Finland's TM Shuffle talks production, vinyl and his Vuo Records imprint

Your productions have always carried a strong sense of restraint and reduction — how did that philosophy shape this particular release, and were there any moments where you felt tempted to break your own “less is more” rule?

I normally don't have any specific attributes thought before diving into a studio session but of course my taste for electronic music lays the basic foundation for my productions. My deepest love in sound is somewhere between dubtechno and deep house so it is natural to go for something in those neighbourhoods. Soulful 03 is a combination of these. First the tracks were made and somewhere along the way it started to feel like a release of both sides of the 12". A-side, we first did Kaipaus with my friend Monoder. It was basically the track without  Tapani's fantastic sax parts on the session. Deep, moody, feeling like a night of dancing. It worked as a track like it was but Tapani's playing really took it onto the next level. When those parts were added, it became a certain Soulful dubs track. Like on 01 and 02, I did a more stripped down dubhouse version to go along the normal version. This is the version that sounds more like my DJ sets. On the other side, Karpon Träkki is on the more housey side of mine. Rare major chords along there, as 95% I go with minor chords, hehhh. Here particularly Tapani's sax parts really form a lot of the groove of the track, he even made an upper bassline to go. For the Vänkä 6/4 version I wanted to play with the time signatures as I love that kinda groove (played a lot of for example Superpitcher, Orb and other Kompakt Speicher series 20 years ago when they had this time signature). It really changes the feel of the track. The beginning and end enable you to play this with 4/4 too but you have to know what you are doing...

All in all, this is not my most reducted work but still not too much stuff going on. Some might call it the KISS-method (Keep It Simple Stupid)..

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There’s a distinct atmosphere running through your work — often described as introspective, spatial, and quietly hypnotic. What kind of environments, real or imagined, were influencing you while creating this record?

It is probably due to the fact that most of my studio time I'm in there by myself - disconnected from others. I even used to have a rule that no cellphones or internet connection is allowed during the studio sessions. I have loosened that a bit but maybe it would be the time to take it 100% back. I love a distant, hypnotic world of sounds. Stack it up with a lot of delays and reverbs, twisting the sounds with effects. Maybe they are the reason for the spatial feeling in there. Sometimes a track mostly of drums works too but normally for me I need the bass and the moods also. Also the location of my living (and studio) affects a lot - I live in the countryside, surrounded by fields and forests. So the nature is there and it gives a totally different background for your being than for example citylife. Also one environment is the feeling you have on different days - Kaipaus is a result of a melancholic mood where as Karpon Träkki is a product of joy and happy vibes.

Your sound sits comfortably on the borders of deep house and dub techno, yet never feels confined to either. How consciously do you navigate those genre lines when working on a project like this?

Too house to be techno and too techno to be house... Maybe that is why I don't have too many DJ bookings either, hehhh (To be honest, I can navigate a house or a technofloor with pleasure but the best is when the people are more open for traveling a bit with the sound). I wouldn't say I'm consciously living on that edge besides that it is like the optimum spot for me soundwise. But on another level, when choosing the tracks for releases, be it Soulful Dubs or Vuo, then it is more conscious to have a combination of tracks that have the red string going through all but still have some variation too.  

The idea of storytelling without obvious narrative feels central to your music. What story, feeling, or state of mind were you hoping listeners would drift into with this release?

I think Soulful 03 has two different feelings. Kaipaus on the A-side is quite introspective, melancholic. Kaipaus is finnish and means longing/yearning.  The track is basically about yearning for something beautiful but a thing that is out of reach currently. Karpon Träkki on the other hand is more upbeat and positive - pretty much the most joyful track for me so far.  Something that you can dive into when smiling from ear to ear. You need those feelings. 🙂 But also the effect of music is also in the listeners ears/brain. Maybe someone else feels them differently.

As someone deeply connected to vinyl culture, how important is the physical format in shaping the way you approach a release — both sonically and conceptually?

Yes, vinyl is a very very important thing for me.  I learned to dj and dig for music on 12"s. I love the sound, the feel, the smell, the way you can read the grooves, the fact that you remember the go-to-track from a release you havent listened to ten years (it's very often B2, something about those ones...) I dont get that same feeling from mp3's or other digi things. I do appreciate what some dj's can do with advanced digi tools but at the end of the day - I appreciate most the art of playing a vinyl set with a deep groove. 

I see the releases in my mind how they are placed on vinyl. It gives you limitations but I am more than fine with those. It's best to have a clear toolbox of what you can and cant do. That pushes you to do maximum with that. 

Your catalogue across labels like Echocord, Kontakt, and your own Vuo Records has built a very coherent sonic identity. How does releasing on your own imprint differ creatively from working with external labels?

All those tracks are still made in the same studio, with the same idea of the perfect track - heavy kick drum, deep subs, floating energetic chords to create a balance for the mind and the hips. So not much difference there production-wise. I am super happy and honored to have been able to release on Echocord and Kontakt and also other labels that have been my go-to-labels for a long time. It always gives a great feeling to have tracks chosen for another label. But I do enjoy working Vuo and Soulful Dubs too. Then it is also a matter of selecting the tracks and making the combination - which is very rewarding too.

There’s a subtle tension in your tracks between movement and stillness — grooves that push forward while everything else seems to hover. How do you approach rhythm and space to achieve that balance?

I think I understand what you mean. Maybe it is the length of the loops and changing something just a bit on the right times, but not too often. Your mind gets used to what is happening and then you get just a minor change, some parts of your brain stick to the old loop but the new variation keeps the interest in there. On the other hand, it's the change of sounds - the notes and rhythms are the same but they sound different with the slight variation going on. Rhythm is what activates the hips but when there is certain stuff going on (like for example polyrhythms), they mess with your brain too. Space is something that I very often have to remind myself of and a thing I still need to learn a lot from. The more you can strip a track and have it work, the more powerful it will be. Take some Wax tracks or certain Levon Vincent tracks and get mindfucked how they can work with so little. 

Beyond your own productions, Vuo Records has become a platform for like-minded artists. How does this release reflect the wider vision of the label, and what are you looking for when bringing new artists into that world?

I have an idea how a Vuo (or a Soulful Dubs)-track should sound. I get sent quite a lot of music and when I get the right track, I want to release it. It is a special feeling to get something that resonates deeply. It has been a pleasure and an honor to release music from heavyweights of the sound but also from people getting their first track on vinyl. It's always special. Its 100% a sound-thing.

Soulful Dubs 03 is released on the best vinyl outlets and is also out on Bandcamp digital on 22.5.
https://vuorecords.bandcamp.com/