Born from a desire to keep creativity, connection and community alive during the uncertainty of the pandemic, Finland's VoodooV have grown from impromptu jam sessions into one of the most exciting psychedelic funk-rock outfits emerging from the Nordic scene. Blending the free-spirited energy of Hendrix, the groove of funk rock and the expansive textures of modern psychedelia, the band have built their reputation the DIY way, fuelled by friendship, curiosity and a determination to keep evolving. As they take their music across Europe and prepare for an eagerly anticipated tour of Japan, VoodooV sat down with MusoMuso to discuss their origins, musical influences, life on the road and why there's always another rabbit hole waiting to be explored.
Take us back to the beginning. What were those early days of VoodooV like, and at what point did those pandemic-era jam sessions become a serious band?
The band kind of formed out of necessity, it was important to keep the cultural and social energy alive in our bubble when nothing was happening outside our little studio. More and more people started to hang out at our jam sessions and evening gatherings - before we knew it we had a little community going on. It wasn't really organized, just people looking to have a good time together and be involved with something creative. Lots of partying and good conversations lasting to the morning hours. Everything moved on pretty naturally from there, I don't know if there ever was a moment where someone went "ok guys lets make this into something serious", we just kept going to see how deep the rabbit hole goes and it has worked pretty good so far. Of course the band has a strong drive to keep things moving now, but when you are operating mostly DIY style you need to have an open mind and keep adapting to what can potentially move things forward. I think that mindset has a lot to do with the early days of the band.
VoodooV is a distinctive name. How did you settle on it, and what does it represent to the band today? Were other palindrome’s on the table? ABBA, RACECAR etc.
To be honest, it is all pretty hazy where the name came from, but it is partly a nod to our forming moments of jamming being rooted in blues, especially Jimi Hendrix. The palindrome side of it comes from our talks about the power of music and how it can move energy between the artists and the audience endlessly.
The music scene in Finland where we are from tends to be on the more melancholy side and we try to take it somewhat seriously what kinds of vibes we put out there. It is important for us to give people a chance for different kinds of views what ever is going on in the world - not necessary escapism but just a reminder that there might be things around the corner that make you dance. That is the clever answer, but actually we just wanted to see how many different ways people come up with pronouncing the name. Voodoo 5 is the current favourite we have heard.
Your sound blends funk, psychedelia and rock in a way that feels both classic and modern. Which artists or albums had the biggest influence on shaping the VoodooV sound?
I think the most obvious ones early on were Hendrix, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Mars Volta. After the first releases our guitarist got really into old synths and we started to introduce more indie sounds similar to MGMT and Tame Impala. Synths and electronic elements have helped us to bring the psych thing forward at our live shows as well. There are couple Austrian bands also to mention - a funk rock group called Mother's Cake and a psych rock band Spiral Drive. Spiral Drives Raphael Neikes actually produced our second album. It was super cool because we have been fans of his work for a while. Working with him really helped to get our own voice come out. As you said it is a mix of things and we are always talking about different ways to evolve the sound. I think some fans would be confused hearing the stuff blasting in our tour van, pretty much anything goes.
You're currently taking your music across Europe before heading out to Japan. What excites you most about playing to audiences in different countries, and have any particular cities surprised you so far?
Every evening so far has been a surprise since the venues and cities are new to us haha. It is our first longer tour abroad so we really had no idea what to expect. So far we have been really happy to see how the crowd reacts. Our presence outside Finland has been mostly online, so it is really nice to finally meet our fans. It kind of doesn't feel real before you get to actually see the fan who sings the lyrics while we are playing and comes talk to us after the show. To put it short we have been really happy with the warm welcome we have been getting from people. What is also really cool is that it seems like at this level people in the business are trying their best to help each other out when they can. We have met quite the characters on the road that I don't think we would have if we didn't have to do everything out of our own pockets, sleeping where ever we can and so on. Every coin has two sides. Like a palindrome.
Japanese music fans have a reputation for being incredibly passionate and knowledgeable. What are your expectations for the upcoming Japan tour, and is there anything you're especially looking forward to experiencing while you're there?
