Review: Sula Bassana - Shipwrecked

It is always a fine day round these parts when new sounds from Sula Bassana fall through the letterbox; the expectation of some top-notch spacey goodness with the distinct Bassana hues. 'Shipwrecked' sees the German music machine tap into the spirit of his 'Kosmonauts' album in that this is pretty much an all electronic record, albeit one that utilises vintage equipment that Sula has collected on his travels. Sula composed, performed, recorded and mixed the album (I think the man must live on a different temporal plane than the rest of us - Christ alone knows where he finds the time!) but leaves the mastering once again to the legend of krautrock that is Eroc.

'Moonbase Alpha Alpha' gets things going from the get go, a brisk metronomic drum pattern forming the base for some wonderful spacey synths interspersed with some snippets of astronaut chatter and swirling effects. The track has a distinct sci-fi movie soundtrack feel with it's driving rhythm and cosmic tones; a tour de force in spacey kosmische. 'Shushi Express' slows the tempo down while still retaining the same Neu!-like motorik rhythm which is accompanied by an oscillating drone and syncopated synth lines. It has a real hypnotic quality and lulls you into a kosmische reverie; a track in which to get lost and contemplate the meaning of things. 'No Time : No Eternity' eschews the motorik and goes instead for a more ambient feel. Swirling, echoey washes of sound envelope a dread laden single synth chord. Layers upon layers of textures are built to form a soundscape resembling a futuristic dystopian environment. Musically it could fit seamlessly into the soundtrack of 'The Sorcerer'. 'Planeta Bur' (the title of a Russian Sci-fi movie) has the feel of a Morricone-esque Giallo soundtrack with the mix of effects and instrumentation combining to produce a track that has a sense of dread and suspense but with hints of eastern melody creeping in over the pulsing beat. Title track 'Shipwrecked' begins with hauntological overtones; the chiming notes and melancholic strings evoking the sense of regret and memories of things long lost. The album is brought to a close with 'No Way', a short number but rich in atmosphere and textures.

With 'Shipwrecked' Sula channels the great and the good of kosmische music so well that one could be forgiven in thinking the spirit hand of Edgar Froese was guiding him. The krautrock is superbly authentic and takes you back to the days of the great Tangerine Dream albums while the more ambient tracks have a hypnotic cinematic soundtrack feel. One cannot but help to admire Sula Bassana; he can turn his hand to every aspect of psych/krautrock/space rock and achieve some awesome results and this time around he has hit the heights of kosmische. 'Shipwrecked' is released on Sulatron Records next february on vinyl (lush 180g marbled vinyl, limited to 500) and CD and can be ordered then from the label's website. The artwork is another sci-fi piece by Frank Lewecke who provided the cover for Sula's 'The Night' album.