Pan Sonic was among the most active and well-known exports from Finland's experimental techno underground, and the first to reach acclaim at an international level. Pursuing the jagged edges of minimal and hardcore techno, Pan Sonic earned an enduring association with industrial and noise music through their incorporation of antiseptic production techniques and power-tool electronics. They represented a collision between the Motor City's Jeff Mills and Cologne's Mike Ink: dance-based electronic music with maximum impact made with minimal extraneous detail. After earning praise for early releases like 1997's Kulma, the duo released collaborations with artists such as Alan Vega, Merzbow, Keiji Haino, and others. Their most ambitious album, the four-CD box set Kesto (234.48:4), appeared in 2004. The duo broke up at the end of 2009, but continued issuing archival releases, including the soundtrack Atomin Paluu (2016) and Microwaves (2021), a live collaboration with Italian ensemble Alter Ego.