Let’s kick off our artist introductions with someone who hardly needs an introduction. Finnish rap heavyweight Paleface takes over the Funky Elephant main stage on Saturday together with his live band Räjähtävä Nyrkki. Known for their explosive live performances, the group has been rocking the dance floors for nearly fifteen years already. Paleface introduced the band on his 2012 album Maan Tapa. Very much a supergroup featuring well known musicians and members from other famous funk bands in Finland. Premium funkateers who are guaranteed to land the mothership to Funky Elephant.

Propably the loveliest soul band in Finland, Punomo is one of the three acts celebrating Finnish soul music on the Funky Elephant special showcase on Friday. The Turku-based group have released two albums to date and truly won over the hearts of the local soul crowd with their fresh retro rhythms and absolutely delightful Finnish lyrics. The concert in Korjaamo on Friday is sure to heat up the dance floor and satisfy the body, the mind and the soul equally.

P.S. For the pre-party soundtrack at home before the Funky Elephant festivities, we recommend Punomo’s latest album Kahdeksan Kertaa. It’s a delight!

The true giant of Finnish soul music, Niko Ahvonen headlines the special Funky Elephant soul evening on Friday alongside his band Tilanteen Herrat. With a career spanning over three decades the artist is one of the pioneers of soul and rhythm and blues sung in finnish. His latest album Valmis Maailma came out this spring, but we will undoubtedly be treated with a stream of golden classics from the artist’s impressive back catalog also in Funky Elephant. The band’s energy levels on stage are known to send radiation meters off the charts and twist and turn the dance floor into entirely new shapes, so get ready for the raw power of soul music!

What would Funky Elephant be without African rhythms? The motherland is strongly present at the festival again this year. Helsinki-Cotonou Ensemble will take over the Vaunusali main stage on Saturday. Known for their high-energy live shows and having already released five studio albums and one live record, the band is a long-time favorite of the Funky Elephant audiences. Led by Finnish guitarist Janne Halonen and Beninese vocalist and percussionist Noël Saïzonou the group blend afrobeats and Beninese vodou rhythms with jazz and funk and creates a tropically hot fusion of sound that is best when enjoyed live and direct.

Funky Elephant celebrates the rich diversity of Finnish soul music on the opening night on Friday by bringing together three distinct takes on the genre. The evening kicks off with Misha. The artist based in Finland but having his roots in Ukraine enjoys widespread international acclaim and has amassed over 100 million listens on the streaming platforms with his sensually groovy nu-funk and R’N’B sounds. His new album Dreamwaves will drop just a few weeks before the Funky Elephant festival where he also presents his new live band.Their intimate Toivola Live recording from last autumn has already become an online cult classic on Youtube. On Friday 6th of November it’s our turn to get seduced by Misha Band live in Funky Elephant.

Funky Elephant is also known for always bringing different musical flavors from around the world to the stage. This year the festival serves up a delicious helping of traditional cumbia amazónica as Uña de Gato takes the Kulmasali venue into the depths of trance on Saturday. This unique style of cumbia, rooted in Peru, features psychedelic guitars and irresistibly hypnotic rhythms. The raw power of chicha music. The band comprises musicians from Peru, Finland, and Chile. Uña de Gato’s performance at our Elephantasy event in Alppipuisto this summer was unforgettably mind-expanding so we simply had to have more! The concert is presented in collaboration with the fantastic Etnosoi! festival.

One of this year’s most talked-about live acts in Helsinki is set to take the stage at the Funky Elephant festival on Saturday. Mubba & The Afrotan has been building up a buzz and driving the dancers wild at their gigs all summer long. Led by Tanzanian bassist Humphrey Mbaruku there truly is something very special going on with this band. Put the fresh rhythms and melodies rooted in Tanzania to the pan.  Add pieces of fine chopped jazz and funk to the mixture. Bring to a boil and stir constantly until the ingredients meld together into completely grooving whole. Finally add a dash of blues to taste. Serve steaming hot.

Funky Elephant is opening a new stage in the Korjaamo Kino this year. An intimate space where you can get up close to the artist and truly enter the athmosphere. Ester Nuori Leppä takes this stage on Saturday. One of the leading names in Finnish alternative rap, she will fill the space with her evocative stories and rich rhymes taking the audience on a genuine journey into the wondrous world of her imagination.

It is a delight to welcome Julia Delgado to the Korjaamo Kino stage also. A magnificent Finnish singer-songwriter who draws beautifully from various roots music traditions and sings like an angel. She will cast a spell over the Funky Elephant festival on Saturday with her many shades of soul and the healing power of her music.