Sula Bassana/Dark Days

While we blink and recover from Electric Moon’s last opus, Sula Bassana puts out another space/psych rock classic. Dark Days is virtually a one man show, with some added punch from Electric Moon vet Pablo Carneval on drums and David Henriksson of The Movements handling the vocal duties on opener Underground. Though not forsaken totally, Sula leap frogs over some of his mellower and electro-tinged voyages to deliver a platter that rocks as much as it gets off the ground. Where Electric Moon virtually sucks the air out and fills the remaining void with their solar-flared combustion, Dark Days offers a crisper Sula, one that snakes through the pockets of air and space. As always, his guitar playing is exceptional, taking on the role of centerpiece and driving force without pummeling the rest of the songs into submission. Underground is a straight-up rocker that’s both levitated by, and grounded in, a late 60s/early 70s vibe retooled for the modern age. Henriksson’s vocals are a perfect fit; flowing, wobbly and mysterious as he acts as cruise director through the underground, trading off with Sula’s wah-wah pedal exploitation. An exceptional opening salvo. Up from the underground, it’s time for Departure, a Hawkwind-flavored repetitious trek that lives fully up to its name and escalates Dark Days up higher, docking next with the arguable centerpiece, Surrealistic Journey. A 20 minute saga that rivals his work with Electric Moon for scope, but with a far more fluid, shifting early-Floyd suspension that builds and reverberates through the eye of some swirling organ storms. It’s a hallucinatory push and pull trip that stays on target, delivering plenty of hazed out detours. Both nebulous and razor-sharp, Surrealistic Journey is virtually a record unto itself. The title cut digs back down into the (under)ground for some grime and grind. Coupled with some soaring Mellotron, Dark Days is a peek into the engine room that drives Sula’s ship; heat, steam and flares from an exotic sun. Bright Nights isn’t the flip side to Dark Days, but here Sula shoots for the open spaces…gently vibrating and ringing through its initial lift-off. Bright Nights builds and folds into itself, focused on gathering mass over momentum for a full-on seething slow-crawl close, compressing itself into a diamond hard monolith. Arriving Nowhere, a winking misnomer, reaches back to some earlier, and gooier, ingredients for a pumping Krautrock flavored mammoth, stretching out to an almost 17 minute flight time. After moving through so many flavors and dynamics of space/psych rock so far on Dark Days, Arriving Nowhere is a natural progression…and destination. If Sula really has arrived nowhere, then you can bet your Tang and boosters he’s already in the planning stages to explore and colonize.

Dark Days is yet another addition to a body of work that is as staggering as it is satisfying. I came across a comment where someone made the quip that Sula must have cloned himself to keep up with his outrageous output, on his own and in his collaborations. Tempting, but his work is so consistently executed and realized there really can be no knock-offs involved. We’d hear it, feel it…and I doubt our intrepid captain would allow it.

Underground :: Sula Bassana :: Dark Days (2012, Sulatron)

You can check an interview with The Hardest Working Man In Space here.

Electric Moon/Cellar Space Live Overdose

Cellar Space Live Overdose (you can’t, and it isn’t), the new double wax monolith from Electric Moon, documents two shows; the first from Sula Bassana‘s ’12 birthday concert in Darmstadt, the other from the ’11 Sulatron Label Night in Fulda. It’s simple: 4 sides, 4 cuts, all but one clocking in over 22 minutes. And what’s buried and floating in the grooves is simply stellar; a top-shelf addition to Electric Moon’s catalog and a generous, teeming live chronicle.  Darmstadt’s evening bleeds out in a subdued, methodical crawl, naturally and patiently ramping up trippy layer after trippy layer. The Soul Feeder purposefully digs in for traction, and finally release as the corkscrew power surges kick in and thrive until the close. The Idle Glance builds up with some shimmering guitar and melody that’s carried through to the end, giving it an airier edge over the others…cosmically ventilated…There’s a melancholy sort of haze to it, taking its time to think, finding and revealing its quieter size along the way. Generating heat and gravity with more reflection, the Darmstadt night accents another facet of Electric Moon over Fulda, making the division of power clearer, and richer, from one platter to the other. LP2 eases in as well, though it has more spit and grind, with The Verge of Fainting being whipped into a neon lava maelstrom, full of detail and nuclear punch before easing back in for a soft landing. The Spaceman Return coasts aboard on some buoyant bass before the boosters kick in for the slow-burn ascend. An oscillating vibe propels him as much as it wobbles, moving forward by almost consuming itself. The Spaceman, packing some piss and vinegar in his flight-suit, cultivates a slash and burn vibe carrying him to the halfway apogee, starting a metallic chatter to remind you that he’s not returning here, he’s returning there. And he pushes the outer ring further out, getting both heavier and lighter while talking everyone down. It’s 4 sides of heavy, heady and lengthy trips that despite their size and girth, don’t feel bloated or full of useless cargo. The engine is on fully, driving the ship deeper and cruising at high altitude. An across-the-board crisp and thick sound quality captures Electric Moon in full flight, at full wingspan. As with every Moon release, there’s a certain something, a unique smoke ring, that sets it apart from its brothers and sisters and by its presence ties their whole output together. There’s no mistaking who’s in charge of the mission, who’s getting their hands dirty stoking the reactors. Electric Moon show again why they’re one of the few that can repeatedly deliver unexplored space and make it feel like home. Just ask the Spaceman.

