Interview: Sula Bassana
It seems fitting that on this momentous moment (well, momentous to me) of the 100th post on this blog that it is given to an interview with Mr Psychedelic himself, Sula Bassana...fitting because he has produced, or had a hand in, some of my favourite sounds. So many thanks to Sula for his time and patience - kudos dude!
The musical history of Sula Bassana is as long as it is impressive; starting as keyboard player of the electronic duo Solaris, followed by several other electronic duos and trios. In 1994 he co- founded the psychedelic rockband Liquid Visions who released 5 albums and some singles on several labels. In 1997 he founded Zone Six to create spontaneous psychedelic spacerock trips and have just released their new magnum opus 'Love Monster' after an eleven year hiatus. 1998 saw the formation of Weltraumstaunen with Andi from Growing Seeds and they released two LPs of excellent freak outs on the Nasoni Records label. The next couple of years saw Sula fill the drummers stool in spacerockers Growing Seeds and the end of Liquid Visions. 2002 saw the release of the first solo Sula Bassana lp 'Dreamer' released by Nasoni. A collaboration with ex Guru Guru members Ax Genrich and Mani Neumeier in the shape of the awesome 'Psychedelic Monsterjam', the first of two live CDs recorded at gigs (released on Sunhair Records).
In 2006 he started up Sulatron Records (a goto place for psych / space / kosmische stuff!). After stints in many other bands and projects (Alice Dog, Interkosmos, Das Alte Haus) the mighty Electric Moon was born in 2009 with Komet Lulu on bass, Sula on guitar and organ (and drums), and Marcus Schnitzler of The Spacelords on drums and, like Zone Six, they have released a new, mind-blowing new lp,'Theory Of Mind'.
In 2012 Lulu, Modulfix (from Zone Six), Rainer Neeff (The Pancakes, Zone Six) Onkel Kaktus and Sula founded a new project called Krautzone (they are also releasing some new material this summer). He also jammed on stage with some amazing bands and musicians: Gas Giant, Circle, Damo Suzuki, Keiji Miashita, Horst Porkert, The Movements, Electric Orange, Niagaragain, Spheric Lounge, Annot Rhül and members of Seid
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One of your early bands was Liquid Visions who were very spacey and psychedelic ('Endless Plasmatic Childhood Overdose' is a personal fave). Soundwise did that set the tone for later work?
Yes, I think so. Also all the music I heard and still hear... and all the experiences.
BTW: Endless Plasmatic... was recorded on a 2-track Cassette recorder (Ghettoblaster) you can see on the back of the record-sleeve! Now I have some more professional equipment! ;-)
Zone Six have just released their fantastic new LP 'Love Monster', the first album in many, many years...was it a planned hiatus?
No, it was recorded in a break of the last Krautzone recording-sessions. Due to the fact it’s more or less the same bunch of people. We just had to change some instruments and made some spontaneous recordings. But they went out very well! A new beginning!
Regarding the many current bands in which you play (Zone Six, Electric Moon, Krautzone) how much artistic control do you personally have, or are they more communal, organic setups?
Krautzone is 100% organic. Hahaha. Zone Six is my old baby and Electric Moon Lulu’s baby. So we keep an eye on these bands to lead them to a derection we wish. I always do the recordings and mixing/producing, so I have a deep influence on all these bands.
You are very much a musical polymath - you play guitar, bass, drums and keyboards (depending on which group). Which came first and which is your favourite?
First was an Organ, later Synthesizer and all the electronic stuff. Years later the other instruments. I have no favoured instrument, I love them all!
The legendary Eroc has mastered quite a few of your recent releases... how did that partnership come about?
It was a matter of time to release the albums with a more professional sound. A friend told me of Eroc and I tried his work. Was a good choice! He is a nice guy who works very well!
You seem to be able to move seamlessly between psychedelic, krautrock, spacerock and electronic based music (such as 'Kosmonauts')...who were/are your major influences (I know we share a love of Tangerine Dream!)?
I listen a lot to electronic since my childhood. Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, Jarre, Vangelis, Kitaro... Also to Pink Floyd and similar bands. Later I discovered all the great psychedelic music from the late sixties. For me there is no border between psychedelic, krautrock, spacerock and electronic based music! I do it all the psychedelic way...
Any new bands exciting you at the moment?
I love all the bands I release on my label! ;-) Seven That Spells, Giobia, Polska Radio One, Otrovna Kristina etc. Be prepared for some great new albums!
You have always struck me as a self-effacing, modest person who makes records out of love for the music rather than for plaudits and money. Is 'success' a motivator or purely a side-effect?
Hahaha, it’s neccessary to keep the power up! Sure, it always takes some years to get successful. But it’s a great feeling to know there are people around the world who love our music!
