When Stadium Rock Meets Electronic Beats: The Story of STEREO

In the landscape of modern Finnish music, few names carry as much weight in the realm of arena-filling pop-rock as Haloo Helsinki! Yet, when the band announced a much-deserved hiatus following years of relentless touring and chart-topping success, two of its creative masterminds—guitarist-songwriters Leo Hakanen and Jere Marttila—decided to channel their boundless energy into something completely different.

Enter STEREO (stylized as STEREO), a high-energy Finnish electronic dance music (EDM) and producer-DJ duo that took the country’s electronic pop scene by storm.

The Birth of the Project

The genesis of STEREO dates back to late 2018 and early 2019, when Haloo Helsinki! stepped away from the spotlight. Rather than resting, Hakanen and Marttila realized they had a long-standing itch to explore electronic music production. Known for crafting some of Finland’s most infectious pop-rock melodies, the pair pivoted toward heavy synthesizer hooks, driving club rhythms, and modern EDM production.

The duo officially launched STEREO in February 2019, releasing their introductory singles “Vuosien päästä” (featuring rapper Etta) and “74”. From the very beginning, the project was designed to be a collaborative playground, bridging the gap between underground club culture and mainstream Finnish pop royalty.

00740: A Star-Studded Electronic Odyssey

STEREO’s defining artistic statement arrived on November 1, 2019, with the release of their debut studio album, 00740. The album’s title served as a clever nod to their roots, referencing the postal code of Suutarila in Helsinki, where the duo grew up and first began making music together.

Rather than handling all vocal duties themselves, Hakanen and Marttila functioned as master curators and producers, inviting a powerhouse roster of Finnish guest vocalists to front their tracks. The record became a massive hit-maker, featuring collaborations with iconic names across different genres of Finnish music:

• Samu Haber (formerly of Sunrise Avenue) on “Sä saat mut palasiksi”
• Michael Monroe (of Hanoi Rocks fame) on “Woo Woo”
• Etta on the multi-million streamed radio smash “Vuosien päästä”
• Teflon Brothers on “Marijuana”
• Aste on “Rauhaa ja rakkautta”
• Ida Paul & Kalle Lindroth on “Bonnie & Clyde”
• Sini Yasemin on “Katon peiliin”

The album showcased a seamless blend of club-ready basslines, melodic pop structures, and cinematic soundscapes, proving that Hakanen and Marttila were just as formidable behind a mixing console and drum machine as they were behind electric guitars.

Live Shows and Cultural Impact

True to their ambition of taking Finnish electronic music to “the next level,” STEREO brought their studio creations to the stage with high-octane DJ and live sets. They made their live debut in April 2019 at Helsinki’s historic Old Student House (Vanha Ylioppilastalo) and subsequently tore up the festival circuit during the summer of 2019, lighting up massive crowds that were used to seeing them in a rock band context.

To celebrate the release of 00740, the duo famously threw a free, public-access concert back where it all started—at their old elementary school in Suutarila—cementing their connection to their community and grassroots fans.

Legacy and Future

While STEREO primarily functioned as an explosive creative outlet during Haloo Helsinki!’s hiatus, the project left a distinct footprint in Finnish music history. It demonstrated the versatility of two of Finland’s premier songwriters and injected a fresh, collaborative spirit into the Nordic EDM scene.

Whether viewed as a temporary side-quest or an influential electronic experiment, STEREO stands out as a testament to what happens when seasoned rock musicians throw away the rulebook and let the synthesizers take over.