Cellar Space Live Overdose is out in a limited 777 copy run on Sulatron Records.

Sula Bassana Primes ’12

Sula Bassana shows no signs of slowing down, for ’12 or any other year…Here’s a preview cut from his forthcoming solo release on Sulatron…

Electric Moon :: The Doomsday Machine

Put down the freak flags and pick up your “The End is Nigh” signs, for The Doomsday Machine is here. Electric Moon is back already and casting a long, dark shadow. There’s been a slow boiling darkness in Electric Moon, brought even closer to the surface on this year’s Flaming Lake, that sees the full light of day on TDM. And quickly eclipses it. More of a culmination than a soundtrack to the Apocalypse, TDM is a gloriously monolithic, and intergalactic, march that does more than lay waste. It cleans the slate. The title cut kicks of another stellar campaign from Electric Moon, with Komet Lulu and Pablo Carneval (Alex takes the kit on Doomsday Machine) grinding the gears in the engine room with Sula Bassana adding the fuel. Mournful vocals, probably of the Lost and Found Souls laying at the bottom of the Flaming Lake, put some additives in the gas that drive Doomsday Machine through its paces. Never ones to shy away from letting their tracks fully unfold to hefty lengths, EM steer TDM with their usual unshakable consistency and sonic viscosity. It’s not all doom and gloom though, as there are plenty of dynamics and places to catch your breath, as with Kleiner Knaller. Spaceman essentially anchors the middle and follow-up Stardust Service supplies your in-flight amenities. Crawling opus Feigenmonolog eases you out, both languid and propulsive in its weight…Electric Moon style.

That’s a lot of hyperbole, for sure, but I love howling at the moon. Especially this one. In a nutshell, TDM is another top-shelf addition to a breath-taking catalog. EM’s frequency of output is as impressive as the unshakable quality of every release.

If this is the sound of the end, then I welcome it with open arms. If EM are staking claim to the end times, then you can bet they’ll have a say in what comes next. Cleaning the slate is just another way of laying a foundation, and since no void remains empty long, EM will undoubtedly rise to their own challenge and give birth to something new, something immense enough to fill that void. Sounds Biblical, doesn’t it? TDM is: it’s got girth, drama, scope and a will to be reckoned with. Based solely on output and level of quality alone, so does Electric Moon.

They say a lot of people convert at the end. Well, here’s to the afterlife…Get behind The Doomsday Machine, because you don’t want to be in front of it.

Spaceman :: Electric Moon :: The Doomsday Machine (2011, Nasoni)

TDM is also packaged with some companion visuals by none other than Ulla Papel, Komet Lulu’s father. Full circle indeed.

Electric Moon/Glowsun split LP

While you’re stocking up for the end, you best grab the new split from Electric Moon and France’s Glowsun. Can’t have the sun without the moon, and here they are packaged together for your listening enjoyment. A limited hand-numbered edition vinyl run of 500 packed full of the trippy goodness you not only expect, but deserve. Adorned with artwork from Glowsun’s Johan Jacob, Electric Moon/Glowsun split is out on Sulatron Records.

Electric Moon :: Flaming Lake

…onwards…upwards…full payload…air is thin…right there…

Apogee.

Electric Moon are back and on fire with Flaming Lake, a live document of Open Air in Battenberg, on July 2nd of 2011. There’s definitely the whiff of fire on this one; a smoky affair, burning a seemingly inexhaustible candle at every end. 4 tracks, each over the 15 minute mark, burn and smolder without ever getting stale. In less stellar hands, we’d end up with noodle soup, but Electric Moon stir the cauldron better than ever serving up stew. Their trademark fluidity and cream are all there, in abundance. But Flaming Lake burns a little differently. It’s thankfully not leaner, but it is a little meaner. Case in point: the monolithic Lost and Found Souls, clocking in over 23 minutes. It comes out of the gate with a mournful surge worthy of a whale and proceeds to campaign all over the universe, up and down, until the outro brings back the opening woeful throb, acting more like call-and-response than bookends. That forlorn pall throughout has some real weight behind it though; whatever it is, it’s tough. And it might be hurt.

Back at the start though, things are as they should be with The Cosmic Creator laying down the first note. And the title about says it all. Starting out simply and carefully, The Cosmic Creator plants the first seed for what eventually layers up and blossoms into a full-fledged birth. Maybe of the creator itself, or another planet to orbit around. It’s a fantastic churning drive through deep space…that keeps going with Flaming Lake. Where The Cosmic Creator dispersed, Flaming Lake strides. With some effects and flourishes in just the right places, Flaming Lake continues the flight with a bit more swagger; pinging out just it came in.

