Wait, it's been two years? / 092018

The thesis is finished, as is the degree. That definitely took longer than expected. But now it's back to business as usual -- I've been actively working on the new Radiance album, "Paragon", again after a hiatus of 18 months (!). Let's see if I can finally finish this odyssey. Meanwhile, if you're looking for new music, check out "Immersion", the just released sophomore album from Irreversible Mechanism. I did the audio production for the album. Great stuff, really enjoyed working on this one. Here's the video song, "Abolution".

No rest.

Ping / 102616

Still working. Ended up rewriting and re-recording some sections due to new ideas hatched during post-production, turned out much better. Crazy busy at the moment however, have to finish my thesis before I can wrap this up. Alas, the problem of having many irons in the fire.

A quick Radiance update / 032816

So I've been working on the vocals for the past few weeks -- so far, so good! A few people asked about a rough estimate for the release date. Optimally, I'd like to release the album during the summer. Things have been going fairly well, so I think that's realistic. Will keep you posted.

Paragon / 122015

OK, it's time for the annual status update.

The title of the new Radiance album is "Paragon". Most of the instruments were recorded during the summer, what's still missing are the vocals and the orchestrations. I'm working on the orchestrations right now and the vocals will be recorded early next year (depending on the schedules of the people involved). Against all odds, the album is finally coming together. While it's still too early to talk about an exact release date, it shouldn't take too long once the vocals are done.

I'll post the next update once I have a progress report on the vocals. Until then, happy holidays!

Another annual update / 122214

About a year ago, I said something about being more active with the updates. I also mentioned that the next Radiance album would probably be released during 2014. As some of you have probably figured out by now .. yeah, neither of these things happened. Why? Well, I wish there was at least an epic story I could tell, but the truth is that I simply had a busy year (w/ several projects and the studies), plans got changed and in the end there was no time left to finish the album. Since there was nothing to write an update about, there were no updates either. The new plan is to finish the recording of the album during the summer 2015.

Meanwhile, here's one of the projects I worked on this year (audio production): Irreversible Mechanism - Infinite Fields. An excellent new band from Belarus, the debut album is being released today. Highly recommended!

Enjoy your holidays!

The annual update / 120413

Wow, it's been a year already?

The guitar tablature book (PDF) for "The Burning Sun" album is finally available again. For completeness, you can now also buy the album from an alternative source right here in case you have something against Bandcamp (see the buttons on the right).

I've begun recording the next Radiance album, which will most likely be a 2014 release. I opted against releasing the material in parts, so it will be a full-length release. Right now, I would describe the album as "massive". It will again be a concept album, consisting of four (very long) songs with an overarching storyline. Imagine "The Burning Sun" taken further in just about every imaginable way. I don't want to spoil any more than that at this point; wait and see.

Also, thanks for the cool e-mails everybody. I'll definitely try and be more active with the updates, so that people don't have to get too concerned. Of course, the lack of updates isn't because nothing is happening, it is because so much is happening simultaneously that I barely have time to sleep. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Enjoy your holidays, folks.

What's going on? / 110912

As usual, it's been a while since the last update. No surprises there! I've been extremely busy this year with all kinds of projects, but here's an update on at least a couple of things:

During the summer I did the production on Circle of Contempt's upcoming EP titled "Entwine the Threads", see the album teaser here. Great band, great album. Highly recommended.

I also finished writing the next Radiance album, now all I need is some free time to record the thing. I actually might release the album in parts, just to make the production/release cycle faster. That way, the post-production process would be less draining for me and of course, new material would be available sooner. In any case, the sound has evolved since the first album and I think you'll find the new material .. refreshed. It's white but there's tons of contrast. It's in your face, but it's distant. This describes it, but does not.

You'll also notice the site looks different (yes, viva minimalism) and there are some other things I can't talk about right now -- those will be saved for later. This is just a quick update since people have been asking if there's going to be new Radiance material at all. Absolutely.

Sami Raatikainen

I value individualism, reason and productivity above most other things. While I have many interests and creative outlets, I currently mainly write music, do the occasional production job here and there and study theoretical physics at the University of Helsinki, Finland.

Radiance

Radiance is the project under which I release my own music. As such, it's not tied to any specific genre or line-up. At this point, Radiance is strictly a studio project -- no live performances are planned for the foreseeable future.

Music

The Burning Sun
2010

Mats Levén - vocals
Noora Häkkinen - vocals
SR - music, lyrics & prod.

Available on Bandcamp.

Guitar tablature

The Burning Sun
Complete guitar tab

Available on Bandcamp.

Contact

sr@radiance.fi