Mika Taanila

Eleven field recordings of some of the last remaining MUZAK sound-systems operating in Helsinki, Finland. Recorded in public locations, such as restaurants, malls and parking garages by local film-maker/artist Mika Taanila. These sonic snapshots – ”films without film” – can be seen as a dry contemporary film-take, a variation on the "city symphony” genre in the documentary film tradition. The recordings are site-specific, each track mapping a genuine muzak listening spot in Helsinki. Minimal processing and subtle layering of various muzak tracks was added later in the post production by Taanila and producer Anton Nikkilä: simply to “enhance” and “color correct” the total spatial experience.

“Unfortunately most of the public spaces today - already since 1980s - don't play authentic muzak or even easy listening, but rather take the easy way out by blasting brutal radio broadcasts, audio jingles or private Spotify playlists to customers and workers alike. But the original stuff still exists here and there: you just need to find it. The most discreet stuff is hardest to find. This was one reason and motivation also to do this record: to capture the fragile beauty and the sweet strangeness of this tradition before it's all gone,” says Taanila.

In the 1970s Muzak Corporation developed a (pseudo) scientific method called Stimulus Progression. It means simply that they'd pipe in muzak (for example into factory) in specific cycles: 15 minutes of muzak followed by 15 minutes of silence. And then all over again. And within each musical section the tempo of the tracks should increase step by step. This means that by the timing of 13-15 mins you'd have the most extreme tempo creating the best "stimulus".