Beyond the Stadium Lights: The Story of STEREO, Finland’s Electronic Dance Revolution

When massive stadium-packing rock bands take a breather, what happens to the creative engines driving their sound? For Leo Hakanen and Jere Marttila—the masterminds and guitarists behind Haloo Helsinki!, one of Finland’s most successful rock acts—resting was never really an option.

Instead of slowing down during their parent band’s hiatus, Hakanen and Marttila pivoted sharply, trading distortion pedals for synthesizers and heavy guitar riffs for driving electronic beats. The result was STEREO (stylized as STEREO), an innovative Finnish EDM and electronic pop duo that electrified the domestic music scene.

🎧 From Rock Royalty to Electronic Architects

For years, Hakanen and Marttila helped shape the melodic rock backbone of Haloo Helsinki!. However, their mutual passion for electronic music, club culture, and production experimentation created an itch that conventional rock arrangements couldn’t scratch.

When Haloo Helsinki! announced an indefinite hiatus heading into 2018, the timing was right. The duo stepped out of the shadows of the massive rock stage and into the studio, reinventing themselves as producers, vocalists, and DJs under the moniker STEREO. Rather than playing a strict supporting role, they took full creative control, writing, singing, and producing their own material.

⚡ The Breakthrough: “00740” and High-Profile Collaborations

STEREO burst onto the scene in early 2019 with simultaneous single releases, “Vuosien päästä” (featuring Etta) and “74”, signaling an immediate shift toward sleek, modern electronic dance music. To ensure world-class quality, they enlisted top-tier international mixing talent, including Miles Walker—renowned for his work with global superstars like Beyoncé, Rihanna, Bruno Mars, and Coldplay.

Later that same year, they dropped their debut full-length studio album, aptly titled 00740.

What truly defined STEREO’s early run was a massive wave of collaborative tracks featuring an eclectic roster of Finnish music royalty. By bridging the gap between underground electronic production and mainstream pop sensibility, they partnered with heavyweights across genres:

• Samu Haber on “Sä saat mut palasiksi”
• Michael Monroe (of Hanoi Rocks fame) on “Woo Woo”
• Ida Paul & Kalle Lindroth on “Bonnie & Clyde”
• Aste on “Rauhaa ja rakkautta”
• Teflon Brothers on “Marijuana”

🎇 Sound and Legacy

STEREO’s musical identity sits at the crossroads of euphoric festival EDM, polished electro-pop, and melancholic Finnish lyricism. While the beats are engineered for late-night club floors and summer festival stages, the core songwriting retains the strong melodic hooks that Hakanen and Marttila are famous for.

Though primarily conceived as a creative outlet for the duration of Haloo Helsinki!’s break, STEREO proved that great songwriters can transcend genre boundaries. They successfully injected fresh energy into the Finnish electronic landscape, demonstrating that reinvention is often the most powerful tool an artist can wield.