DNIT: Mika Vainio
By Kit Macdonald
© Joséphine Michel
The DNIT concert series has previously brought the likes of Fuck Buttons, Shackleton, Koreless, Oneohtrix Point Never and Plaid for cut-price, Friday-evening shows at the CaixaForum arts space on Montjuïc.
The latest in the series welcomes one of Finland’s favorite musical sons, Mika Vainio. Active in music since the 1980s, first as part of Helsinki’s industrial and noise scene and later as one half of the celebrated duo Pan Sonic with Ilpo Väisänen, Vainio’s solo work has hit on an array of different moods, with 30-plus releases for labels such as Raster-Noton, Chicks On Speed, Important and Touch.
His hardware-based live set is always a textured, intensely noisy treat that melds the inherent warmth of analog equipment with bracing, tundra-evoking harshness. Support comes from similarly inclined Barcelona producer Óscar Sol.