PLAYHOUSE

FROM JK’S MAGAZINE ISSUE 3: INNOVATION

HELSINKI, FINLAND

MIRO MOORE, ORIGINALLY A GUITARIST AND SINGER, FOUND HIMSELF CAPTIVATED BY THE WORLD OF MUSIC PRODUCTION. WHILE PERFORMING GIGS AT LOCAL PUBS, HE EMBARKED ON A JOURNEY TO EXPLORE AND HONE HIS PRODUCTION SKILLS. WITH A PASSION FOR PUSHING BOUNDARIES, MIRO SOUGHT TO CREATE MUSIC THAT RESONATED WITH HIS UNIQUE VISION.

IN HIS QUEST FOR ARTISTIC EXPRESSION, MIRO DISCOVERED THE ALLURE OF SYNTHWAVE, A GENRE THAT CAPTIVATED HIS IMAGINATION. HOWEVER, HIS MUSICAL EXPLORATION DIDN'T STOP THERE. INTRODUCED TO THE CAPTIVATING SOUNDS OF HOUSE MUSIC BY A FRIEND, MIRO DELVED INTO THE REALM OF PRODUCING HOUSE TRACKS. AS HE EMBARKED ON HIS MUSIC PRODUCTION JOURNEY, MIRO RECOGNIZED THE NEED TO FIND A WAY TO BRING HIS COMPOSITIONS TO LIFE IN A LIVE SETTING.

DRIVEN BY THE DESIRE TO CARVE HIS OWN PATH IN THE FINNISH HOUSE SCENE, MIRO, AND HIS LIKE-MINDED FRIENDS BRAINSTORMED IDEAS THAT WOULD SET THEM APART. THEY WERE DETERMINED TO AVOID CONFORMING TO THE ELITIST TECHNO CROWD, INSTEAD AIMING TO ESTABLISH A FRESH AND VIBRANT PRESENCE. IT WAS IN THIS SPIRIT THAT THEY FORMED THE PLAYHOUSE COLLABORATIVE ENDEAVOR, DEDICATED TO SHOWCASING THEIR DISTINCT BRAND OF HOUSE MUSIC.

MIRO MOORE STANDS AS AN INNOVATIVE FORCE IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY, FEARLESSLY FUSING GENRES AND STAYING TRUE TO HIS CREATIVE VISION. WITH HIS RELENTLESS PURSUIT OF FRESH SOUNDS AND HIS COMMITMENT TO LIVE PERFORMANCES, MIRO CONTINUES TO CAPTIVATE AUDIENCES AND MAKE HIS MARK IN THE WORLD OF ELECTRONIC MUSIC.

PLAYHOUSE

PLAYHOUSE

PLAYHOUSE

PLAYHOUSE

MIRO MOORE AND HIS COLLABORATORS HAVE TAKEN THEIR MUSIC PROJECT TO NEW HEIGHTS, DRIVEN BY A STRONG VISION AND A DESIRE TO ESTABLISH A BRAND. UNLIKE OTHER GROUPS FOCUSED SOLELY ON HAVING FUN, MIRO'S DEDICATION TO BUILDING SOMETHING SUBSTANTIAL HAS ALWAYS BEEN AT THE FOREFRONT. FROM THE START, HE RECOGNIZED THE IMPORTANCE OF INSPIRING PEOPLE AND CREATING A TANGIBLE CONNECTION WITH HIS IDEAS.

FOR MIRO, IT WAS CLEAR FROM THE BEGINNING THAT HE WAS EMBARKING ON A MISSION TO CONSTRUCT SOMETHING MEANINGFUL. HE KNEW THAT HE WANTED TO INSPIRE OTHERS AND MAKE THEM UNDERSTAND THE ESSENCE OF HIS WORK. IN THIS PURSUIT, MIRO BELIEVED THAT THERE NEEDED TO BE A TANGIBLE ELEMENT THAT PEOPLE COULD GRASP, SOMETHING THAT WOULD RESONATE AND CONVEY THE PURPOSE BEHIND HIS MUSIC.

TAKING RISKS AND VENTURING OUTSIDE OF ONE'S COMFORT ZONE WAS AN INTEGRAL PART OF MIRO’S APPROACH. DESPITE THE POTENTIAL FOR OCCASIONAL MISSTEPS OR UNCERTAINTIES, HE FIRMLY BELIEVED IN THE VALUE OF PUSHING BOUNDARIES.

