Ruoho has lived most of his life in Helsinki, Finland, but has also, since 2000, travelled to Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada for six months in 2000–2001 and also spent time in Dublin, Ireland.
Esa Ruoho started composing electronic music in the mid-1990s and, after 2000 has been releasing recorded music (remixes, compilation-tracks, original work) on dozens of labels, full-length CDs on such labels as deFocus records (Great Britain), Merck Records (Miami, Florida, US), U-cover (Belgium), Psychonavigation Records (Dublin, Ireland), New-Speak Records (Stockholm, Sweden). He has since 2007 worked with SLSK Records from San Francisco and Nice And Nasty from Ireland, the San Francisco-based netlabel TwoCircles Records and the Argentinian netlabel Igloo-Rec, and the American label JellyFish Frequency Recordings.
Lackluster was formerly known as the chiptune musician, Distance, part of the demoscene groups Orange, Monotonik, Calodox, The Digital Artists, The Planet of Leather Moomins (TPOLM), FLO and Satori.
Esa also ran a Bulletin Board System, Cloudcity, from 1992 to 2000 – utilizing HectoBBS (1992), SuperBBS (1992–1994) and PCBoard (1994–2000) BBS Software.
Since 2000, Ruoho has played numerous musical performances in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Germany, France, Spain, Ireland, England, Austria, Poland, Russia, Latvia, Estonia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Lithuania and Ukraine. Current tally: 122 live gigs (as of April 15, 2016). Ruoho has also played as warm-up support for numerous famous electronic musicians, such as Biosphere, Petri Kuljuntausta, The Orb, Mixmaster Morris, Brothomstates, Aleksi Perälä/Astrobotnia/Ovuca, Cylob, Wevie Stonder, Machinedrum, Jimmy Edgar, Move D and Bad Loop.
Utopias of Helsinki, a web report for Helsingin Sanomat "What would Helsinki be like now, if all of the grandiose city-utopias of the 1960s had come to fruition?" (composition)(2001)Pauli Ojala (a Finnish graphics artist) on "13/10/99", a short music video which was presented at the Assembly 2001 Wild demo competition, placing 4th.Wilma Mehtonen (a Finnish choreographer) "Ulottumaton Symbioosi" (2002).Halcyon (demogroup) DVD, providing in-menu composition(2002)Wilma Mehtonen "T.43" modern dance-performance (2003).Teemu Niskanen (a Finnish photographer) on a web-slideshow project (2006).Thuyen Nguyen: "The Most Powerful Person in the World" – May 16, 2007.Synopsis: A love letter to video games.Luca Barbeni (designer) on "dune.8081", a flash website, 2007.Mari Helisevä (painter) on "Luontaisenkaltaisia", an art installation featuring a musical mixture of kitchen-recorded materials, displayed at Maa-Tila, Helsinki, Finland, January 9 to 20 2008.Thuyen Nguyen: "Same as it ever was" – February 29, 2008.Synopsis: Video game critics use the same arguments against gaming as they did for movies, television, comics, books.Jonatan Söderström: Retro 4, 2008 scheltema/van beem NEPCO/ILC: "Headfooters", 2008 Synopsis: Cutesy headfoot monsters jump around to the sound of "Hugytrak" off of Lackluster: Slice (released on U-Cover)Antti Mutta/Pelaaja-Lehti (Journalist) on "Korg DS-10", a review, Pelaaja-Lehti September/2009 (2009)Esa also has a striking interest in the thoughts, discoveries and concepts of Walter Russell, Buckminster Fuller, Viktor Schauberger, Wilhelm Reich, John Keely, John Bedini and any related nature and intuition-based information, such as Earthship technology, the Dymaxion map, Dymaxion Chronofile, and Biomimicry. . In 2008 Ruoho became a lifetime Friend of The Wilhelm Reich Infant Trust, and also a supporting Citizen of The Solar Village. Ruoho / Lackluster is also a hemp, medical marijuana, cannabis activist. Kiva and Kickstarter and other crowdfunding methods also fit in this category.
