Review: Interkosmos - Hypnotizer

It's hard to keep track with Sula Bassana; he has had his fingers in so many pies and been involved in so many top-notch projects. The latest to see the light of day is Interkosmos, a project he put together with Pablo Carneval (formerly Electric Moon, The Blowing Lewinsky) on drums, Sergio Ceballos (RIP KC) on guitar and Sula himself on bass.. It originally had a small CD-R release 8 years ago, as well as being available as a free download. It has been restored to it's former glory and is set to be released as a CD by Sulatron on March 18, complete with a live bonus track. As ever it is mastered by kosmische legend Eroc and artwork by the ever-creative Komet Lulu. It will also have a vinyl release courtesy of Pancromatic in April (limited to 300 on marbled wax and 300 on black wax).

First track is appositely titled 'Lift Off' and it certainty does. The opening strains of German language spoken word, spacey effects and some glorious feedback sees the band launch into an atmospheric and sultry trip around the cosmos. It is a laid back number, the guitar swirling lazily among the stars...a beautiful track. Title track 'Hypnotizer' again begins with a sample, this time from a sci-fi movie (no idea which one...sounds 1950s?). The track itself is more focused and has a distinct krautrock/space rock feel. The pacing and the structure also imbue the track with a sense of foreboding somehow...like a doomed space trip destined to end tragically...the entire eleven minutes tell a story. 'Edentrip' has a more abstract feel to it, initially sounding like it has no discernible structure, like a psych version of free jazz. The guitar, drums and bass combo supplemented by electronic effects. The abstract quality does detract from the impact of the track, in fact it gives it a soundtrack quality, like a score to a left-field, arty space epic. 'Kosmos Amigos', as the title would imply, has an iberian quality to it, Ceballos' guitar throwing some gentle psychedelic Flamenco shapes over a sedately paced rhythm section and some rare, sparse vocals. 'Floatboat' does indeed float along, with some more lush guitar and a clockwork rhythm and is probably the most overtly 'kraut' of the tracks. The pace picks up as the track progresses, evolving gently into a more spacerock/acid jam..the bass and drums urging things forward. 'Rockit' is a pulsating space rock opus...the trio working together to produce a masterclass...the bass positively rocks the speakers, the drums never miss a beat and the guitar lays down some sweet psychedelic riffs and there is some great feedback towards the end!..definitely my favourite track. The bonus track on the CD is a live one - 'Samphonic Trip' and shows the guys (well, minus Ceballos) can kick it live as well...it is huge. After another sedate beginning it swells into a gigantic space rock monster. The guitar traces lines on the firmament, leaving sparks in its wake.

As mentioned at the start, Sula Bassana's productivity is fecund, and it is all of the highest quality. That is partly down to the man's work ethos and partly down to the people he works with; whether it is with Electric Moon, Krautzone, Zone Six or Papermoon Sessions he surrounds himself with musicians of consummate skill and art, and this record is no exception; with Ceballos and Carneval he has produced a wonderful slice of spacey krautrock that swirls and flies across the ether..atmospheric, evocative and packed with lysergic goodness. The CD will be released by Sulatron on March 18th via the label's webstore here. Later a vinyl version will be available via Norway's Pancromatic records.