Aikakone began as a Finnish dance/pop music group. Their music was simply wonderful with intelligent lyrics and superb vocal harmonies. In my opinion, the only thing that prevented Aikakone from huge international success was that they sang in their native language of Finnish.

The band changed their name to Aika to reflect the language change from Finnish to English. It is still the same group with the same excellent music skills. They are hoping to expand their fan base well outside of Finland.

Even while known as Aikakone, their reputation was going to many places in the world. Because of this fan site I have gotten emails from fans in various countries such as Mexico, Germany and the UK.

So now on to a profile of the band in question.

Who Are Aikakone/Aika?
There are 4 members of Aikakone:
Sani
Vera
Alex
Maki

As far as band duties, Maki is the main musician and composer. He has handled producing duties many times. His instrument of choice is the guitar.

Sani is the main singer, while Vera and Alex both have their turns at singing lead on various songs. Alex's role as a singer has reduced over time as he is becoming more hands-on in the instrumental music aspect of the band.

The three each share lyrics writing duties. When in Finnish, Vera was the lead lyricist. Now that the songs are more in English, Alex has a lead role in writing those lyrics. My personal preference is for the songs which Vera has written because the lyrics tend to be the most intelligent and vivid.

What albums have they recorded?
As Aikakone the group has 3 albums to their credit:
Tähtikaaren taa (1995)
Toiseen Maailmaan (1996)
Maa (1998)

As Aika, the band has released:
Time (A special internet-only EP, 1997)
Hear Me Now (2001)

Album singles
These are the singles from the first two albums.

Tähtikaaren taa - 6th Mar 95
Taas saan lentää - 12th Jun 95
Alla vaahterapuun - Aug 95
Odota - 6th Nov 95
Matkustanut oon - 12th Feb 96
Kelltainen—29 August 1996
Nti Groove—15 October 96
Nti Groove Remixes—18 November 1996
Opettelen Salaa-9 December 1996
Aarresaari—14 March 1997

So why do you like the group?
This group was important to me originally because I learned better Finnish through them. I was an exchange student to Finland when I first learned their music. I heard the song "Opettelen Salaa" on the radio and I had to know who did that song. When I finally did get their album, I stayed awake several nights translating song lyrics from Finnish to my native English. That one thing helped me gain Finnish ability better than almost any other activity could have done. Suddenly my vocabulary grew exponentially.

More than that... I just love their music because it is so well done. I can just listen and enjoy it only on a superficial level if I choose. The nice thing about their music, though, is that it does have real substance. They are a talented group of people who have worked hard for the success they have achieved.

Random Trivia
Vera and I both attended the University of Jyväskylä.

Alex was born in San Jose, Costa Rica. He is a Finnish citizen, but he does know Spanish. In song this was proven in 'El Sol' from the Maa album. I also had the pleasure of getting a personal email from him on December 7, 1998. It was a fantastic treat for me as a fan.