por David Cortés

German musician Dave Schmidt keeps the flame of styles like krautrock and Kozmische muzik alive thanks to spatial atmospheres and nods to seventies electronic music in an epic work that adds to his long catalog as a solo artist.

What's new in space rock? Krautrock? Kosmische muzik? Probably nothing ... and yet, in the spirit of Galileo’s discoveries, we can affirm that they’re in constant movement, not thanks to a revival movement, rather because of those who have taken it upon themselves to keep the flame alive.

This is the case of Sula Bassana (aka Dave Schmidt), a prolific musician who, in addition to being part of Electric Moon and Zone Six, among other groups, has abundant solo work.

His most recent recording, CV Sessions, not only refers to the pandemic times, it is also a nod to the voltage control cables with which he connected and modulated the analog equipment (synthesizers, basses, melotrons, etc.) that he used in this production.

Though not a conceptual work, the themes, or the titles at least, seem to tell the story of a journey where a glissando marks the intro (“A nice constellation of the planets”), as if we were taking off, which will then take on a pulsing synth rhythm that links to “Wtf?”, a cut with some epic overtones and whose sound effects hint at being in a different world or planet. "Wollschweber" prints mysterious tones with echoes of a slow, bucolic blues, thanks to a guitar that sometimes will let out some loose plucks, endowing this composition with more depth, and thus, a more isolated feel.

"Ruins of civilization", the longest track in this installment, sums up the manifesto, not only of Bassana, but of a whole sonic aesthetic. The spatial atmosphere unfolds, pearled with sonic effects, incidental sounds, omnipresent rhythm, a friendly melody akin to new age that gradually envelops the listener and immerses them in a universe where a multiplicity of images emerges; one where, just before the middle, the guitar starts to take over, becoming a black hole that reaches its own Big Bang; a vigorous rhythm in the vein of old school of seventies electronica, as if we were pressing the accelerator to reach the speed of light.

“Foggy forest” is a blurry song where the guitar is embellished with hints of country, evoking wild spaces and desertic vistas; "Tick attacks!" is absolute desolation and wide spaces, as is also "Little birdy". "They have landed and they come in colors" is effectively like a massive landing where there is both expectation and confusion. “Der Traurige essigfisch” closes the album —the vinyl edition (Pancromatic Records) includes an extra track—, an atmospheric, placid, enigmatic composition, as if arrival in that promising new world turns out to be another mystery to unravel. Ideal for traveling inside your mind or outside your body.