Mama Longhorn

Genres: afrobeat, funk, rock, world music
Key words: eclectism, key artists, Womex21, Womex22
Language of songs: English, instrumental
Gender: female, male
Hometown: Pori
Active in: 2010's, 2020's
Is active (2022)

Mama Longhorn's fourth album expanding fan base

“The rhythm tank of Pori” takes their inspiring psychedelic sound to a deeper and even more interesting level on their fourth album Extinct But Still Alive released on January 19th, 2024. The album and especially the enchanting song “Rowing High Rowing Low” have also significantly expanded their fan base all the way from Continental Europe to Australia and Mexico.

Listen to the album on YouTube »
Check live performance of the song “Turn Again Hourglass” (YouTube) »

About

Nicknamed as “the rhythm tank”, Mama Longhorn plays their own version of organic rhythm music fusion based on the traditions from afrobeat to funk and flavoured with several different influences. Besides the famous annual jazz festival, their hometown Pori is well known from the numerous progressive and experimental rock acts, which can be also heard in their original and eclectic production never afraid to break the traditional boundaries. In their music, catchy melodies and afro rhythms meet improvisational approach and psychedelic, occasionally even melancholic tones. The Nordic mysticism is present in the singer Eeva Poijärvi’s voice as well as in the soundscapes of their music, which makes the band so different from any other act. The Arts Council of Satakunta region awarded Mama Longhorn with their annual Art Prize in 2015.

Founded in the beginning of the 2010’s, Mama Longhorn has extended their lineup into a 10-piece orchestra. They have released three critically acclaimed albums, well received also by fans. Thematically the songs cover a wide range of topics without avoiding to get into darker themes neither. On their year 2021 album Let It Run, the band delt for example with the climate change (on song “Island After Island”) and the challenges involved in making it as an actor (“Barry Primus”). Musically speaking, they have never followed the easiest and most expected path, combining for example clarinet and ambient soundscapes together with the elements of African polyrhythmics. Mama Longhorn released their fourth album Extinct But Still Alive in January 2024. Musically it takes their expression to new, even more progressive and psychedelic level including influences from different parts of the world.

The key members of Mama Longhorn during the years have been producer and keyboard and percussionist Kai Johansson (Salaneuvosto) and bassist Mikko Elo (Kuusumun Profeetta, Ektroverde, Vahvistusharha). However, the band is well known of the fact that all the members participate actively in composing and making the arrangements for their songs.

Besides the aforementioned gentlemen, the lineup consists of guitarists Tuomas Grönlund (Teemu Elon Puhuvat Eläimet) and Valtteri Mäkitalo as well as clarinetist Saija Santavirta, saxophonist Jukka Kettula and trumpetist Juho Nordman. Janne Huhtala handles the drums, while the percussionist of the band is Tatu Tyykilä. In the beginning of their career and on their first album Enter The Rhythm Tank, Guinea-born Faouzi Fawaz was also one of the main vocalists as well as playing percussions. Rapper and singer Jesse Markin (also known by his artist name Thelo Ekow), who also featured on their second album Age Two, has been occasionally present on stage on Mama Longhorn’s live sets as well.

Text: Joonas Kervinen / Funky Finland
Photos: Janne Alhonpää

Discography

• Extinct But Still Alive (Soit Se Silti, 2024)
• Let It Run (Soit Se Silti, 2021)
• Age Two (Karkia Mistika, Seeker, 2017)
• Enter The Rhythm Tank (Karkia Mistika, Seeker, 2014)

Did you know?

The name of the band was invented already in the 90’s, when Mikko Elo and Kai Johansson were watching a natural history documentary on the Finnish television, where they introduced a female rhino named Mama Longhorn to the spectators. So they decided to name a band, where they both would play in the future, according to this character.

Mikko Elo has also worked as a long-time cultural journalist for Satakunnan Kansa magazine. He has also been producing a podcast series titled Elon Merkit – Musiikin lumoissa, which highlights Pori-related music makers from hip hop all the way to classical music. Kai Johansson, who also produced band’s third album Let It Run, has produced music outside Mama Longhorn with the artist names Holik in hip hop and as Fajro in dub.

Related artists

active

Dashing Waves

Dashing Waves, founded in 1997, play their unique version of urban multiethnic world groove and were well ahead of their time during the millennium changeover period. Today the band, built around the Congolese-Finnish Cheka Kalupala...