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Lackluster is the main stage name of Esa Juhani Ruoho, who has also recorded as Esa Ruoho, Can'o'Lard, Kökö and the Köks and XLLV. Lackluster is formerly known as the chiptune musician, Distance, part of the demoscene groups Orange, Monotonik, Calodox, The Digital Artists, The Planet of Leather Moomins (TPOLM) and FLO.. Lackluster also ran a BBS, Cloudcity, from 1992 to 2000 - utilizing HectoBBS (1992), SuperBBS (1992-1994) and PCBoard (1994-2000) BBS Softwares.
Ruoho has lived most of his life in Helsinki, Finland, but has also, since 2000, travelled to Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada for six months in 2000-2001 and also spent time in Dublin, Ireland. For the past 19 years he has been lodging in Kontula, a district of Eastern Helsinki.
Musical career
Esa Ruoho started composing electronic music in the mid-1990s and, after 2000 has been releasing recorded music (remixes, compilation-tracks, original work) on dozens of labels, full-length CDs on such labels as deFocus records (Great Britain), Merck Records (Miami, Florida, U.S.), U-cover (Belgium), Psychonavigation Records (Dublin, Ireland), New-Speak Records (Stockholm, Sweden). He is currently working with SLSK Records and Project Mooncircle..
Several prominent IDM artists have mentioned his name as an influence on their work (including Miss Kittin & Bogdan Raczynski & Xela), and he has influenced and been influenced by both the IDM as well as the tracker scenes.
Live Performances
Since 2000, Ruoho has played numerous musical performances in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Germany, France, Spain, Ireland, England, Austria, Poland, Russia, Latvia and Estonia. Current tally: 91 live gigs (as of 2nd November 2007)
Other Media Collaborations
- Utopias of Helsinki, a web report for Helsingin Sanomat "What would Helsinki be like now, if all of the grandiose city-utopias of the 1960s had come to fruition?" (composition)(2001)
- Pauli Ojala (a finnish graphics artist) on "13/10/99", a short music video which was presented at the Assembly 2001 Wild demo competition, placing 4th.
- Company (website), "Kooded.com", providing an in-house shockwave animation with soundfx + rhythms (2002)
- Wilma Mehtonen (a finnish choreographer) "Ulottumaton Symbioosi" (2002).
- Halcyon (demogroup) DVD, providing in-menu composition(2002)
- Wilma Mehtonen "T.43" modern dance-performance (2003).
- Teemu Niskanen (a finnish photographer) on a web-slideshow project (2006).
- Thuyen Nguyen: "The Most Powerful Person in the World" - May 16th 2007.
- Synopsis: A love letter to video games.
- Luca Barbeni (designer) on "dune.8081", a flash website, 2007.
- Mari Helisevä (painter) on "Luontaisenkaltaisia", an art installation featuring a musical mixture of kitchen-recorded materials, displayed at Maa-Tila, Helsinki, Finland, 9th to 20th January 2008.
- Thuyen Nguyen: "Same as it ever was" - February 29th 2008.
- Synopsis: Video game critics use the same arguments against gaming as they did for movies, television, comics, books.
- scheltema/van beem NEPCO/ILC: "Headfooters", 2008
- Synopsis: Cutesy headfoot monsters jump around to the sound of "Hugytrak" off of Lackluster: Slice (released on U-Cover)
Other Interests
Ruoho also has a striking interest in the thoughts, discoveries and concepts of Walter Russell, Buckminster Fuller, Viktor Schauberger, Wilhelm Reich, John Keely, John Bedini and any related nature and intuition-based information, such as Earthship technology, the Dymaxion map, Dymaxion Chronofile, and Biomimicry. . In 2008 Ruoho became a lifetime Friend of The Wilhelm Reich Infant Trust, and also a supporting Citizen of The Solar Village. Ruoho is a Finnish language word for Grass or Weed which makes it not that surprising that Esa Ruoho / Lackluster is also a hemp, medical marijuana, cannabis activist.
Interests and Releases
- In 2005, Ruoho released "Zero Million Barrels of Oil Per Day" on Monotonik netlabel as a MP3, as a statement of intent for the planet to reach for alternative energy technologies.
