TANGON TAIKAA - Finnish Tango

Tangon Taikaa has been the pioneer of Finnish tango in Germany. The Taikaas performs nowadays mostly as duo or trio (instead of quartett).

On the instrumental forefront, there is Valentin Butt, accordeonist at the Berlin Philharmonic orchestra. Singer Timo Valtonen sings and recites the lyrics, translating them partly into German or English, Swedish or French. Both are staying always in stand-up modus on the stage. Andrew Krell, Taikaas bassist since the second beginning 2003 died surprisingly 2022. Swiss-Italian Davide Debernardi completes now the ensemble.

Timo Valtonen began with the export of Finnish tango in the mid-nineties in the Seamen's Church in Hamburg and founded the FINtango Festival on behalf of the Finnish Ministry of Culture in 2013 - with the first edition also in Hamburg. In the meantime there have been almost 40 festivals in very different cities. Valtonen's latest interest with Finnish tango is the church organ; alone, combined with his voice or with other musicians.

Press reviews

"Finnish tango with voice and accordion reduced to the essentials was offered on Friday by Timo Valtonen and Valentin Butt / Valtonen not only proved to be a heartbreaking singer, but also moderated the evening with charm and a lot of wit / Great emotions, played with virtuosity."
Probsteier Herold, 19.07.2011

"A top-class concert./ Reward for the exceptional performance was long-lasting applause from the concertgoers."
Westphalenblatt 17.02.2010

"So we connect the dark sides of life with the fairy tales and love songs," philosophized Timo Valtonen, earning rapturous applause."
UK, evang. newspaper for Westphalia, March 2010

"The enthusiastic audience doesn't mind: before and even more so after the intermission, more and more couples venture onto the dance floor/ always adding fine jazz and blues effects/ "Tango Fintastico" is what Tangon Taikaa call what they are doing. And that hits the nail on the head, even if you read it out loud."
Kieler Nachrichten 4.25.2009

"Valtonen takes the whole audience with him/ lands one hit after another/ passionately gruff accordion by Valentin Butt / Valtonen's gentle voice, sometimes velvety deep, then again tender and sensitive in the highs./ Amazing how under his presence the silver moon, the smooth mirror of the lake and the shine of the tears get real meaning again./ To kneel down even if that doesn't impress a Finn."
Hildesheimer Allgemeine 30.3.2009

"The audience gave frenetic applause." Eltville 4.12.2008

"Enthusiastic audience at the Finnish guest performance at the Kulturforum./ "One of the great Finnish artists."
Buxtehuder Tagesblatt / Harburger Nachrichten, 28.11.08

"Magic of tango and great feelings / Tango and tenor Timo Valtonen delighted residents of Nurmes in Hannikainen concert hall / The international group broke the traditionally somewhat monotonous pure-beating rhythm of Finnish tango with artful improvisations and offered very enjoyable interpretations of old familiar melodies."
Ylä-Karjala, 14.02.08 (Nurmes City Newspaper)

"Who's better to promote Finnish tango in Europe than Timo Valtonen, a long blond, very Finnish looking man / His tenor voice sounded expressive and rich in color / Valentin Butt charmed with his accordion playing/ The Tangon Taikaa concert of tango ambassador Timo Valtonen and his absolutely masterful German orchestra was a refreshing experience and a long step into the core of the deepest essence of tango. A great concert that will stay in the memory for a long time."
Koti-Karjala, 30.01.08 (Kitee City Newspaper)

"Messiah of Finnish tango"
Kotiseutu-Uutiset, 11.2.08 (Liperi newspaper)

