Mustik Motel Music

An independent jazz label from Tampere, Finland. Pushing frontiers and honouring timeless beauty in sound.

Album: Mika Kallio & Janne Tuomi – Oresme

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Mika Kallio and Janne Tuomi are two of the most restlessly searching percussionists in Finnish improvised music. Across separate but frequently intersecting careers, both have worked consistently at the outer edge of what rhythm and texture can mean. Their debut duo album Oresme (MMM009) takes its name from Nicole Oresme, the 14th-century French philosopher, mathematician, and astronomer who theorised about the daily rotation of the Earth and the motion of celestial bodies well before the instruments existed to prove him right. In his Livre du ciel et du monde he argued that a rotating Earth and a rotating cosmos would appear identical from the inside: that all perceived motion depends entirely on where you stand. Kallio and Tuomi are asking the same questions here. Through sound.

“It’s about exploring inner and outer space,” says Tuomi. The nine tracks navigate that double territory openly. Several reach outward and deep: Bok Globules (the dense interstellar clouds that precede star formation), Eagle Nebula, Eeta Carinae, Moon-Tides. Hadein, Juwugo and Odys carry a more interior weight, untranslated and personal. Puut, the Finnish word for trees, sits near the record’s centre, grounding it. Odys closes the B side at nearly ten minutes. The album opens with a 95-second sketch and ends in open space.

Two percussion setups, one vibraphone, and the space between them. The music is patient, close-listening, and unafraid of silence.

Mika Kallio: drums, percussion, Paiste cymbals & gongs
Janne Tuomi: drums, cymbals, gongs, percussion, vibraphone

Listen at: SPOTIFY, TIDAL and all other major streaming services
Buy digital & vinyl at: Bandcamp

Album: Hatka – Quartet

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Hatka performed at Telakka Jazz on the first Friday night of January 2025. The following Sunday the trio visited the studio to record a session – music captured in the festival afterglow, fuelled by a shared commitment to free expression.

The album is titled Quartet for a reason. A fourth voice, saxophonist Jone Takamäki, was originally meant to join the group for both the live performance and the studio recording. Quartet is what was planned and what remains. Jone couldn’t make it, so he never played under the name Hatka. His absence became especially poignant after his passing in summer 2025, and Quartet inevitably became a memory piece: a way to honour a deeply valued fellow musician, his sound, and his life.

Alan Wilkinson (alto saxophone, bass clarinet, voice)
Darin Gray (upright bass, preparations, electronics)
Janne Tuomi (drums, percussion)

Listen at: SPOTIFY, TIDAL and all other major streaming services
Buy digital & vinyl at: Bandcamp

Album: Kadi Vija – Tiny Hands Gathering Wonder, The World Becomes Magic

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“Tiny Hands Gathering Wonder, The World Becomes Magic” is a vibrant narrative album celebrating the beauty and complexity of a rainbow family. Jazz vocal artist Kadi Vija shares her journey as a social parent, exploring love, connection, and the unique rhythms of family life.

What does friendship look like when the family structure defies convention? How do you build a relationship with a child when traditional roles don’t apply?

Teppo, a child with a bright and curious spirit, invites us into a world of wonder and questions.

Vija and drummer/producer Teppo Mäkynen craft a heartfelt journey through childhood, friendship, and the everyday magic of family beyond conventions.

Recorded at two locations in Helsinki: at Kaapelitehdas between Spring 2023, Fall 2024, Spring 2025 & at Herttoniemi during Summer 2023.

Produced, recorded and mixed by Teppo Mäkynen
Mastered by Jarno Alho
Graphic design by Miiro Seppänen
Photography by Antti Kujala & Miiro Seppänen

Featured Musicians:
Kadi Vija – vocals, synths, hand clap, percussions
Teppo Mäkynen – programming, synths, percussions, hand clap, vibraphone, effects
Teppo Vija – piano

Album: Eero Savela – Way To

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Listen at: SPOTIFY, TIDAL and all other major streaming services!
Buy digital at: Bandcamp

Album origins

Sometimes, the universe simply clicks. It was after one of Tahmela Six‘s gigs that Jarno—one half of Mustik Motel—posed a question to Eero: Is it finally time for your debut?

