ELECTRONIC PRESS KIT

BIOGRAPHY

“The sound of modern guitar and exotic Finnish kantele combined”

Hailing from Carelian forests in the eastern part of Finland, J-P Piirainen twines together Finnish tradition and his 2020 era unique voice as a composer. J-P has travelled unique path to discover music no one has heard before by inventing a one of a kind instrument- the guitele where acoustic guitar and the iconic traditional Finnish instrument the kantele are combined into one body. One of the most common and popular instruments in the world meets an instrument with an ancient legacy in Finnish tradition and mythology. His skills as a fingerstyle guitarist merges with the distinctive sound of the kantele creating an undiscovered world of music. J-P’s music creates images and soundscapes drawn from his native northern landscape.

"J-P's suberb technique and unique ability to mix fingerstyle guitar and modern folk music has left me in awe. He is taking the guitar to new places!"

- Petteri Sariola, fingerstyle virtuoso

"An easy ranking up there with the best of the best acoustic guitarists in the folk scene. Timeless."

-Lee Henderson, Art Rockin', USA

"I was struck by the directness of his sound as well as the way he captured the essence of traditional music alongside his own compositional voice. His sensitivity and sense of intimacy is ever present in his recent release Twined, his natural melodic ability coupled with a carefully thought out approach to dynamics creating an excellent introduction to his work."

- Fiona Talkington (Songlines, BBC etc.) FMQ

"Nordic fingerstyle virtuosity"

- Angel Romero, World Music Central, USA