"The tango originating from Argentina of hot-blooded South Americans in cold Finland? Does that fit together? The Finnish tango singer Timo Valtonen convinced ... without any problems / Together with his accordionist Valentin Butt he forms the tango duo Tangon Taikaa / For two hours the two musicians made the audience forget the gray autumn days outside / With a mixture of songs, instrumental pieces and recited poems Timo Valtonen made sure that one could feel a little warmth around the heart. In his tangos, which are mostly interpretations of traditional Finnish pieces, he mainly sang about the suffering and passion of love. But not only the love comes to the fore in the pieces, also the love for nature finds its place in the lyrics. Thus, the lakes of Finland or the sunset are sung about, always emotional and devoted, so that one or the other even got carried away to dance. The fact that many messages can only be conveyed through the sounds of music, and that encounters are thus made possible, is masterfully realized by him. He is an expert in dealing with the audience and is obviously completely absorbed in his music. In the Waggonhalle, Timo Valtonen and Valentin Butt, who can make his accordion sound like a whole orchestra, succeeded in transferring this special kind of communication to the audience / And even those who had come with skepticism about the Finnish version of this dance went home with the feeling of being completely filled with it." Marburger Neue Zeitung, 29.11.07

"Cult star" DeutschlandRadio Kulturkurier, 23.11.07.

"Tangon Taikaa play, and play very well." Die Zeit, 15.08.06

"Bad Elster. The name of the Finnish quartet "Tangon Taikaa" was program on Sunday evening in the King-Albert-Theater. 120 visitors were captured by the "magic of tango" from the far north and experienced without a doubt a highlight of this year's Churschsische Festspiele on the theme of Scandinavia. Tango does not necessarily have to be mentioned in the same breath as Argentina - this quickly became clear to the audience/ Understanding the Finnish language was not necessary, because Valtonen explained the content and background, and secondly, all the words were expressed in the music/ He is currently considered one of its most concise representatives. Valtonen was assisted by Valentin Butt (accordion), Antero Krelli (double bass) and Ali Husseini (drums), plus Rene and Henriette Regher, a tango dancing couple from Halle. They all delighted the audience for more than two hours, with Butt's virtuoso playing and Valtonen's distinctive voice and lively moderation being the icing on the evening's cake." Freie Presse, 25.09.07

"high-class entertainment / a highlight......lots of gypsy power", Hamburger Abendblatt 4.9.2006/20.6.2005

"Nordic fire warmed the hearts of the Flensburg audience: Quality - on Wednesday these were three outstanding musicians on double bass, drums and accordion as well as a singer and conferencier, whose suit seemed as unfashionable as his charm, and who just for this reason enthused the audience. Timo Valtonen sang the tango with fervor and languorous bel canto. No one understood a word, but everyone understood the music and the feeling. And fortunately, Valtonen speaks excellent German and interspersed translations of the mostly highly romantic tango lyrics so that everyone could share in his surges of emotion. Tango is folk music in Finland and that is why it is the traditional tango, rhythmically very tight tango, where the foot immediately sways along." - "Hot tango and cool Finns/ The audience thanked you with a rhythmic applause despite the rain." Flensburger Tageblatt 11.8.06

"Rarely have the emotions that were quite unspoken been felt in an exhibition been so congenially brought to life by a musical event."
Kunstmuseum Fridericianum Magazine, Kassel, June 2006

"Let no one say that the Finns are reserved! It's been a long time since eroticism has been concentrated so freely.",
Taz Berlin 14.03.05

"wonderfully light-handed", Morgenpost, Hamburg, 15.07.04

"Tangon Taikaa sneak in international elements of jazz, electrobeat and Argentine tango. Nevertheless, the listener can clearly expect Finn-Tango. This is guaranteed by frontman Vincent Grön (Timo Valtonen), whose not quite irony-free wistful tenor is so beautiful that some people will certainly shed a tear", Leipziger Volkszeitung, 2.11.03.

"Tangon Taikaa was as classically and typically Finnish as it could possibly be.... - what more could you need?",
New York Arts Magazine, May/June 2004.

Review of the single (sold out):
"Breakup may be rare with this 7inch, however, and you'll be flipping it on the turntable like a hot pancake...This music breathes the same dust as the films of Aki Kaurismäki."
Daniel Decker [Full Article: nillson.ath.cx - 14.01.05]