Feature: Zur Schönen Aussicht Decodes ‘Turbo Charged Up’
How does 'Turbo Charged Up' reflect your musical journey and growth as a band?
‘Turbo Charged Up’ is, so to speak, the culmination of our work and music-making together. We've been a band for almost 15 years and we're always on the lookout for something new - on many levels: Music, i.e. works, compositions as such, the content, the detailed exploration of a theme (in our particular case, checking out xenorhythms, rhythms that are foreign to us, that we can't exactly imagine, that we can't exactly perform), staying with it for years and continuing to grow with the music.
Then performing our music. Out of necessity, we took the opportunity to organise 5 one-week, interdisciplinary cultural weeks in Jo's former house project. These were our residencies, so to speak, where we invited different artists every evening. Music, art, interior design, object theatre, flash mobs, lectures, interactive spaces, endless stuff... In other words, we created a space where we and our music could have an impact. We addressed and created an audience that could relate to this type of event and that manifested the potential of our music by interacting with it. After these events in Dresden and later in other cities like Berlin and Erfurt were completed and a large part of our music had grown indescribably, it was time to record it.
‘Turbo Charged Up’ project to combine 10 post-contemporary beats with innovative, meaningful rap and to create synergies.‘Turbo Charged Up’ brings experimental music to the centre of society. For our fifth album, we have now brought in nine international, diamond, partly legendary rappers to beam our beats into a new, futuristic dimension:
German rapper KÄPTN PENG, US rap legend of the L.A. Freestyle Fellowship crew MYKA 9, the bioluminescent alien rapper IXA PSYBORG from Philadelphia/Berlin, L.A. Alpha Pup artist and producer SUBTITLE, Berlin's boundary-breaking multi-instrumentalist and vocal artist KID BE KID, Le Peuple De L'Herbe rapper ODDATEEE from New York/Lyon, the genre-bending storyteller SERA KALO from Connecticut/Berlin, Birmingham's virtuoso jazz saxophonist and rapper SOWETO KINCH and Berlin's hyper-energetic singer and rapper ZOOEY AGRO.
The rappers find their own individual and always a masterful way to flow over the unconventional beats and have different messages to proclaim: about the empowerment of people of colour, about police violence, about consumer frenzy, about the inaction of local politicians in the climate crisis, about overtaking in the fast lane, about miracles or about rap life. Sometimes poetic, sometimes with healthy anger, sometimes philosophical, sometimes straightforward in your face.
Have you noticed any particular interpretations or connections that listeners have made with 'Turbo Charged Up?'
It probably makes sense to reproduce a few voices from the live performances.
"still the most insane live set i have ever been to"
"this is the best, most monumental and modern music out today, om quite sure...always wanted to hear M9 rock the mic over spontaneous nebulous abstract hard core rhythmically dense type sound geometry....thanks!"
"they are making a new type of contemporary folk music by the living one, one that addresses what's happening now. It's a beacon of inspiration. They not only dream of what's possible, they actually turn these ideas and inspirations into tangible realities, that we can all take part in, a completely immersive experience."
What has been one of your favorite memories along the path to making 'Turbo Charged Up?'
That's difficult to say. When you get right down to it, there are about 10 years of intensive work in this "project". The last three, after practising, rehearsing and performing live, were then the recording, the production and organising all the rap people. All of this was only possible with the support of a state funding organisation (thank you Musikfonds e.V. !!!!!!!) as well as our unbridled imagination and stamina - to be honest. Now holding the vinyl in our hands is one of the best things for all of us. To have created a special work for eternity. We are extremely grateful to everyone who has supported us on this journey or even contributed to it! And yes, a lot of things have happened along the way, phew, where do we start, haha. All we can say is follow through with your visions, don't give up.
Have you ever had any particularly memorable experiences while experimenting with your work?
We three jazz musicians, beat and rap lovers Jo Wespel alias Beatdenker (guitar, composition, producing, mixing, mastering), Paul Berberich (saxophone) and Flo Lauer (drums) have already gone one step further after the production and brought Myka 9 from Los Angeles to Germany for a tour together with Sera Kalo to see what happens live when post-contemporary, improvised beat music meets the most innovative, virtuoso rap: Exchange at the highest level and something really new. Future music of the third millennium! We would say that quite confidently now, haha. No, it was an incomparable, absolutely unique experience for all of us with Myka. He embodies 100% hip-hop culture, spirit and love. It's difficult to describe how we and our music have grown through him. A thousand thanks again at this point!!!
What do you enjoy most about performing live and connecting with your audience?
In view of the tasks that we are facing or are already in the middle of, today we need exchange, listening, interaction between people of all origins, sexualities, religions, skin colors, genders, abilities, general preferences, as well as shared beautiful experiences, what connects us, enjoyment, empathy and respect. Live music has the power to do that. This should always be there alongside or together with the music itself. Our live set is always a special challenge for us. The pieces are so complex and dense that our CPUs always tend to overload, haha. Despite all our intellectuality, we are a trio that gives 100% passion and energy - always. If that resonates with the audience, whatever it looks like, then we have contributed to making this place a better place. That is nice and stands for hope! Peace out ZSA!
