Something Good are two young, musically twisted kids from Helsinki, Finland. That they are in love with House music is a given, but they also, by their own admission, have a sometimes unhealthy obsession with orange juice, sun, the minimoog and…fictional psychotic yuppie Patrick Bateman. You may think as this point that living in the wilds of the land of a thousand lakes has turned them a bit funny, however they also believe that every day is the best one they’ve had so far, and anyone with an outlook as positive as that is alright in our book.

Newly signed to The Shapeshifters’ Nocturnal Groove imprint, their label debut ‘Ride’ is out now, so we thought it was about time we got to know a bit more about them. Plus they’ve provided an hour's mix for your listening pleasure…

Something Good - 'Ride' DJ Mix (March 2011) by NocturnalGroove

What is the house scene like in Helsinki?

Helsinki has a very healthy and rapidly growing house scene. The city offers a bunch of regular events with some great DJs. You can easily pick your favourite amongst the glitzy house parties or hypnotic underground techno jams. The amount of talented and motivated people is crazy. Our favourite domestic nights are the large but amazingly intimate Danceteria @ DTM with residents DJ Mr. A and DJ Heikki L. and the unique terrace vibe of MiXXed with Niko Geselle and Tony Profondo. Those are worth a visit if you ever find yourself Helsinki.

How does the music differ in Finland to other countries in Europe?

Finns really like their own 'Suomipop' (moody depressive ballads about how depressed we constantly are). Finns also seem to love the top 20 hits airing on the radio....we seem to have a hard time giving new vibes a chance. It seems that all the 'trends' hit Helsinki after every other place. What's funny is that the atmosphere in Stockholm (just a 40 minute flight from Helsinki) is way different. Finland has HIM, Nightwish, Lordi....you know....the heavy metal stuff. People actually think that David Guetta is techno music. But it's getting brighter every day.

How did you hook up with the Nocturnal Groove guys?

At the beginning of the year we had a gig in Hannover, and the promoter Christian Meyer really got into what we were doing. He felt that we would fit into a label like Nocturnal Groove and hooked us up with Simon Marlin. They wanted to sign ‘Ride’ and we pretty much took it from there. The vibe with the guys from Nocturnal Groove has been really positive so we are more than excited at the moment.

Tell us about the track…it samples/borrows from an old disco record right?

Ride was one of those fun sessions when you just fool around with beats and samples. We ended up sampling one refrain from an old Mahogany track called "Ride On The Rhythm". Mahogany was apparently the stage name given to Bernice Watkins. We played "Ride" all summer long and the response was always amazing. We wanted to step closer to the classic house vibe we originally fell in love with. ‘Ride’ is, at least in our opinion, what it's all about....and what it was all about some fifteen years ago. A big bass, a simple beat and fooling around with the filter. Not too serious. Not too big. Just good classic house.

It’s a pretty feel-good record…do you think that’s what house music should do? Your name certainly seems to suggest so…

For us house music has always represented a certain feeling. That feeling is good. If music doesn't make you feel anything you're either on some serious medication or you're listening to the wrong stuff.  One of our mantras has always been that we don't want to get stuck with one sound, we just want to do Something Good, whether it be  house, tech house, progressive house, techno or psychedelic tech-trance-dancehall-reggae (what's up with all the different genres these days?). That's pretty much where the name 'Something Good' comes from. Don't think too much...just go for it! Ride can be a moment on the dancefloor, a day cruise in the sun, a round of golf, a shot of tequila or a day at work. As long as it is fun.

Have you got something planned as a follow-up?

We have a bunch of tracks bubbling in our basement hideaway studio. You'll hear them sooner or later! Right now we are just gearing up and trying to finish a couple of special ones for the summer. We're obviously really hyped about working with Nocturnal Groove and all the Simons that work there!!

Anything else you’d like to tell us about..?

I guess it's worth mentioning that Finland is an awesome country, even though we sort of gave the wrong idea through the whole Finnish music scene question. From dark winters to beautiful summers, the land of a thousand lakes is twisted enough to keep on inspiring.

Ride is out now on Nocturnal Groove