustik Motel) a lovely spotlight and selecting a track from Quartet in the show. Listen around 1h 40mins.

As we have the vinyl in time, we are shipping it prior to full digital album release. Get your copy from Mustik Motel’s bandcamp: Hatka – Quartet

Way To Highlights

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Eero Savela

As Way To continues its journey, we want to highlight a few mentions and milestones around Eero Savela’s release.

In Norway, Salt Peanuts also reviewed the record, adding another respected Nordic voice to the conversation. Read full review in Norwegian here: EERO SAVELA | salt peanuts*

“An excellent release overall.”

“…places the band among the very best in today’s jazz…”

UK Vibe featured the album in their review coverage, bringing Way To to a wider international jazz audience. Read the full review here: Eero Savela ‘Way To’ LP (Mustik Motel) 3/5 – ukvibe – astral travelling since 1993

“Savela’s trumpet tone is lyrical and unforced, more conversational than declarative.”

“…the dialogue between trumpet and Wurlitzer is especially rewarding…”

Eero was also featured via Estonian host Lauri Leis on Klassikaraadio, extending the album’s reach through radio. Listen the radio show here: Fantaasia. Lauri Leis | Klassikaraadio | ERR

North Star Sounds show on Jazz90.1 radio station Rochester, NY featured Eero’s Timangi on their show. Listen around 2h 11minutes mark.

Arttu Tolonen wrote a review of Way To on: We Jazz Magazine / Winter 2025 “Weathering” | We Jazz Records

“Now Savela steps out of the section with his debut as a leader, Way To.”

“Savela possesses a cool and controlled sound, one that is eminently capable of carrying an album.”

“There are several standout tracks on this strong album.”

Eero Savela was nominated as one of the Indieco‘s Jazz Artist of the year!

Eero was also nominated at the Funky Awards 2025 in the Artist of the Year category.

That one guy on Discogs commented!

Superb album and the vinyl sounds very good! IMO probably the best jazz album made in Finland in recent years. Highly recommended!

We’re grateful for every mention, listen, and share.
Thank you to everyone helping this music travel.

Sharing the story of Tampere Jazz City!

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Eero Koski from the Finnish Music Quarterly magazine wanted to know what’s up in Tampere and we had a pleasure sharing our story.

Read it all here: FMQ – Finland’s jazz underground teams up to go global

A few key takeaways from the article:

Over the past few years, the city has spawned a cluster of adventurous jazz labels: Ultraääni, Mustik Motel Music, Puro Recordings, and the long-running Eclipse Music.

With its steady stream of daring releases… Tampere has become an unlikely but undeniable hotspot for contemporary jazz.

Thank you for an unforgettable 2025

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As 2025 comes to a close, we’re looking back with a big grin and a lot of gratitude. Mustik Motel Music exists because we love this music and it keeps moving forward because you listen, share, come to gigs, buy records, and tell a friend “Hey, you need to hear this!”.

Mustik Motel Music vinyl records from 2024.

This year we had the joy of releasing three full-length albums:

  • Lauri Kallio – Turtles, Cats and Other Creatures
  • Eero Savela – Way To
  • Kadi Vija – Tiny Hands Gathering Wonder, The World Becomes Magic

Each of these releases has its own world inside it. Different moods, different textures, different ways of telling the truth through sound. We feel genuinely lucky to help bring them into the world.

And 2025 didn’t just bring new music. It brought some seriously encouraging nods along the way. Kadi Vija’s album received an Emma nomination, and both Kadi’s and Eero’s albums earned IndieCo nominations. On top of that, we’ve been thrilled to see our releases mentioned across multiple year-end best-of lists.

Awards and lists aren’t the whole point, but they are a meaningful signal that this music is landing, resonating, and travelling farther than we could ever push it alone.

So: Thank You.

Thank you to the artists for your vision, your work, your patience, and your courage to put something real out into the world.
Thank you to everyone behind the scenes: recording, mixing, mastering, artwork, pressing, friend labels, distribution, record stores, promo, radio, writers, DJs, venues, photographers, and all the fellow doers who help the wheels turn.


Special thank you to all our listeners: you’re the reason this label gets to exist at all.

We already have new projects in motion for 2026, and we can’t wait to share what’s next: new sounds, new stories, new memories.

Until then: take care, keep listening, and keep your curiosity alive.

Warm jazz love from the cold north,
Antti & Jarno / Mustik Motel Music

Kadi Vija Emma Gala 2025 nominee!

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We’ve got news that still doesn’t quite fit in our heads: our artist Kadi Vija has been nominated for the Emma Award in the Jazz category (Vuoden Jazz) for her album Tiny Hands Gathering Wonder, The World Becomes Magic.

Antti Kujala
Emma Gala 2025 Vote

The Emma nominations for 2025 were announced on 10th of December 2025, and the awards will be presented at the Emma Gala in Espoo on 7th of March 2026.

For us at Mustik Motel, this nomination is more than a headline. It’s a reminder of why we do this in the first place.

Tiny Hands Gathering Wonder, The World Becomes Magic is also a deeply human record – built around everyday wonder, family life, and the kind of questions kids ask that adults should probably take more seriously. The album was created together with drummer–producer Teppo Mäkynen, and it carries that special feeling of something carefully crafted that still leaves room for air and surprise.

We want to send a massive thank you to everyone who’s been part of this journey: the musicians and collaborators, everyone who’s listened, shared, bought the record, booked gigs, written about the music, and shown up in the room. Independent music is basically a chain reaction of trust—and we’re grateful for every link in it.

Onnea & aitäh, Kadi. We’re proud – and still slightly stunned.

If you haven’t spent time with the album yet, now’s a pretty good moment:
Listen / Buy Vinyl: Bandcamp
Further Emma Gala read in Finnish: Vuoden Jazz 2025 – Emma Gaala

Julius Konttinen
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