The Finnish drummer and percussionist Karo Sampela has made a long career in Finland playing a vast variety of musical styles from balkan folklore with Slobo Horo to hip hop with finnish rapper Paleface. Since moving to Spain in the year 2007, Sampela has been concentrating mostly on flamenco, working with some of the world’s best known flamenco dancers and leading dance companies including Compañía Rafaela Carrasco, Rojas y Rodríguez/Nuevo Ballet Español and Finland based Compañía Kaari & Roni as well as with flamenco fusion groups like José Torres Trío, Camerata Flamenco Project or Joonas Widenius Trio.
Sampela has performed in five continents and in more than twenty-five countries. He has also appeared on over thirty recordings to date. He has performed in many award winning dance pieces as a live musician or playing on the soundtrack and has composed and recorded music for some flamenco dance pieces like “Párrafos” of Girasol Flamenco and “Sum…” of Maija Lepistö & Katerina La Greca.
Finnish Music Quarterly, December 2013
Compañía Rafaela Carrasco, Compañía Kaari & Roni Martin, José Torres Trío, Camerata Flamenco Project, Nuevo Ballet Español / Rojas y Rodríguez, Flamenco Jazz Company, Juan Antonio Suarez “Cano”, Hiba Al Kawas, José María Gallardo del Rey, Rafael Jiménez “Falo”, Joonas Widenius Trio, Ali Khattab, Adolfo Delgado Optimystic, Manuel Liñán, Cristian de Moret Trio, Slobo Horo, Ensemble Hispánico Númen, Flamencos En Route, Vilddas, Compañía Flamenca de José Moro, Waldo’s People, Paleface, Janina Frostell, Wiley Cousins & The Well Hungarians, Steve Gibbons, Bomfunk MC’s