The world has changed quite a bit since you started with regard to the internet, social media etc. Is this something you have specifically harnessed for marketing/advertising purposes?
There was not really an internet when I started playing in bands. Hahaha. Now it’s a big help for promotion! But also you can lose yourself in the millions of music pages and blogs. So, it’s becoming easier AND harder to do a proper promotion. Also the printmags don’t have the power anymore to reach as many people as they did in the past. That’s sad.
One of the defining characteristics of your physical releases has been the amazing artwork by your partner-in-crime Komet Lulu, who also plays in Zone Six, Electric Moon, Krautzone and on your Sula Bassana releases. A talented musician in her own right and her bandcamp page mentions a split release with Sula Bassana...this gonna happen?
Yes, she is doing a absolutely amazing work! I really love her artwork and playing! And yes, there is something recorded for the split. We currently work on a cover version on It Ain’t True by Faine Jade. But longer and freaked out... The other vinyl side will be filled with Lamp Of The Universe music.
If I may move on to Sulatron Records. Did you initially start the label as a way of retaining artistic control over your recordings or is that a somewhat cynical view.
Hahaha, that was cynical! I started the label as I was unimployed for some years and needed some income. That’s it. And slowly it became one of the leading labels for our kind of music! Which is absolutely great!
The roster of artists on Sulatron is very impressive...how do you go about choosing who to release?
Mostly friends of mine. I only released 1 or 2 records that came by demo or email-contact. The rest is only our own music or friends music or stuff we found in the internet and got in touch with the band (this happened one time I think, hahaha).
You really are the hardest working man in music... do you ever find time to sleep?
Hahaha, not enough. Slowly I recover from the last years touring and moving...
Any plans to play in the UK?
Not really. Maybe we (Electric Moon) will play on a bigger festival in London next year.
Lastly...you are about to embark on a major world tour...which 3 bands/artists...alive or dead...would you choose to support you?
Hahaha, when I can choose some heroes I never would them let be our support!!! I would choose some people join our band for a freaked out session! Like Micky Jones (Man), Daevid Allen or Jimi Hendrix... but anyway, I’m happy with my bands as they are!
Many, many thanks for your time, and a personal note, many thanks for all the fantastic music.
Thank YOU!!!!
...............................................................................
For those who who are not au fait with Electric Moon, or are missing some of their material, they are now on bandcamp so go visit and check it out Sula has his own bandcamp page on which you can get his solo recordings as well as some rare, unreleased material....I would very much recomend a visit.
The musical history of Sula Bassana is as long as it is impressive; starting as keyboard player of the electronic duo Solaris, followed by several other electronic duos and trios. In 1994 he co- founded the psychedelic rockband Liquid Visions who released 5 albums and some singles on several labels. In 1997 he founded Zone Six to create spontaneous psychedelic spacerock trips and have just released their new magnum opus 'Love Monster' after an eleven year hiatus. 1998 saw the formation of Weltraumstaunen with Andi from Growing Seeds and they released two LPs of excellent freak outs on the Nasoni Records label. The next couple of years saw Sula fill the drummers stool in spacerockers Growing Seeds and the end of Liquid Visions. 2002 saw the release of the first solo Sula Bassana lp 'Dreamer' released by Nasoni. A collaboration with ex Guru Guru members Ax Genrich and Mani Neumeier in the shape of the awesome 'Psychedelic Monsterjam', the first of two live CDs recorded at gigs (released on Sunhair Records).
In 2006 he started up Sulatron Records (a goto place for psych / space / kosmische stuff!). After stints in many other bands and projects (Alice Dog, Interkosmos, Das Alte Haus) the mighty Electric Moon was born in 2009 with Komet Lulu on bass, Sula on guitar and organ (and drums), and Marcus Schnitzler of The Spacelords on drums and, like Zone Six, they have released a new, mind-blowing new lp,'Theory Of Mind'.
In 2012 Lulu, Modulfix (from Zone Six), Rainer Neeff (The Pancakes, Zone Six) Onkel Kaktus and Sula founded a new project called Krautzone (they are also releasing some new material this summer). He also jammed on stage with some amazing bands and musicians: Gas Giant, Circle, Damo Suzuki, Keiji Miashita, Horst Porkert, The Movements, Electric Orange, Niagaragain, Spheric Lounge, Annot Rhül and members of Seid
.......................................................................................
One of your early bands was Liquid Visions who were very spacey and psychedelic ('Endless Plasmatic Childhood Overdose' is a personal fave). Soundwise did that set the tone for later work?
Yes, I think so. Also all the music I heard and still hear... and all the experiences.
