ELMU ry (transl. The Live Music Association) was formed in 1978 to save the local music scen of helsinki. Organizing rehearsal space and clubs was the main focus until 1979 when they took over a building formerly used as a night-shelter for alcoholics and turned it into “Lepakko”, one of the most legendary venues in the county, where they for instance started Finland’s first commercial radio station Radio City (1985).

As the finnish music scene professionalised, so did ELMU. In 1996 Radio City was sold off, and following an epic struggle with the city of helsinki, ELMU was evicted from Lepakko to make way for another Nokia office building so ELMU moved to its current location; an old shipbuilding factory they christened “Nosturi” (transl. lifting crane) in 1999.

Today ELMU prides itself in providing a platform for a broad sprctrum of culturally relevant events such as concerts, raves, youth discos, theater, and art gallery functions, left to right, everything from unknown underground bands to the largest mainstream acts.