Super8 & Tab - Super Beats
3D’s Rezo speaks to Finnish trance/progressive house duo, Super8 & Tab, hitting Sydney this month for Future Music Festival.
Miika Eloranta and Janne Mansnerus are the Finnish trance duo also known as Super8 (Eloranta) and Tab (Mansnerus). The two met in a club around the turn of the millennium when they were working in the same studio complex.
“It was a nice summer day when we decided to make some music and we agreed there was something going on that we could work with,” Mansnerus says. “We both really thought we should be something more. That was when we did Helsinki Scorchin’ – the track that basically gave us our name; today, the Finnish scene is very good and the trance scene has the biggest audience. Hallmark – our club – is turning nine years [old] in February and many times it has been voted the best club in Finland.”
The duo are focused on completing their debut artist album by the end of the year, but they don’t want to rush it. “We want it to be trance – even house and techno in there as well – but it has to be uplifting and melodic – we want to make something you can listen to over and over again,” Mansnerus says. “We don’t want to make an album of 12 EPs at 138bpm! We hope to have some great collaborations on there with the sound a little bit different to what we might do in the EPs – something new – but trance based. Let’s see how it works out!”
Eloranta and Mansnerus have also been working on a few exciting remixes in recent times – with Ferry Corsten to be putting his stamp on Delusion. There are also a few other things in the pipeline that they hope to test on crowds in Australia before they release them. “We will have a few special things in our box to play to the crowds down there, but I won’t say much more than that,” Mansnerus admits.
In turn, all of their releases thus far have featured on Anjunabeats – the label belonging to the Above and Beyond trio. “One of the guys from the group, Paavo, is from Finland. They came down to our studio one time and were listening to some of the music Miika and I were doing. They asked for a remix on their Anjunabeats label. We did that and since it’s been very easy to work with them – and that’s why we have been very happy working on that label from the beginning.”
As for their Australian tour, Mansnerus is stoked about their invitation to play.
“I was there for the millennium parties when we played in Sydney and Byron Bay – we spent about five weeks there! This time though, we are touring around the country so it will be even more exciting. We perform back to back playing one track each – it will be the Super8 and Tab sound with a lot of progressive and techno influences. In all, it will be very energetic and uplifting but still trance. We just want to have a good time and hope that people enjoy it!”
WHO: Super8 & Tab
WHAT: Play Future Music Festival, Royal Randwick Racecourse
WHEN: Saturday 28 February
MORE: futuremusicfestival.com.au