BTW: Endless Plasmatic... was recorded on a 2-track Cassette recorder (Ghettoblaster) you can see on the back of the record-sleeve! Now I have some more professional equipment! ;-)
Zone Six have just released their fantastic new LP 'Love Monster', the first album in many, many years...was it a planned hiatus?
No, it was recorded in a break of the last Krautzone recording-sessions. Due to the fact it’s more or less the same bunch of people. We just had to change some instruments and made some spontaneous recordings. But they went out very well! A new beginning!
Regarding the many current bands in which you play (Zone Six, Electric Moon, Krautzone) how much artistic control do you personally have, or are they more communal, organic setups?
Krautzone is 100% organic. Hahaha. Zone Six is my old baby and Electric Moon Lulu’s baby. So we keep an eye on these bands to lead them to a derection we wish. I always do the recordings and mixing/producing, so I have a deep influence on all these bands.
You are very much a musical polymath - you play guitar, bass, drums and keyboards (depending on which group). Which came first and which is your favourite?
First was an Organ, later Synthesizer and all the electronic stuff. Years later the other instruments. I have no favoured instrument, I love them all!
The legendary Eroc has mastered quite a few of your recent releases... how did that partnership come about?
It was a matter of time to release the albums with a more professional sound. A friend told me of Eroc and I tried his work. Was a good choice! He is a nice guy who works very well!
You seem to be able to move seamlessly between psychedelic, krautrock, spacerock and electronic based music (such as 'Kosmonauts')...who were/are your major influences (I know we share a love of Tangerine Dream!)?
I listen a lot to electronic since my childhood. Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, Jarre, Vangelis, Kitaro... Also to Pink Floyd and similar bands. Later I discovered all the great psychedelic music from the late sixties. For me there is no border between psychedelic, krautrock, spacerock and electronic based music! I do it all the psychedelic way...
Any new bands exciting you at the moment?
I love all the bands I release on my label! ;-) Seven That Spells, Giobia, Polska Radio One, Otrovna Kristina etc. Be prepared for some great new albums!
You have always struck me as a self-effacing, modest person who makes records out of love for the music rather than for plaudits and money. Is 'success' a motivator or purely a side-effect?
Hahaha, it’s neccessary to keep the power up! Sure, it always takes some years to get successful. But it’s a great feeling to know there are people around the world who love our music!
The world has changed quite a bit since you started with regard to the internet, social media etc. Is this something you have specifically harnessed for marketing/advertising purposes?
There was not really an internet when I started playing in bands. Hahaha. Now it’s a big help for promotion! But also you can lose yourself in the millions of music pages and blogs. So, it’s becoming easier AND harder to do a proper promotion. Also the printmags don’t have the power anymore to reach as many people as they did in the past. That’s sad.
One of the defining characteristics of your physical releases has been the amazing artwork by your partner-in-crime Komet Lulu, who also plays in Zone Six, Electric Moon, Krautzone and on your Sula Bassana releases. A talented musician in her own right and her bandcamp page mentions a split release with Sula Bassana...this gonna happen?
Yes, she is doing a absolutely amazing work! I really love her artwork and playing! And yes, there is something recorded for the split. We currently work on a cover version on It Ain’t True by Faine Jade. But longer and freaked out... The other vinyl side will be filled with Lamp Of The Universe music.
If I may move on to Sulatron Records. Did you initially start the label as a way of retaining artistic control over your recordings or is that a somewhat cynical view.
Hahaha, that was cynical! I started the label as I was unimployed for some years and needed some income. That’s it. And slowly it became one of the leading labels for our kind of music! Which is absolutely great!
The roster of artists on Sulatron is very impressive...how do you go about choosing who to release?
Mostly friends of mine. I only released 1 or 2 records that came by demo or email-contact. The rest is only our own music or friends music or stuff we found in the internet and got in touch with the band (this happened one time I think, hahaha).
You really are the hardest working man in music... do you ever find time to sleep?
Hahaha, not enough. Slowly I recover from the last years touring and moving...
Any plans to play in the UK?
Not really. Maybe we (Electric Moon) will play on a bigger festival in London next year.
Lastly...you are about to embark on a major world tour...which 3 bands/artists...alive or dead...would you choose to support you?
Hahaha, when I can choose some heroes I never would them let be our support!!! I would choose some people join our band for a freaked out session! Like Micky Jones (Man), Daevid Allen or Jimi Hendrix... but anyway, I’m happy with my bands as they are!
Many, many thanks for your time, and a personal note, many thanks for all the fantastic music.
Thank YOU!!!!
...............................................................................
For those who who are not au fait with Electric Moon, or are missing some of their material, they are now on bandcamp so go visit and check it out Sula has his own bandcamp page on which you can get his solo recordings as well as some rare, unreleased material....I would very much recomend a visit.
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