Interests and releases
In 2005, Esa released "Zero Million Barrels of Oil Per Day" on Monotonik netlabel as a MP3, as a statement of intent for the planet to reach for alternative energy technologies.In 2005, Esa released "What You Want Isn't What You Need" on Newspeak Records on CD, the linenotes state "Please stop legislation telling us what natural supplements, vitamins and nutrients we can eat and what we cannot. Please stop codex alimentarius." This was Ruoho's comment on Codex Alimentarius.In 2007, Esa released "Repulsine EP" on SLSK Records on CD, a tribute to Viktor Schauberger, with artwork containing photographs of Viktor Schauberger's face and imagery of the Repulsine device patents and assorted photography.In 2007, Esa released "The Stationary Trout Ep" on Part2 Records as MP3, the name inspired from Viktor Schauberger and the writings of Callum Coats. "The Stationary Trout Ep" also contained a song called "Monsanto Corporation", which was Ruoho's take on the works of Monsanto Company.In 2009, Esa released "Cold Trail EP" on March 23, on the 20th anniversary of the Pons-Fleischmann Cold Fusion announcement.In 2009, Esa contributed "Liop Mehch't! Nosp Misc Kir" to Axis of Amity, a Centrifuge compilation for raising money for the Macmillan Cancer Support-charity, the track title, however, is reversed, referring to Rick Simpson's THC Hemp Oil cure for cancer.In 2009, Esa photographed and recorded portions of his visit to the Steorn Waterways Demonstration Centre in Dublin, Ireland, and became the first composer of electronica to openly associate with the global Free Energy community.In 2010, continuing with the electrical theme, Ruoho was commissioned to provide background music for the Finero company – an electrical test and measurement equipment and software manufacturing electronics company.In 2010, Esa photographed his visit to the Nikola Tesla exhibit at TKK, Espoo, Finland.In 2010, Esa photographed and recorded portions of his visit to the Viktor Schauberger Museum in Bad Ischl, Austria, and also the Nikola Tesla Museum in Belgrade, Serbia, further cementing his connection with the Free Energy community.In 2011, Esa contributed "Fgxjklö" to Truth Serum, a compilation by I, Absentee records, for raising money for UNICEF and The Humane Society of the United States.In 2011, Esa publicized the "Dynaspheres for Europe"-project by naming a track "Dynaspheres" and making it available freely (with a link to the donation-page) on SoundCloud.In 2011, Esa publicized the "Buckminster Fuller Dome Home restoration"-project by naming a track "Be the Trim Tab" and making it available freely (with a link to the donation-page) on SoundCloud.In 2011, Esa contributed '5881777 Apparatus For Producing Ozone" to Tesla 155, a Zimmer Records&Co. compilation commemorating the 155th birthday of Nikola Tesla.In 2012, Esa wrote and published an article on water and Viktor Schauberger in Minä Olen, a Finnish new-age magazine.In 2012, Esa released "On The Hangar of Spaceship Earth", on the 156th Birthday of Nikola Tesla. The name of the record is also a tribute to Buckminster Fuller.In 2013, Esa took part in "Touched", a digital-only charity-compilation, donating all income to Macmillan Cancer Support. It also featured many famous artists such as FSOL and Plaid.In 2014, Esa contributed a song "syokaa kanaa" to "No Dead Seas: No Red Seas Vol. 2", a digital-only charity-compilation, donating all income to The Black Fish, a marine conservation organisation.In 2014, Esa took part in "Cryptobeat Volume One", a digital-only compilation highlighting Bitcoin, Litecoin and Dogecoin, i.e. virtual cryptocurrencies on the internet.In 2014, Esa took part in "Touched 2", a digital-only charity-compilation donating all income to Macmillan Cancer Support. The compilation also featured many famous artists such as Autechre, Plaid, 808 State, Luke Vibert, Luke Slater