Before releasing any albums, Jätkäjätkät did live gigs for nearly five years with the name Asa & Jätkäjätkät performing songs by rapper Asa and playing as his live band both in Finland as well as abroad. The eclectic group fuses several genres together with Balkan influences and has commented that their original aim was to create modern day spelman music, where the Finnish roots and the local approach are essential. Thus, stylistyically Jätkäjätkät fits fluently into the world music context as well. This has also led them to perform in Sweden, Germany and Russia as well.
Jätkäjätkät was already when they started, but even more today, a true supergroup of exceptionally talented musicians who are known from numerous top-notch bands in the Finnish rhythm music scene. The lineup consists of rapper Asa (real name Matti Salo), singer and guitarist Puppa J (real name Janne Siro), percussionist and accordionist Rasmus Pailos, trombonist and flutist Erno Haukkala, keyboard and piano player Kim Rantala, drummer Ville Väätäinen, bassist Antti Kivimäki and percussionist Pekka Varmo. Some of the most important other members in the lineup include guitarist-bouzoukist Joska Josafat, drummer Jocke Bachmann and bassist Kari Hulkkonen. Besides Asa and Puppa J, many of the other musicians also occasionally do vocals in their songs.
Considering that Jätkäjätkät started actively doing shows already in 2008, they have released only four albums during all these years. However, all their full efforts are widely well-acknowledged in the local scene and by music critics. The debut Ykstoist ykstoist was issued on May 19th in 2010 soon after the band had headlined for example the Funky Elephant Festival in April. The sophomore effort Jatkojatkot was published the next year and the third, more heavy-hearted album Marian sairaala in 2013. After a long hiatus, Jätkäjätkät worked several years on their fourth album, which Puppa J has described to be more empowering than their last effort and focusing on the themes of friendship and cooperation. The album Norsun selässä finally saw the daylight in 2024. In autumn 2025, Jätkäjätkät announced they will do their last final tour together during the last months of the year and will not be seen live on stage anymore.
Besides Asa, also Puppa J has a respected solo career with many albums under his belt. Members of Jätkäjätkät are also familiar from numerous well-establisehed groups and lineups, such as Asa & Band, Soul Captain Band, Paukkumaissi, The Soul Investigators, Laulurastas, Puppa J & Tasottavat, Liljan Loisto, Dalindèo, Astro Can Caravan, Laineen Kasperi & Palava Kaupunki, Dashing Waves, Giant Robot, Nuspirit Helsinki and The Five Corners Quintet.
Text: Joonas Kervinen / Funky Finland