The timing couldn’t have been better. Eero had already begun piecing together material for an album, and Jarno’s encouragement was the spark that set everything in motion. Musicians were gathered, studio time was booked, and the result? A truly timeless record—one that we are thrilled to share with you!

Album info

With Way To, Eero Savela steps forward as a composer and solo artist, shaping a jazz album that is as personal as it is expansive. Every composition on the record is his own, reflecting the sounds he wants to share with audiences—sounds that speak, question, and evolve.

Way To is more than just compositions on paper—it’s a living, breathing dialogue between seasoned musicians. Seppo Kantonen (Wurlitzer electric piano), Joonas Leppänen (drums), Eero Tikkanen (double bass), and guest artist Erno Haukkala (trombone on two tracks) each bring their distinct voices into the mix, elevating the music beyond its initial framework. Their improvisational interplay and musical conversations deepen the album’s essence, creating a rich, evolving soundscape that transforms the listening experience.

Sonically, Way To exists in a space between contemporary jazz and ’70s jazz-funk—melding modern expression with the groove-driven energy of an earlier era. Through this collaboration, Savela not only presents his own compositions—he also uncovers new dimensions within his own sound.

Musicians

Eero Savela (trumpet)
Seppo Kantonen (wurlizer electric piano)
Joonas Leppänen (drums)
Eero Tikkanen (double bass)

Single: Eero Savela – Venus

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For years, Eero Savela has shaped his own sound across countless albums, single releases, and live performances—always a vital force within other artists’ work. Now, it’s his time.

Some say the Roman goddess Venus possessed persuasive powers rooted in magic and charm, with her name possibly linked to the Latin word venenum—a potion of love, or perhaps poison.

Now, Venus arrives in musical form, the first single from Eero’s anticipated debut album Way To, coming this August. Surrender to the grace of the spell.

Listen at: SPOTIFY, TIDAL and all other major streaming services!
Buy digital at: Bandcamp

Album: Lauri Kallio – Turtles, Cats and Other Creatures

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Listen at: SPOTIFY, TIDAL and all other major streaming services!
Buy digital at: Bandcamp
Buy vinyl at: Mustik Motel Webshop or Bandcamp

Turtles, Cats, and Other Things is Lauri Kallio‘s second album, and it is about connection—connection to music, humans, animals, and different kinds of unspeakable feelings. The music embraces the DIY aesthetic: all the songs are written, recorded, produced, and mixed by Lauri Kallio himself. The work was done outside the distractions of city life in his countryside studio in the small town of Kiikala. Some of the tracks were recorded live in the town’s local church. On the album, you can hear his love for music—it is a fusion of many sonic palettes. The ones that stand out the most are funk/beats, jazz, electronic music, and Italian motion picture soundtracks from the ’70s.

All songs composed, arranged, recorded and mixed by Lauri Kallio.

Recorded in Kiikala Church & C.O.W. Kiikala Studio Complex.

Album Artwork by Ninni Luhtasaari
Album Layout by Teemu Into
Photos by Jimi Tenor
Mastered by Jarno Alho

Studio musicians:
Lauri Kallio – guitar, percussion, synthesizer, vocals, mandolin, organ
Jimi Tenor – flute, synthesizers, tenor saxophone
Pauliina Koivusaari – violin
Ville Rauhala – bass
Ekow Alabi Savage – percussion, vocals, drums
Jesse Ojajärvi – drums, percussion
Adele Sauros – tenor saxophone, flute, vocals
Natalia Castrillon – harp, vocals
Io Pettersson – bass
Joonas Leppänen – drums
Matleena Koivusaari – harpsichord
Joona Kilponen – trumpet
Heikki Tuhkanen – trombone

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