and FSOLIn 2014, Esa released "Lexicon of Goods" via JellyFish Frequency Recordings, donating all income to the Martin Fleischmann Memorial Project (MFMP), thus supporting re-development of the Fleischmann-Pons Cold Fusion project and other such LENR/CANR technologies.1999 – Album – "CDR#2" (CDr) Monotonik2000 – EP – "FOC349" (LP) deFocus2000 – Album – "Container" (CD, LP) deFocus2000 – EP – "R U Oho?" (LP) deFocus2000 – EP – "Rikos005" (LP) Rikos Records2001 – Album – "Spaces" (CD) U-Cover (as Esa Ruoho)2001 – EP – "Spaces" (LP) Inc.US (as Esa Ruoho)2001 – EP – "Zealectronic Purple" (LP) Zeal2001 – EP – "One-Offs" (NET) Monotonik2002 – EP – "A Lackluster Sampler" (LP) Merck2002 – EP – "Wrapping Album Sampler" (LP) deFocus2002 – Album – "Wrapping" (CD, LP) deFocus2003 – Album – "Showcase" (CD) Merck2003 – EP – "None of That" (NET) Binkcrsh (as Can'O'Lard)2003 – LP – "None of What" (NET) Corewatch (as Can'O'Lard)2003 – EP – "Not An EP" (NET) Corewatch2003 – EP – "You Are on My Mind" (NET) Monotonik2004 – EP – "Showcase Sampler" (LP) Merck2004 – Album – "Remixselection_one" (CD) Psychonavigation2004 – EP – "R U Oho?" (LP) Merck2005 – Album – "Slice" (CD) U-Cover2005 – Album – "What You Want Isn't What You Need" (CD) Newspeak Records2006 – EP – "Lax EP" (NET) Digilog2007 – EP – "Repulsine EP" (CD) SLSK Records2007 – EP – "The Stationary Trout" (NET) Part2 Records2008 – Album – "Places" (CDr) Grundruck Records (as Esa Ruoho)2009 – EP – "Aeration" (NET) TwoCircles Records2009 – EP – "Cold Trail" (NET) Acroplane Recordings2009 – EP – "Proof of Concept" (NET) Yuki Yaki Recordings2009 – EP – "The Flows" (NET) Part2 Records2009 – EP – "Portal" (NET) Cornwarning2009 – EP – "Scattered Harvest" (NET) Format-Noise2011 – EP – "Remixed" (DIGITAL) Nice & Nasty Records2011 – EP – "Detro" (DIGITAL) Nice & Nasty Records2011 – EP – "Kaneel/Lackluster Split 3"" (CDr) Awkward Silence recordings2011 – Album – "The Invisible Spanish Inquisition" (CD) Igloo Pop Records2011 – EP – "Riversmouth" (3" CD-r) Attenuation Circuit2012 – Album – "On The Hangar of Spaceship Earth" (NET) Mahorka Net-Label (as Esa Ruoho)2014 – Album – "Moments" (DIGITAL) Igloo Pop Records2014 – Album – "Lexicon of Goods" (DIGITAL) JellyFish Frequency Recordings2015 – Album – "Merck Package" (DIGITAL) Lackluster Bandcamp2015 – EP – "Parched Throat" (CD-r/DIGITAL) Attenuation Circuit (as Esa Ruoho)2015 – EP – "Swansong" (NET) Kahvi Collective2015 - Album - "deFocus Package" (NET) Lackluster Bandcamp2015 - Album - "PSCHNVGTN K T H X" (NET) Lackluster Bandcamp2016 - Album - "Moonbears on Planet Earth Soundtrack" (NET) Lackluster Bandcamp2016 - Album - Esa Ruoho (Cassette) Kaukana Väijyy Ambient (as Esa Ruoho)Source:
Scream Tracker 3, AXS, Impulse Tracker, Audiomulch, Buzz Tracker, Logic Audio Platinum and Apple Logic, Ableton live, Schism Tracker, Renoise and ReViSiT.Aleksi EebenAnne GarnerAnodyneAntennaeAntimatterBeck (illicit)BlamstrainBrawdcastCeniqDarth PhaderDiskreetThe Ebert BrosDiloEEDLElephant Pixel(env)ItreGlobal GoonHECQHereticks of DiskoIlkaeJoseph AuerKeef BakerKilowattsKorpi EnsembleLaurent Garnier (illicit)Line NoiseMachine DrumMantaMantrakidMarumariMetamaticsMick ChillageMultiplexOTKPaolo VenezianiPaul MacProduseProemRA-XRobert GraffSamuel James60nineSamuel JamesSleepy Town ManufactureSpearchukka!Strand & Non-Genetic (1/3 of Shadowhuntaz)Sundial AeonThugTiki ObmarTomi ChairWolkspurz & RaminezXurbaBauri, Brothomstates, Esem, Xhale (Erik Skodvin, Xhale=Deaf Center), Sense, Numerical, Birdcage, Nachklangmusik, Remlab and Phasen.
Brothomstates: Kobn-Tich-Ey: Mr. Y (ringmodulated beginning scream)Brothomstates: Claro (brothomstates ipxen) (original song)Blamstrain: Disfold: Frame Math (additional electronics)Blamstrain: Select Ambient Dub Works 06-09: Pride Pigs (synthwork)Sources:
Lackluster is taken from "Pyramids" by Terry Pratchett (Discworld series), encountered 1996–1997.
