“We’ve heard you’re the man over there,” said the voice on the other end of the phone. It was War on Drugs, just finished with a concert in New York, and with a broken instrument in their luggage they were on their way to Oslo, where three sold-out concerts awaited. That is why they now contacted Sakari Jäntti. One of the few – perhaps even the only one in Norway – that can bring vintage instruments from as far back as 1920 to life. Queens of the Stone Age, A-ha and DumDum Boys are among his many clients. You may have noticed the synthesizer that Röyksopp uses in all his concerts? The one that looks like a small suitcase, and that they posed with on the cover of the album Junior? It has also taken a pit stop at Jäntti to boost its lifespan. This is an old instrument that Jäntti has maintained and modernized by installing a MIDI connection to enable communication with a computer. The nostalgic charm On his table today are three tape echo machines, ready for repair. One of them belongs to Hans-Peter Lindstrøm, the Norwegian spacedisco legend. Just 15 years ago, you could get hold of these machines for a thousand kroner. Now the prices have skyrocketed and reached staggering heights of up to NOK 18,000. – People are busy digging them out from attics and basements, says Jäntti. Photo: Xin Li In a world that surfs the digital sound wave and hunts for the perfect tone, music people have in recent years rediscovered the charm of the slightly shaky sound. – The sound that this machine produces is never smooth. Sometimes it loses speed or goes too fast. An organic feeling arises that can be difficult to recreate digitally. Hear for yourself: – How do such trends arise? – It often depends on which artists are at their peak and what they use, explains Jäntti. Loss project and busy everyday life In the middle of the festival season, Jäntti’s phone is constantly ringing. There are musicians who are either on their way to the stage or have just finished their performances and discovered problems with their equipment. The phone list is endless. If you were to snoop through his phone book, you’d only find numbers. He labels the instruments with the artists’ phone numbers, not their names. Photo: Xin Li With all these phone calls, you’d almost think this man was swimming in gold, but that’s not the case. He charges for the actual hours he spends fixing the instruments, but not for the time he spends reading service manuals, searching the internet or experimenting with solutions. – This is a loss project for me, he says. This synthesizer on the table also belongs to Hans-Peter Lindstrøm. Photo: Xin Li So why does he bother? The instruments that find their way into his workshop vary in condition. Some look like they’ve been underwater, while others have just a coating of dust that can be wiped off. However, most bear the marks of time, even if they have not been used much. – I do this because there is no one else who can do it, and the musicians must have somewhere to go. We must take care of our sound culture. And of course, because I like the instruments myself. It all started with him having to build his own things. – I was interested in electronic instruments throughout the 80s and 90s, but I couldn’t afford to buy them. So I had to build them myself. I had no idea it would take me here. Sakari Jäntti is the frontman of the band Zensor. Photo: Nicolas Muurmans (Nix) The picture is from a concert at John Dee in Oslo in 2011. Photo: Nicolas Muurmans (Nix) The actual dream Life has drawn Jäntti into the technical world, but deep in the heart it is the music that calls out him. – I have to make and write music. If I’m prevented from doing that, it starts to tingle all over me, he says. Behind the file folders he displays on his computer are dozens of songs he has created but not yet released. He says he will soon share an album with the public. – I have no dream of becoming a rock star, but to share my music with the world, says Jäntti. One of the first things he publishes under his own name is a bedtime song written for his nine-year-old daughter. Listen to it here:
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Sakari Jäntti has a job few in Norway and the world have. Röyksopp is among his customers. – news Culture and entertainment
