Ø

Mika Vainio (May 15, 1963 - April 12, 2017) was a Finnish experimental electronic musician, known for his works with Ilpo Väisänen as Pan Sonic. Also known as Ø, Tekonivel, Kentolevi, Philus = half of Pan Sonic, Finnish electronic overlords.

Ø released a number of cutting-edge minimal techno records during the early 1990s on the Sähkö Recordings label, prefiguring a great deal of today's minimal scene (Vainio is a huge influence on Richie Hawtin, Sleeparchive etc). Ø shares Pan Sonic's analogue sound and experimental approach, but is oriented more towards the dancefloor. All of Ø's early records have been re-released recently, along with a new album, Kantamoinen.

Vainio and Väisänen also recorded with Alan Vega, (Suicide).

Mika Vainio died in France, on April 12, 2017 at the age of 53. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.