The shows we play in Japan are a bit different from the European dates. In Europe we are mostly headlining, but in Japan we play together with the local bands during the evenings. The level musicianship and the scene in Japan is absolutely insane, so we are looking forward to the challenge to keep up with the wonderful artists we are going to meet and hear. As you said, the audience has a reputation as well and if the reaction over there is anything like here in Europe the shows are going to be a dream come true.
If you could curate the ultimate VoodooV festival, which five artists, past or present, dead or alive, would be on the bill and who would headline?
Funny that you ask that, another legacy of the early days is that we started to organize small a festival every year to celebrate the end of summer with a small group of people. There are a lot of musicians and DJs in our friend group, so the perfumers and the audience there is basically the same group. Totally open stage and jams going on when anyone is up for it. We actually talked about making the festival bigger at some point but decided that it would ruin the vibe and transform it into something that would potentially lose the magic. We are pretty sure mr. Hendrix would have a good time there though. Really wonder what he would think about the suomisaundi DJ sets in the morning hours.
Imagine you're hosting the ultimate VoodooV dinner party. What's on the menu, who gets invited, and what's playing on the stereo while everyone eats?
Oh man, this is a tough one. We just talked in the tour van what is everyone's preference kitchen in the world and there really was no consensus. So like our musical influences it would probably be a Japanese omakase to someone, good Italian pasta for another, Indian masala dosa on the side and so on. The playlist would probably make no sense at all. The invite list would look similar to our festival - our friends and anyone they can vouch for as a good fit into the group.
Every band has its quirks. What's the strangest, funniest or most unexpected fact that fans might not know about VoodooV or one of its members?
We have existed as a group for a while now, so there is no lack of inside jokes. But one of the most long lasting ones is that our bassist Pekka is actually an undercover cop just waiting for the right day to bust everyone.
Your music seems to thrive on chemistry and spontaneity. How much of the songwriting process comes from structured ideas versus simply jamming and seeing where the music takes you?
Again it is a mix. We do talk about the process before starting to write an album and try to give each album a twist that hopefully serves the music we are trying to create. Making just one song is a long chain of decisions so every part of it makes an impact. So if you change the process you change the outcome. There are no rules, just this goal of trying to get the music out the best way we can. Even if the process has a structure you have to always let the music write itself, if you have to force something that usually means it doesn't work. Lately it has been feeling like a more structured thing, since there are so many song ideas we want to finish in a limited time. We have been talking about changing things a bit more to the opposite end of things for our fourth album, since musically that approach will fit it better. It probably tells you something about the amount of ideas that we mention the fourth album when the third one isn't even finished yet haha. When you have a lot of ideas it is more about finding the core message or theme of the thing and refining it the best you can, both for recorded and live version. That refining stage is usually the most collective part in our process.
You've already built momentum with your debut album and subsequent releases. What's next for VoodooV, and can fans expect new music in the near future?
After the tour we are heading straight back to the studio to finish writing and recording our third album. It is a lot of work since it is going to be a double album. While we finish the songs we are going to release them throughout the year, so yeah, a lot of new music coming your way! We are also looking forward to playing more shows in Europe and hopefully in the UK after we finish (the album), but doing everything on a strong DIY basis it is a 'situation normal catastrophe' and can't make too serious promises. But one thing is for sure, we will keep going and really want to keep seeing people letting go and dance at our shows.
From late-night jam sessions and summer gatherings among friends to international tours and an ambitious double album on the horizon, VoodooV remain guided by the same spirit that brought them together in the first place. Their story is one of organic growth, creative freedom and a belief in music's ability to connect people beyond borders and language. With new material arriving throughout the coming year and plans to bring their infectious live show to even more audiences, the future looks bright for the Finnish collective. Whatever twists and turns lie ahead, one thing seems certain: VoodooV will keep pushing forward, inviting audiences to leave their worries behind and lose themselves in the music, if only for a little while.
Keep up to date with their musical movements via INSTAGRAM