Mystisen naaraan portti

Mystisen naaraan portti is an artist and also a musical collaboration, located in Helsinki, Finland. It is based on the creative labours of Teemu Suuntamaa, and may be located within in the singer-songwriter and folk contexts with an experimental orientation. The self-produced first album, entitled Mystisen naaraan portti, was published in 2018.

The second album, Unohdetuissa huoneissa, was released on April 12, 2023. Executing a strictly DIY approach, the record is self-produced from the idea to its final refinements. It introduces a variety of soundscapes and textures through the use of synthesizers, electric guitar, sampling, and field recordings, bringing an autumnal luminescence to the subtle vocal and guitar work, yet throughout emphasizing the textual contents. All the layers of musical production are conducted by Suuntamaa. The album songs are re-mastered, therefore differing in sound from the earlier single versions.

Mystisen naaraan portti is the current result of Suuntamaa’s dreaming about music. Beginning from teenage songwriting and local art band experiments in the 1990s to non-mainstream classical vocal studies and choir work on the following decade, 2010s finally saw some long-matured songs released as an album. After graduating in the ripe middle age from university studies in comparative religion, 2020s shows the promise of further explorations in the musical fringes.

[Photos: Denis Vinokur, Iiro Kaukiainen.]