- In 2005, Ruoho released "What You Want Isn't What You Need" on Newspeak Records on CD, the linenotes state "Please stop legislation telling us what natural supplements, vitamins and nutrients we can eat and what we cannot. Please stop codex alimentarius." This was Ruoho's comment on Codex Alimentarius.
- In 2007, Ruoho released "Repulsine EP" on SLSK Records on CD, a tribute to Viktor Schauberger, with artwork containing photographies of Viktor Schauberger's face and imagery of the Repulsine device patents and photographies.
- In 2007, Ruoho released "The Stationary Trout Ep" on Part2 Records as MP3, the name inspired from Viktor Schauberger and the writings of Callum Coats. "The Stationary Trout Ep" also contained a song called "Monsanto Corporation", which was Ruoho's take on the works of Monsanto Corporation.
Discography
- 1999 - Album - "CDR#2" (CDr) Monotonik
- 2000 - EP - "FOC349" (LP) deFocus
- 2000 - Album - "Container" (CD,LP) deFocus
- 2000 - EP - "R U Oho?" (LP) deFocus
- 2000 - EP - "Rikos005" (LP) Rikos Records
- 2001 - Album - "Spaces" (CD) U-Cover (as Esa Ruoho)
- 2001 - EP - "Spaces" (LP) Inc.US (as Esa Ruoho)
- 2001 - EP - "Zealectronic Purple" (LP) Zeal
- 2002 - EP - "A Lackluster Sampler" (LP) Merck
- 2002 - EP - "Wrapping Album Sampler" (LP) deFocus
- 2002 - Album - "Wrapping" (CD,LP) deFocus
- 2003 - Album - "Showcase" (CD) Merck
- 2004 - EP - "Showcase Sampler" (LP) Merck
- 2004 - Album - "Remixselection_one" (CD) Psychonavigation
- 2004 - EP - "R U Oho?" (LP) Merck
- 2005 - Album - "Slice" (CD) U-Cover
- 2005 - Album - "What You Want Isn't What You Need" (CD) Newspeak Records
- 2007 - EP - "Repulsine EP" (CD) SLSK Records
- 2008 - Album - "Places" (CDr) Grundruck Records
List of artists remixed by Lackluster
Ceniq, OTR, Beck (illicit), Thug, Laurent Garnier (illicit), Marumari, Machine Drum, Multiplex, Proem, Ilkae, Sleepy Town Manufacture, EEDL, Korpi Ensemble, Manta, (env)Itre, Kschzt, Blamstrain, Antennae, Global Goon, Tiki Obmar, Diskreet, Paolo Veneziani, Keef Baker, Joseph Auer, Anne Garner, Elephant Pixel, RA-X, Kilowatts, Aleksi Eeben, Strand & Non-Genetic (1/3 of Shadowhuntaz), HECQ. Hereticks of Disko, Robert Graff
List of artists who have remixed Lackluster
Bauri, Brothomstates, Esem, Xhale (Erik Skodvin, Deaf Center), Sense.
List of collaborations/appearances
- Brothomstates: Kobn-Tich-Ey: Mr. Y (ringmodulated beginning scream)
- Brothomstates: Claro (brothomstates ipxen) (original song)
- Blamstrain: Disfold (additional electronics)
Name
Lackluster is taken from "Pyramids" by Terry Pratchett (Discworld series), encountered 1996-1997.
References
- ^ Esa Ruoho at Discogs.com
- TPOLM roster, monotonik roster, Pouet.NET, Distance/Orange Demography
- private communique with artist
- Grooves Magazine #5, FAQT Magazine #5, Zealectronic Purple Biography
- 2005 hotpress interview, Foggy notions interview (2005)
- merck records website, numerous interviews
- U-cover website
- ^ Lackluster website
- Lackluster gig map
- Helsingin Utopiat
- Assembly website
- ^ teemu niskanen site Cite error: The named reference "niskanen" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ devinquest.com website Cite error: The named reference "thuyen" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- 8081.com
- maa-tila
- http://www.mono211.com/content/releases/mtkmp153.html
- http://www.discogs.com/release/519743
- private communique
External links
- Official Lackluster website
- archive.org search results for lackluster (lots of mp3s)
- Lackluster discography at Discogs
- Lackluster discography at MusicBrainz
- Lackluster at Last.fm