Ilpo Väisänen (Pan Sonic) (FI)

Ilpo Väisänen began his musical career in Turku after completing art school, where he studied visual arts. His early work explored sound art and performance, and he went on to form the groups ULTRA3 and SIN o. It was during this time that he met Mika Vainio, leading to the creation of the groundbreaking electronic duo Panasonic—later renamed Pan sonic.

Pan sonic signed with the influential Mute/Blast First label and released 29 works over their career. They collaborated with experimental icons like Alan Vega, Merzbow, Keiji Haino, and FM Einheit, and performed across Europe, Asia, America, and Australia.

In the late 1990s, Väisänen also co-founded the project Angel (later die Angel) with Dirk Dresselhaus. The duo has collaborated with artists such as Hildur Guðnadóttir, Oren Ambarchi, Werner ‘Zappi’ Diermaier of Faust, and Holger Czukay, playing numerous shows across Europe, the U.S., and Hong Kong.

Ilpo Väisänen continues to explore new sonic landscapes—experimenting with sound, texture, and structure in deeply political, philosophical, and human ways. Since 1995, his solo work has revealed a world that constantly shifts between extremes: hot and cold, futuristic and prehistoric. Built from creaks, whistles, strange noises, and unpredictable rhythms, his sound is both otherworldly and deeply grounded.