WHEN IT COMES to eating out, vegetarians in Helsinki have had it rough. This is somewhat surprising, considering the city was once on the cutting edge of vegetarian culture in Europe back in the early 1970s with the introduction of the legendary and much missed Kasvis restaurant. Today the capital boasts only a handful of completely vegetarian eateries, one of which, Vegemesta, is exploding in popularity.

This tiny take-away in Sörnäinen has been going strong for two-and-a-half years serving tasty veggie burgers made from soy, tofu and hemp, with the Kippari being their most popular menu item. With each burger comes a choice of bun types and various toppings. They also serve vegan schnitzel and fried potatoes with Thai spices. The menu may be limited but what they do, they do well.

THIS YEAR’S Tampere Biennale features one of the most internationally renowned Finnish dancers, Virpi Pahkinen, who is performing solo accompanied by the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra. Currently residing in Sweden, Pahkinen travels all around the world as a choreographer as well as a solo dancer.

The Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra in turn is the only full-sized symphony orchestra outside the capital city of Helsinki. As Pahkinen is rarely seen on the stage in her former home country, her upcoming appearance at Tampere Biennale has become a much-anticipated event.

EMMA LARSSON is a rather rare Scandinavian in terms of her international career, in that she chose to leave her native Sweden and head east, across ‘the neck’ of the Baltic to take up a job as a teacher of pop and jazz vocal techniques in Oulu. With a second album entitled Let it Go coming out in late March, Larsson’s career as a singer is ready to launch into new territories – particularly in New York City, the home of both cutting edge jazz and her current pianist Benitez Gonzales.

SixDegrees caught up with the diminutive Ms Larsson to discuss with her the dual roles of songstress and educator.

THIS CLUB is some sort of nomadic institution. Having started originally in Korjaamo, migrated to Liberté and had a season in Turku, Töpseli-klubi has now relocated to downtown in Belly on Uudenmaankatu! The focus is the interface of disco and live jazz with musicians performing a solo set before joining the DJs to jam over some classic jazz vinyls. Regular DJs Untamo and Jatsipetsi have nearly the full roster of the nu-jazz generation of musicians playing with them at one time or another.

The idea was concocted by the two young DJs back in 2005. They were looking to add a new element to the club world while capitalising on their own love of 12” classic jazz vinyls. From the start the live music...

A FRESH new face in the Finnish theatre and film scene, Maryan Guuleed developed an interest in acting after arriving in Finland as a refugee from Somalia. She first lived in Oravainen, where she attended school and acted in an amateur theatre. At 18 years of age, Guuleed moved to Helsinki and studied to become a practical nurse.

Her first touch in professional acting was in the documentary Whole Woman in 2004. She has since starred in Ritva Siikala’s plays Aina Jonkun Tytär and Zambesi. Concurrently with acting, Guuleed studied towards another degree and is about to graduate as a Bachelor of Business Administration. Guuleed can now be seen on screen in the film Kohtaamisia (Heartbeats) by Saara Cantell, currently in theatres across Finland.

Superfoods are on everyone’s lips in Finland. Are they yet another curiosity for health enthusiasts, or a thing that works for everyone?

SUPERFOODS are organically produced and highly nutritious natural foods. They are full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. The more organic and fresher, the closer to super. The term is not protected, so anyone can claim their products to be “superfoods.” Because of this, many so-called superfood products are not really superior to your average eats in any way.

TUCSON, ARIZONA – known for that spacious, alt-country sound. Calexico, Giant Sand and…Bob Log III? How does a distorted, one-man-slide-guitar-band fit into the Americana picture? While the former two internationally acclaimed bands may take their cue from wide-open deserts and south-of-the-border influences, Bob Log III sounds more like he was bitten by a rattlesnake, or perhaps a rabid javelina.

NIGHTMARISH scenery, darkly erotic figures, anguish and death, the merging of man and machine. That is what Swiss artist Hans Rudi Giger is known for, besides having created the most terrifying monster in the history of film.

Tampere Art Museum, in association with Deutsches Filmmuseum, presents a rare opportunity to see original works by the master of biomechanical art. Acrylic paintings, sculptures, videos and designs assembled from private collections and Giger’s own archives are on display, revolving around the films he has worked on. The exhibition portrays the personality of H. R. Giger, and paints a scenery of the mind that gave birth to Alien.

This year’s Anti-Racism Week starts off with the annual Musicians Against Racism concert on Sunday 14 March. The event takes place at the Gloria Cultural Arena in Helsinki, where several artists will get on stage to promote anti-racism. This year’s line-up includes rappers Redrama, Steen1 and Signmark, and up-and-coming pop group Vesterinen Yhtyeineen. The evening is hosted by Kristiina Wheeler and actor Chike Ohanwe. 

Finland’s Extreme Dudesons hit it big on MTV.

THE DUDESONS (Extreme Duudsonit), namely Jukka, Jarppi, Jarno and HP, are four guys who have gradually goofed their way to worldwide popularity from the lowlands of Southern Ostrobothnia. Once stunting in a small-time cable TV show, these contemporaries of Jackass & Co are now living the dream, filming their upcoming series in the US. SixDegrees reached front man Jukka Hilden from Florida along their tour across the country and talked to him about the past, present and future.