After the menace and purpose of Lost and Found Souls, Burning Battenberg doesn’t quiet things down or put the feet back on Earth, but there is a more pensive thought running through the universal mind. The guitars have a bit more chime, the bottom end goes at a graceful gallop…but it all heats up into that boiling and roiling stew we put in an order for up top. Part of that shift in feeling is no doubt due to Alex turning over the drums to Philipp from Daturana for the closer. Another part; Electric Moon simply know how to conjure up a killer set full of dynamics and space to move around while keeping the flow as organic as possible.

Electric Moon have put out a few live discs, and Flaming Lake can easily stand toe to toe with your favorite. Full of haze and a trance-y atmosphere, Flaming Lake chugs, pulses and remains in full trippy flight, just as you’d expect it to. Another stellar orbit from Electric Moon proving that there is fire in space; bring your own oxygen.

Flaming Lake is limited to 250 copies, available through Sulatron.

Flaming Lake :: Electric Moon :: Flaming Lake (Sulatron, 2011)

The Hardest Working Man in Space

The first cut I heard by Sula Bassana (David Schmidt) was In Space, off of his ’09 platter, The Night. And I was…in space…Then I started to find out how much of that space Sula has already explored; I’m still only on the launch pad. From his involvement in multiple outfits, running Sulatron, producing, keeping Electric Moon orbiting, playing live and finding time to sleep, Sula is a force of nature with a reserve that is apparently as endless as the space he knows so well.

And is still exploring.

In Space :: Sula Bassana :: The Night (Sulatron, 2009)

Thanks for taking some time out to get us up to speed…and beyond. Can you give us a little background history straight from the source?

Sula: Oh, long story…I’ll tell a short version. I started in the mid 80’s with electronic music, playing synthesizers, sequencers and drum machines only. Did some gigs with projects, solo and made some cassette releases and some tracks on sampler LP/CDs. In the early 90’s I made a break and started playing bass in a new psychedelic-rock-band, called Liquid Visions (founded in late 1994). We released several albums and singles and gigged a lot. I started the space rock project Zone Six in late 1997, also with some albums and gigs. I made 2 records each with Weltraumstaunen and Psychedelic Monsterjam (Neumeier, Genrich, Schmidt), and played drums for some months in the band Growing Seeds. I spent some years in Austria, played in some bands (Interkosmos, Alice Dog) and started my label Sulatron Records. We also founded Electric Moon there, together with my girlfriend Komet Lulu (on bass), Pablo Carneval (from Interkosmos and The Blowing Lewinsky, on drums) and me on guitar. Last year we moved back to Germany and found Alex, who replaced Pablo in Electric Moon.

Electric Moon :: Lunatics Revenge & Inferno

Sula Bassana must, in between pumping out and being part of some of the best psych and space rock albums around, take time out to eat and sleep. That said, I’m quickly coming to the conclusion that he’s not of this planet, so the rules don’t apply. Sula casts a mighty big, and long, shadow; from his solo output, shepherding Sulatron Records, Zone Six, working with Modulfix, The Nasoni Pop Art Experimental Band, Interkosmos…None of these ‘projects’ stand in the shadow of Sula Bassana. Once you dig into his work {…and then you’ll keep on digging. Trust me.} you’ll find that all these outlets are his shadow. You got to have light to make a shadow: Enter Electric Moon and all their slow-burning Technicolor lava light {Sula Bassana, guitar; Komet Lulu, bass; Alex; drums. Pablo Carneval takes the drum seat on Lunatics Revenge}. Three co-pilots fully dedicated and capable, this is about the music, the exploring. It’s about Electric Moon.

Last year’s Lunatic and the monster  two song double disc Live at Epplehaus already packed in enough creamy, heavy nutritious goodness, that if Electric Moon had opted to wane in 2011, nobody could fault them. Lucky for our heads and ears, they didn’t. They’re back with Lunatics Revenge {Nasoni} and Inferno {Sulatron}.

Sula Bassana & Modulfix :: Brain Wash

For as prolific as Sula Bassana is, it’s hard to believe he has a brain left, let alone one to wash. But he does, and so does Modulfix, and they had the good sense to have another meeting of minds and drop the magnetic and groovy Brain Wash {Sulatron, 2010}. Thoroughly modern and of another time simultaneously, Brain Wash is a hypnotic, psychedelic slab of instrumental ear, and brain, candy. Lava lamps to planet caravans, Brain Wash spins and spirals a full and trippy load.

Opener Svensven Der Froschfosch oscillates along an electro roadway with dense layers of keys over a pumping driveshaft. Just as Svensven Der Froschfosch takes you up to the appointed apogee to fully break free, Brain Wash kicks in the big engines for a space rock exodus worthy of Hawkwind or F/i in prime flight. The drive thrums with the sort of subtle menace of Floyd’s One of These Days, stetching out so you can really sink your teeth into it. Brain Wash gains maximum height, fades out, and you’re eased into Horta, kicking in with a languid acoustic seduction. More melancholy than menace, Horta disperses out with the acoustic lines folding in on themselves and the background ingredients spiralling into a chorus…sung on Titan…Horta unfolds and churns until the ghosts are all blown away.