Lackluster

Lackluster is the main stage name of Esa Juhani Ruoho, who has also recorded as Esa Ruoho, Can'o'Lard, Kökö and the Köks and XLLV. Lackluster is formerly known as the chiptune musician, Distance, part of the demoscene groups Orange, Monotonik, Calodox, The Digital Artists, The Planet of Leather Moomins (TPOLM) and FLO.. Lackluster also ran a BBS, Cloudcity, from 1992 to 2000 – utilizing HectoBBS (1992), SuperBBS (1992–1994) and PCBoard (1994–2000) BBS Software.

Ruoho has lived most of his life in Helsinki, Finland, but has also, since 2000, travelled to Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada for six months in 2000–2001 and also spent time in Dublin, Ireland. For the past 21 years he has been lodging in Kontula, a district of Eastern Helsinki.

Musical career

Esa Ruoho started composing electronic music in the mid-1990s and, after 2000 has been releasing recorded music (remixes, compilation-tracks, original work) on dozens of labels, full-length CDs on such labels as deFocus records (Great Britain), Merck Records (Miami, Florida, U.S.), U-cover (Belgium), Psychonavigation Records (Dublin, Ireland), New-Speak Records (Stockholm, Sweden). He is currently working with SLSK Records, Project Mooncircle from Germany, Nice And Nasty from Ireland, and San Francisco based netlabel, TwoCircles Records..

Several prominent IDM artists have mentioned his name as an influence on their work (including Miss Kittin & Bogdan Raczynski & Xela), and he has influenced and been influenced by both the IDM as well as the tracker scenes.

Live Performances

Since 2000, Ruoho has played numerous musical performances in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Germany, France, Spain, Ireland, England, Austria, Poland, Russia, Latvia, Estonia and Bulgaria. Current tally: 99 live gigs (as of 1 June 2009)

Other Media Collaborations

Utopias of Helsinki, a web report for Helsingin Sanomat "What would Helsinki be like now, if all of the grandiose city-utopias of the 1960s had come to fruition?" (composition)(2001)
Pauli Ojala (a Finnish graphics artist) on "13/10/99", a short music video which was presented at the Assembly 2001 Wild demo competition, placing 4th.
Company (website), "Kooded.com", providing an in-house shockwave animation with soundfx + rhythms (2002)
Wilma Mehtonen (a Finnish choreographer) "Ulottumaton Symbioosi" (2002).
Halcyon (demogroup) DVD, providing in-menu composition(2002)
Wilma Mehtonen "T.43" modern dance-performance (2003).
Teemu Niskanen (a Finnish photographer) on a web-slideshow project (2006).
Thuyen Nguyen: "The Most Powerful Person in the World" – May 16 2007.
Synopsis: A love letter to video games.
Luca Barbeni (designer) on "dune.8081", a flash website, 2007.
Mari Helisevä (painter) on "Luontaisenkaltaisia", an art installation featuring a musical mixture of kitchen-recorded materials, displayed at Maa-Tila, Helsinki, Finland, 9 to 20 January 2008.
Thuyen Nguyen: "Same as it ever was" – February 29 2008.
Synopsis: Video game critics use the same arguments against gaming as they did for movies, television, comics, books.
scheltema/van beem NEPCO/ILC: "Headfooters", 2008
Synopsis: Cutesy headfoot monsters jump around to the sound of "Hugytrak" off of Lackluster: Slice (released on U-Cover)
Antti Mutta/Pelaaja-Lehti (Journalist) on "Korg DS-10", a review, Pelaaja-Lehti September/2009 (2009)

Other Interests

Ruoho also has a striking interest in the thoughts, discoveries and concepts of Walter Russell, Buckminster Fuller, Viktor Schauberger, Wilhelm Reich, John Keely, John Bedini and any related nature and intuition-based information, such as Earthship technology, the Dymaxion map, Dymaxion Chronofile, and Biomimicry. . In 2008 Ruoho became a lifetime Friend of The Wilhelm Reich Infant Trust, and also a supporting Citizen of The Solar Village. Ruoho / Lackluster is also a hemp, medical marijuana, cannabis activist.

