DJ Kridlokk and Mioko Yokoyama have been awarded the 2025 Teosto Prize, one of the Nordic region’s leading recognitions for original music. The €40,000 award was announced on Thursday evening at a private event at the Helsinki Music Centre. The prize will be split equally between the two artists.
Yokoyama’s Mineralization and DJ Kridlokk’s album Hai were selected from six finalists representing a wide spectrum of Finnish musical innovation.
Both works were described by the jury as stylistically different but equal in intensity and originality.
The Teosto Prize, awarded annually since 2003, recognises bold and inventive music across all genres. This year’s jury included previous Teosto winners as well as representatives from Finland’s music and media sectors.
Mineralization, premiered in February by Uusinta Ensemble, impressed the jury with its refined use of chamber instrumentation. Yokoyama used extended techniques and unusual materials like Blu Tack to alter the strings of the violin and cello, creating a textured, percussive sound world. The work was described as physically engaging and emotionally resonant.
“Yokoyama creates a super instrument,” said jury chair Janne Murto, Principal of the Helsinki Pop & Jazz Conservatory. “It is inventive and approachable, yet full of depth.”
Kristo Laanti, better known as DJ Kridlokk, wrote, composed and produced Hai, a minimalist hip hop album released in April through PME Records. The record was praised for its masterful use of Finnish language and its blend of personal storytelling with commentary on social and ecological issues.
“Every verse is deliberate and meaningful,” said the jury. “You don’t just listen to this album — you stop in it.”
The album’s stripped-down production and cinematic feel were also cited as strengths. Laanti’s work was recognised as genre-defying and artistically uncompromising.
In addition to the two winning entries, the other finalists were:
-
Aino Morko and team for pehmoaino’s soittorasia
-
Anni Kiviniemi for her trio album Eir
-
Salla Saarisalo and team for Mikä meitä vaivaa?
-
Lara Poe for Laulut maaseudulta
The shortlist was selected by a preliminary panel comprising music journalists, researchers and educators.
The Teosto Prize aims to support music authors and promote genre diversity. It has been awarded 20 times and continues to highlight Finland’s evolving music culture. The announcement event also marked the milestone anniversary of the prize.
HT