IN THE WORLD OF PLAYHOUSE, MIRO MOORE'S UNWAVERING DEDICATION TO HIS VISION AND HIS WILLINGNESS TO TAKE RISKS HAVE SHAPED THEIR JOURNEY. AS THEY CONTINUE TO BUILD THEIR BRAND, THEY INSPIRE OTHERS TO VENTURE BEYOND THEIR COMFORT ZONES AND SEEK MEANINGFUL EXPERIENCES. ALTHOUGH NOT EVERY ENDEAVOR MAY HIT THE MARK, MIRO'S STEADFAST COMMITMENT TO GROWTH AND AUTHENTICITY REMAINS A GUIDING FORCE.

HOW ALL STARTED

I got hooked on producing music after playing guitar and singing at small venues and pubs, even as an underage musician. Unable to find bandmates, I ventured into music production, experimenting with synthesizers and synth-wave sounds. Then, a friend introduced me to house music, and I fell in love with its energy. I started producing house music.

At 18, I got into event production and organized car meeting events where people would gather and cruise around. We formed a group called Espoo Cruising, which gained popularity but eventually disbanded. The group kind of fell apart. It lasted for just a few years, and then, well, the leader, he was like, "You know, it's not going anywhere."

But then, at the same time, while all this was happening, I was already starting to produce music, and I was like, "Okay, I need to find a way to perform my tracks live." So, I began doing DJ gigs to perform my tracks live. I wondered if there was a house music scene in Finland and discovered Hytky, a techno culture group affiliated with Helsinki University. Immersing myself in the rave culture, I started attending parties and getting involved in the scene.

During this time, I went alone to an event and met the potential founders of PlayHouse, including Juva. We became friends and shared a vision for creating something fresh that addressed the scene's needs. Reflecting on the challenges I faced in finding enjoyable events, I wanted to break away from techno elitism and provide a diverse and inclusive experience.

After much brainstorming, we settled on the name PlayHouse, representing a place for our preferred style of music and a playful atmosphere. We started organizing events, beginning with openers and gradually expanding to larger gatherings. Our recent party even had the Prime Minister of Finland in attendance, highlighting the success and growth of PlayHouse.

WHAT KIND OF CHALLENGES DID YOU FACE AS AN EVENT PRODUCER? WHAT QUALITIES ARE NEEDED TO SUCCEED AS A MUSIC PRODUCER AND EVENT PRODUCER?

Well, I would say that one of the challenges was defining your brand or vision in music or art in general. For PlayHouse, the difficulty lay in the fact that we lacked resources. We didn't have big financiers or anything like that. We were doing it with friends, you know, on a shoestring budget.

Not just in our case, but generally, how do you build trust and engage with the community? Well, it's about actively participating and being involved with the community. It's about not distancing yourself from it. In our case, we have always been very hands-on at every event. We organize, but we also join in and party with the attendees. We constantly talk to everyone, asking if they're doing okay if they need water, and things like that. It creates a sense that they are valued here, unlike in some mega clubs where it feels like the owner is smoking cigars in a backstage room and expects you to watch Chelsea 5 or something. We want people to feel like they're just chilling on someone's home couch at a big house party. So, it's about creating that atmosphere for the visitors, followers, and the community associated with your brand. You need to be genuinely hands-on and transparent, maintaining an open and responsive relationship with the community. That's how you build that connection.

MIRO MOORE DISCUSSED RAVE CULTURE WITH @ORKIDEA/ TAPIO HAKANEN AT THE 30 YEARS OF DANCE CONFERENCE. PHOTO CREDIT: KARO HOLMBERG

At least the most important thing, the crucial point, in succeeding in any field is that you have a vision. Having a vision is essentially the cornerstone because if you don't have a vision, nothing else matters. You know, it's that certainty or that, as many would say, motivation and grind, but essentially when you have a vision, it provides everything. When you have a clear picture and believe in your vision, motivation, and the grind automatically fall into place. Everything just aligns when you come across something truly amazing. Then, everything falls into place, even from a business perspective. When you have that vision, you start thinking immediately about how to bring it to all these people. I would say it's the number one thing, the key factor. To succeed, you just need that vision. Nothing else really matters you know. Of course, there's that aspect of hard work and grind. You need to know how to grind, and how to have that work ethic. And you also need to be persistent, but having that vision is something that gives everything. You grow from there. You need to have that drive, that strong work ethic. You need to be press-resis-tant, and all that. But having that vision, it's like when you truly believe in it, then everything else follows suit from the beginning.

MORE ABOUT THIS INTERVIEW IN JK’S MAGAZINE ISSUE 3: INNOVATION