Interests and Releases

In 2005, Ruoho released "Zero Million Barrels of Oil Per Day" on Monotonik netlabel as a MP3, as a statement of intent for the planet to reach for alternative energy technologies.
In 2005, Ruoho released "What You Want Isn't What You Need" on Newspeak Records on CD, the linenotes state "Please stop legislation telling us what natural supplements, vitamins and nutrients we can eat and what we cannot. Please stop codex alimentarius." This was Ruoho's comment on Codex Alimentarius.
In 2007, Ruoho released "Repulsine EP" on SLSK Records on CD, a tribute to Viktor Schauberger, with artwork containing photographies of Viktor Schauberger's face and imagery of the Repulsine device patents and photographies.
In 2007, Ruoho released "The Stationary Trout Ep" on Part2 Records as MP3, the name inspired from Viktor Schauberger and the writings of Callum Coats. "The Stationary Trout Ep" also contained a song called "Monsanto Corporation", which was Ruoho's take on the works of Monsanto Company.
In 2009, Ruoho contributed "Liop Mehch’t! Nosp Misc Kir" to Axis of Amity, a Centrifuge compilation for raising money for the Macmillan Cancer Support-charity, the track title, however, is reversed, referring to Rick Simpson's alleged THC Hemp Oil cure for cancer.

Discography

1999 – Album – "CDR#2" (CDr) Monotonik
2000 – EP – "FOC349" (LP) deFocus
2000 – Album – "Container" (CD,LP) deFocus
2000 – EP – "R U Oho?" (LP) deFocus
2000 – EP – "Rikos005" (LP) Rikos Records
2001 – Album – "Spaces" (CD) U-Cover (as Esa Ruoho)
2001 – EP – "Spaces" (LP) Inc.US (as Esa Ruoho)
2001 – EP – "Zealectronic Purple" (LP) Zeal
2001 – EP – "One-Offs" (NET) Monotonik
2002 – EP – "A Lackluster Sampler" (LP) Merck
2002 – EP – "Wrapping Album Sampler" (LP) deFocus
2002 – Album – "Wrapping" (CD,LP) deFocus
2003 – Album – "Showcase" (CD) Merck
2003 – EP – "None of That" (NET) Binkcrsh (as Can'O'Lard)
2003 – LP – "None of What" (NET) Corewatch (as Can'O'Lard)
2003 – EP – "Not An EP" (NET) Corewatch
2003 – EP – "You Are On My Mind" (NET) Monotonik
2004 – EP – "Showcase Sampler" (LP) Merck
2004 – Album – "Remixselection_one" (CD) Psychonavigation
2004 – EP – "R U Oho?" (LP) Merck
2005 – Album – "Slice" (CD) U-Cover
2005 – Album – "What You Want Isn't What You Need" (CD) Newspeak Records
2006 – EP – "Lax EP" (NET) Digilog
2007 – EP – "Repulsine EP" (CD) SLSK Records
2007 – EP – "The Stationary Trout" (NET) Part2 Records
2008 – Album – "Places" (CDr) Grundruck Records (as Esa Ruoho)
2009 – EP – "Aeration" (NET) TwoCircles Records
2009 – EP – "Cold Trail" (NET) Acroplane Recordings
2009 – EP – "Proof of Concept" (NET) Yuki Yaki Recordings
2009 – EP – "The Flows" (NET) Part2 Records

List of artists remixed by Lackluster

Ceniq, OTR, Beck (illicit), Thug, Laurent Garnier (illicit), Marumari, Machine Drum, Multiplex, Proem, Ilkae, Sleepy Town Manufacture, EEDL, Korpi Ensemble, Manta, (env)Itre, Kschzt, Blamstrain, Antennae, Global Goon, Tiki Obmar, Diskreet, Paolo Veneziani, Keef Baker, Joseph Auer, Anne Garner, Elephant Pixel, RA-X, Kilowatts, Aleksi Eeben, Strand & Non-Genetic (1/3 of Shadowhuntaz), HECQ. Hereticks of Disko, Robert Graff, Paul Mac, Tomi Chair, Produse, Mick Chillage

List of artists who have remixed Lackluster

Bauri, Brothomstates, Esem, Xhale (Erik Skodvin, Xhale=Deaf Center), Sense.

List of collaborations/appearances

Brothomstates: Kobn-Tich-Ey: Mr. Y (ringmodulated beginning scream)
Brothomstates: Claro (brothomstates ipxen) (original song)
Blamstrain: Disfold (additional electronics)

Name

Lackluster is taken from "Pyramids" by Terry Pratchett (Discworld series), encountered 1996–1997.