Gnomus is an extraordinary Finnish group that plays experimental improvised music. The trio, formed in 1998, consists of Kari Ikonen (keyboards), Mika Kallio (drums) and Esa Onttonen (guitars). As opposed to playing pre-composed pieces the music of Gnomus shapes itself during the performance. The music evolves according to the environment and exploits the advantages of acoustics. Listener may notice features from such musical phenomena as ambient, free jazz, radiophony, modalism and cacophony.

Gnomus has performed mainly in Finland, most notably by playing in eleven cities all over the country on a “Vapaat Äänet Goes Free Ambient” tour in March 2003. After the tour Gnomus performed at the Grenoble Jazz Festival in France where they have continued performing ever since. In March 2004 Gnomus played at the Amiens Jazz Festival with a local string orchestra, and at the Les Rendez-vous de l’Erdre in Nantes at the end of August 2005. The most recent international performance occured at the Alternativa festival in Prague, Czech Republic in November 2008.