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DESERT PLANET interview at COOLBPM
DESERT PLANET interview made by Pierre at coolbpm.com november 2003. Coolbpm is netzine edited by Pierre Charbonneau presenting lo-fi/ chip/8-bit electronic music. Coolbpm is coming from Paris, France and it is one of the most respected netzine of the scene since year 2000; "keeping the net rebel spirit alive".
The talking Desert Planet dudes are Jukka Tarkiainen and Jari Mikkola.


- tell us more about the band (who, when, where?)
Jari: Jukka can answer this one, since heīs "the original one". He did the "beta testing"..
Jukka: Summer 1999 I made first Desert Planet -tracks under the name desertplanet.com. I tried to mix the sounds of video games I used to play with cheap electronic disco-pop. I managed to make lots of tracks I like with sound emulation. Jari is working with digital media stuff and he did directed the Asteroid Hopper -video what gained some interest in Finland and some other countries, too. Then It seemed reasonable to work together more.
Jari: So, I joined in the spring 2002.
Jukka: Yep. When Jari joined we did live gigs. And the name changed slowly to Desert Planet. We did use the same look that was in Asteroid Hopper-video: something like "B-class science fiction movie" -style. Green helmets and cheap white "spacesuits". Our friends were a bit astonished when they saw us playing dressed in these weird costumes. I could hear our friends say: " What the fuck is this? They have lost their minds! "

- How would you "define" the desert planet sound?

Jukka: Coin-operated disco beats, retro game pop trip...out-of-date computer pop :) emulation rock...
Jari: Desert Planetīs sound has, in a way, more "street credibility" than guitar based rock/pop bands have: today pepole have more computers than electric guitars in their homes. And almost every computer has a basic sound card. Thatīs all you need!
Jukka: Wooo! That sounds like revolution! Theres lots of home coputers out there. Maybe you can call Desert Planet sound as "The revolutional sound of home computers" ;)

- are you an internet user/addict?
is it in a way "the new underground"?

Jari: Oh, you mean the "disinformation highway".
Jukka: I am an internet addict. Canīt get enough about teasers about those dirty teenage lesbians and hungry harcore housewives. My woman is bored because Iīm allways "working with the computer". - Seriously. Iīm an internet addict for sure. If I canīt get online I feel empty and insecure. I need to be connected.
Jari: I am an internet user but not addicted, except to e-mail perhaps. Internet is not the undergound, but it has always been a good place for "the underground". Internet is getting really boring because of the commercial shit thatīs popping up everywhere. Not to mention spamming. I DONīT NEED VIAGRA!
Jukka: The web is a good tool for the underground to sell and buy Viagra. :)
Jari: Internet is a good channel as long as thereīs freedom of speech (and music), but people still need to learn how "read" all that there is. Spread the word, read the word and be critical about the word.
Jukka: Web Is the new underground, for sure. Though theres lotsa talented musicians/artists/bands who donīt like computers and you cant find them on the web. I donīt blame them.

- what are your thoughts in general about the music industry? any ideas to "improve" it?
Jukka: Don't know about the word "music industry", because it makes me look like a worker in the industry. I donīt want to look like that. I want to look like a cool and mean son of a bitch who knows neat people and neat parties. And do some awesome music, too. (.almost forgot the music ;))
Jari: The problem is mentioned already in your question. Music has become an "industry", already years ago, and the main thing in any industry is to make lots of money. Everything is so designed and clean. Easy packages for the masses to swallow. Improvements? Well, split all the major labels into 1000 small labels, give them free hands and provide an equal distribution to everyone. And internet could actually provide that.

- fill the blank: can't live without ... and why?

Jari: I canīt live without my brain?
Jukka: I cant live without 150 spam mails a day ;)
Jari: You can take away my guitar, my computer, my keyboard, my TV, my flat, my money and send me to Siberia, but I know that using my brain Iīll survive. We are living proof of this. Have you ever been poor and lived in Lapland? Itīs all about imagination.
Jukka: Yep. Most of the Finnish people lives in very South of Finland; in big towns at Helsinki-Tampere-Turku -area. And we live in Lapland, what is about 900 kilometres away from the action. So its allmost impossible to make a band work if you live here. Most of the musicians move to big towns as Helsinki, Tampere or Turku. Theres everything: record companies, gigplaces, magazines, radios, TV.everyhting. So we have this attitude with irony "No matter what we do - we wont succeed. So why not have some fun at least!".

- are you (cassette, mp3, vinyl, cd...) user? and why?
Jari: I think we use all of the mentioned. All have their advantages & disadvantages. Techical questions can be really irrelevant. It does not matter what you use. We use whatever is available.
Jukka: I also listen to one shitty format radio. Wanna hear same track 40 times a week. It makes me feel like I need to buy a record that I don't like. Thatīs weird.

- as a music act... pick one as "essential tool to suceed": 80's revival? hype? fashion? "punk" attitude? and why? :)
Jukka: "Essential tool to succeed". Famous relatives and friends working in TV.
Jari: Be as original as you can. Be yourself. No, wait a second. This NOT the way to succeed nowadays. Read all the fashion magazines, the music press, watch only MTV and quickly turn yourself into whatever that is trendy at the moment. Maybe then youīll succeed. But how to define "success"?
Jukka: "Essential tool to succeed". Seriously. Joe Strummer from the Clash said that all you need is personality and imagination. That sounds good to me.
Jari: I think that "punk attitude" is the closest one to pick. I think my idea of being succesful is to be pleased with the work you have done yourself. I donīt really care what anybody thinks. And Iīm not saying anything original here, am I?


- what about the (no) future? a long fight against the "politically correct" diktat? is it time to rethink anarchy?

Jari: I am my own future.
Jukka: Anarchy? Ignoring Britneyīs boobs, watching local boobs instead. ;)
Jari: Peaceful personal anarchy.

- what do you think about the "8-bit fever" that some mainstream artists/labels etc are catching up these days?... will the scene remain free from the corporate business after all?
Jari: The scenes usually remain free. But the parts of the scene that become part of the fever/hype/trend/fashion will usually suffer when the fever is over. Itīs all in the history. In a way we are happy that we live in a place thatīs FAR AWAY from all this corporate business crap. We donīt see it, we donīt have to bare with it, and we really donīt have to care about it. Desert Planet started out on its own and it will go on as long as either one of us feels like it. We are NOT depending on anyone. We can do all that we want and we can do it ourselves.
Jukka: We are living here in area what doesn't interest businessmen so much. So we don't see here many commercial dudes. Iīm sure that if weīve lived in bigger towns they could be a pain in the ass. Iīve seen the some kind of struggle "scene vs. commercial companies" when I played electric guitar in indie rock band. I don't mind any companys interest in any lo-fi/computer/trash/bleep -musicians stuff. But if the effect is that every artist/bands are trying to sound the same, then itīs shitty. I rather play football than try to sound like what somebodys telling me is "8-bit scene sound".

(Previously released at November 2003 at coolbpm.com )



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