Niko Skorpio
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15th year anniversary double vinyl edition 1996—2011. Remastered, with upgraded artwork. 2 x 180g vinyl records in gatefold sleeve. Limited to only 500. Released on Solina Records, April 2011.
A
1. Nowafter
2. Useless
B
3. Stream
4. Towards Distant
C
5. Snow Blind
6. Distress
D
7. (but i am) Still
8. Sweet Bloom of Night Time Flowers
This Empty Flow was formed in 1994 by Jori Sjöroos (voice, guitar, programming) and Niko Skorpio Sirkiä (keyboards, lyrics) in Turku, Finland. They shared history in the seminal funeral-doom metal band Thergothon. Later in the year they were joined by Aku-Tuomas Mattila (bass), the leader of then rising local goth-electro band Sad Parade. The first This Empty Flow demos were recorded without a computer, i.e. Jori played drums live with the keyboard directly to the tape running in a Fostex 4-tracker.
During 1995 This Empty Flow made the first proper demo versions of several songs (still with the Fostex but drums programmed with a computer). Four of them were compiled on a tape and sent to Italian Avantgarde Music (eventually, the only label who received the demo). In April This Empty Flow and Avantgarde Music signed a record deal.
Between September and November This Empty Flow spent 12 days in studio U96 in Pori, Finland and recorded the debut album Magenta Skycode. Magenta Skycode was recorded and mixed by Jukka Sillanpää (known from Lavra, F, As Divine Grace etc.) who also co-produced the album with the group. The album was recorded from Nowafter to Sweet Bloom of Night Time Flowers in the order which was already decided to be the final running order. Demo version of the album was recorded in summer and the demo included a song called Angels' Playground which was changed to Snowblind about a week before the group went to the studio.
The album was released in March 1996 on Avantgarde Music. During the autumn This Empty Flow started to record the follower for Magenta Skycode. Four songs were finished but Avantgarde Music showed lack of interest so the sessions were never finished.
In November This Empty Flow made their gig debut in Lahti, Finland. The line-up was strenghtened by guitarist Jukka Sillanpää, the producer of Magenta Skycode.
Towards the end of the year Niko grew increasingly dissatisfied with the direction the band's music and inner chemistry was going, and finally in December he left the band to concentrate on his own music in other projects.
In January 1997 This Empty Flow played their second concert in Helsinki, Finland with Jukka on guitar and Hanna Kalske (the singer of As Divine Grace) on keyboards. During the summer the band made some demo recordings which showed that band was going ever further away from the original idea of This Empty Flow. Jori and Aku-Tuomas decided that there's no point to go on under the name of This Empty Flow. So the band dissolved, but a number of posthumous releases surfaced.
In March 1999, an out-take album called Three Empty Boys was released by Plastic Passion — a label owned by Aku-Tuomas. It included the four songs finished for the second album and seven studio rehearsal demos recorded in 1995-1997.
In March 2000 Plastic Passion's sublabel Muovi 111 released another out-take album, or rather a mini-album, called Useless and Empty Songs (cd-r, limited edition of 111 copies). It contained three studio rehearsals / demos, Of Blossom And Decay (a track previously released on a compilation album) and a trip hop remix of Useless (a Magenta Skycode favourite) made by Jukka Sillanpää.
In February 2001 Italian Eibon Records released an album called Nowafter - a compilation of rare and unreleased material. It included tracks from Three Empty Boys and Useless And Empty Songs as well as six songs recorded during the summer of 1997 in Studio Studio Sputnik, Turku i.e. the final studio recordings of This Empty Flow.
In March 2006 Eibon Records released The Album, a double-CD containing a remastered version of Magenta Skycode and 11 previously unreleased demo recordings recorded in 1994 — 1996.
After This Empty Flow Jori has released solo material as Fu-Tourist, Funtourist and Scsio as well as made remixes for the national favorites The Crash, world-wide million sellers Bomfunk MC's and many other artists from Finland and Sweden. He has also produced and written music for the two albums of Finnish chart topper duo PMMP.
Niko is a very active underground artist and he has released dozens of records with many groups and under many pseudonyms (Niko Skorpio, Hæretici 7o74, Kaaos in Eccentris, Rajapinta, Reptiljan etc.). He also runs a record label Some Place Else and works as a graphic designer.
Aku-Tuomas has released some (more or less) solo material as Sad Parade and runs Plastic Passion label which is one of the most active small independent labels in Finland. One of the latest releases in the Plastic Passion catalogue is an EP from Magenta Skycode, a band led by Jori.
Magenta Skycode (2xLP, Solina Records 2011)
The Album (2xCD, Eibon Records 2006)
Nowafter (CD, Eibon Records 2000)
Useless and Empty Songs (CDr, Plastic Passion 2000)
Three Empty Boys (CD, Plastic Passion 1999)
Magenta Skycode (CD, Avantgarde Music 1996)
Niko Skorpio
Niko's musick & art. See also MooPica,
Hæretici 7o74,
Rajapïnta
and Kaaos in Eccentris.
Magenta Skycode
Jori's current band.
Sorb-i-Tol
Jukka Sillanpää's band after This Empty Flow.
Plastic Passion
Aku's record label. Released Three Empty Boys and Useless And Empty Songs.
Some Place Else
Niko's record label.
Solina Records
Jori's record label. Released Magenta Skycode LP.
Eibon Records
Released The Album and Nowafter.
Avantgarde Music
Released Magenta Skycode.