Audiopile Review: Finnish producer and sax stylist Jimi Tenor is certainly a square peg. He might even seem inexplicable to anyone who didn’t experience that specific version of the 90s. How did someone associated with austere techno label Sähkö (home of Pan Sonic) end up making albums like 2000’s ‘Out of Nowhere’, a wholly convincing symphonic soul pastiche? And why did labels like Warp and Matador place so much faith in his quixotic vision? For the answer, you may have to go back to the very beginning. Which is why this new reissue of his 1994 debut, ‘Sähkömies’, is so welcome. Which is to say, it’s worth being reminded of how disarmingly brilliant Jimi Tenor is. As soon as his smoochy saxophone comes in over the deep analogue bass and dreamy synth strings of ‘Theme Sax’ you’ll be smitten. From a contemporary perspective, it’s tempting to cry “ambient jazz!” But, while there is an element of ECM sunrise-over-the-fjords business here, that’s a little revisionist. This guy came from the version of the 90s where Stereolab could confidently bust out song titles like ‘Avant Garde M.O.R.’ In truth, the opening track’s smoothness is something of a red herring. The vibe gets distinctly more lo-fi and abstract as the album progresses. But ‘Sähkömies’ is still space-age bachelor pad music of the grooviest kind.

With Sähkömies, Jimi Tenor released his legendary solo debut in 1994 on Puu, a spin-off of the Finnish label Sähkö Recordings founded by Tommi Grönlund and Mika Vainio in 1993. Recorded in Tenor’s former home in New York, the album offers a previously unheard mixture of drum machine driven, electronic sounds and Sun Ra-inspired jazz. Written, recorded and produced entirely by Tenor in his apartment, the pieces have lost none of their spontaneous, roughcast charm to this day. The record combines lo-fi electronics with Jimi Tenor’s typical smoky saxophone playing, offering a fascinating listening experience that documents an artist who is full of curiosity and the joy of experimentation. For the 30th anniversary of Sähkömies, Bureau B is thrilled to make this special album available again.