1. Many viewers have asked about the music of Madventures. Riku gave away a few tidbits in the forum discussion already, but can you elaborate on the subject in here too?

RIKU: This is definitely Tunna’s and our editor’s, Jussi’s turf. They first discuss the tone, the drama and of course the location of  the episode with our composer Zarkus.

Then a few weeks later this genius emerges from his cave with some killer tunes!

Also some cool Finnish bands have produced tracks for us.

I’m happy to say we can finally put them all together as a compilation – the Madventures soundtrack album, out before Christmas…

TUNNA: Music has always been one of the most important building blocks as we are trying to construct mood and atmosphere to fit the subjective experience we have had with a certain culture.

Even though we are talking TV, reproducing such experience is difficult to do with visuals alone, because a traveler uses more senses than just sight to experience his surroundings.

The tastes, the sounds, the smells, the feel of tropical air on your skin – they are all individual parts of the foreign culture that make the whole. These senses are not easy to convey with mere words. But as the saying goes, music truly is the universal language everybody understands.

We believe, that through music we can transmit all senses and sensations that are integral to a travel show.

In TV, music is often underused, very fast put together and conventional. We try to steer away from that with the fusion of electronic and ethnic sounds to amalgamate our own backgrounds, the travel experience and the feel of the foreign culture.

Amazing musician called Zarkus Poussa composes most of the Madventures music.

In addition we have a group of very notable underground artists producing tracks for us.

2. It’s lunchtime. Your choices are: Balut, bat or Mangrove worm – what will it be?

RIKU: If I’m on the move, my choice is Mangrove worms: a light snack, fresh-and-salad-like (it tastes like asparagus, really)!

If I’m a bit pifflicated or having the morning after, it shall be balut. With lotsa salt and a pint chaser.

Bat sucks actually, never had a good one yet.

TUNNA: Put them all together – that would make a nice burger!

3. First foreign country you ever visited? How old were you?

RIKU: For some odd reason it was Belgium. This was 1976 so I was two years old. After the trip, for months I kept asking the local bus drivers in Finland if the line’s destination is Bruxelles, which made these harsh men’s day and amazed my mom. I still remember their incomprehension and laughter. I used to have a verystiff upper lip before I went to school.

TUNNA: Norway, age of 2. This is one of my first memories, by the way. It’s from a back of a car, flashback of my uncle vomiting on me. No, it wasn’t some sick emetophilia fetish scene. He just got the motion sickness and wasn’t quick enough to open the window.

I happened to lie on a car seat right next to him and on the path of his ralph…

4. Last good book you read?

RIKU: Yesterday I finished one of my favorite Finnish author’s, Kjell Westö’s new novel and it was of course great story – an analysis of my hometown Helsinki and it’s dwellers after the war and into this new era of international influences.

How isolated this nation has been, and still is quite often!

In English, the last good one I read was Aravind Adiga’s ‘The White Tiger’. Excellent but controversial portrait of India and it’s dark side.

TUNNA: Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche: Joy of living

In his first book, Mingyur Rinpoche combines Tibetan Buddhist wisdom with the latest breakthroughs in Western medicine to reveal the scientific basis for how we can achieve enlightenment, relaxation, and happiness through meditation.

5. What is the meaning of life?

RIKU: I’ve never been a fan of science fiction, so at least it’s not fucking 42.

Still looking for the answer.

TUNNA: An end to suffering.