This is my personal favourite from this brilliant band.

Credits:
Artwork By [Cover Art & Layout] - Sons Of Saturn, The
Artwork By [Inner Sleeve Collage] - Dirk Martens
Bass - Philipp Rasthoffer*
Drums - Manfred Merwald
Engineer - Willi Dammeier
Guitar, Vocals - Stefan Koglek
Lyrics By - Stefan Koglek
Mastered By - Willi Dammeier
Photography - Rosewater
Producer - Stefan Koglek
Recorded By - Willi Dammeier



Review of this album:
Colour Haze – Tempel

It is hard to believe it has been two years since the last release by Colour Haze. The new album, titled “Tempel” is on its way, and, before I start another long-winded review, let me get to the point—it is worth the wait, and hearing it reminds me of why I love this band so much. There has been a definite change and progression in their sound, but it is one you will probably like a lot.

For those of you who want more detail, read on. I also want to thank Stefan and Philipp from Colour Haze for letting me share some of the comments that have made about this album. I may have to split this review across a couple of posts, so here is a high level table of contents:

Making the Album
Overall Impressions
Song By Song
Summing it Up

Also note that I don’t have the album artwork yet—my comments are based on the pre-mastered finished mixes.

Making the Album:

During the period as the musical ideas for the album came together, Stefan Koglek drew upon a much wider array of influences. In his words:

“Now I think we have some good material, different again, some typical CH tunes of course but also lots of new, "black" influnces from soul to african music and the newest thing is even based on a reagge rhythm I guess, [I] read the Louis Armstrong biography lately and now I want to swing somewhat more, haha ... Also I'm singing a lot of songs with a falsetto voice now, still have to practice but I like it a lot and I'm curious and somewhat anxious how people will like that new colour..”:

In addition, there was a decision to increase the complexity of the arrangements while avoiding any long epics, such as the self-titled (s/t) album:

“I recognize that from record to record we work even harder on the arrangements, things are getting also shorter now, more dense - we really want to get to the point, so no new 20 minute songs for the moment, as Peace can't be topped that fast... “

Finally, there was the decision about to what degree would the album have an overall conceptual theme, like the s/t:

“bout the lyric themes the new material is not as coherent as the s/t, the focus this time is more on the direct personal experience of being in the world instead the more general aspect of the s/t...”


The two year wait in producing the album wasn’t caused by a “dry spell”—the band had a large amount of material to work with when the recording started. It may tantalize some of you to know that several interesting projects didn’t make it onto this album—including a middle eastern flavored acoustic/electric epic, a couple of instrumentals, and even a tune that incorporated the complex 12-tone techniques of Anton Webern, hailed as one of the greatest (and most complex) composers of the 20th Century. But don’t assume for a minute that Colour Haze will stay in their “comfort zone” on this album—as it shows several kinds of experimentation.

Although a lot of planning went into the recording, there was also latitude for spontaneity. The song “Aquamaria” which opens the album was essentially an improvisation based on some riffs that band had just began rehearsing.

As far as the recording sessions themselves, Phillip described them in a way that captures much of the magic that you will hear:

“We had a very good time recording again. To me it feels like being in a monastery, working all day on the the praise of all that's holy. especially at that studio, because we did not only record there, we also lived there, recording on one floor, eating on the other, sleeping in the basement. So we had long intense days again, exhausting and lovely. We didn't need to enter the outside too much.

We did not record all the material we had, but we did an all-new song in studio [Aquamaria], developed from a kind of warming up improvisation. It'll give the album a new shape again. It'll be a very good live song as well… We could see the best take was the very new one, so a very young soul is going to be on the album.

“It is hard to really tell how good the recordings are immediately after recording. We're still deep inside. I think I'm going to like the album very much. It might be easier than the s/t, maybe more like a very close natural beauty compared to the supernatural beauty of Love and Tao nr. 43. But I might be wrong. I just know we sure recorded some Colour Haze music again.”

There wasn’t a title in mind when they recorded the album, but it is no surprise that they named it after the new tune Tempel.


Overall Impressions:
Instrumentally, this album follows up the s/t in that the arrangements are denser, and, with most of the tunes past the 5 minute mark, there is a lot of instrumental interplay. There is no long epic on this album per se—but you won’t miss it. I might mislead you at first by saying that this album is a lot blusier or funkier than the previous ones. The rhythmic cohesiveness is even more solid than the previous album, but there also seems more of a willingness to rely on a spare, rhythmic pulse to drive things along then previously. There is also a strong enough jazz vibe throughout. But all of the influences I’ve mentioned have been sifted through the psychedelic prism that is Colour Haze, and the music here is quite their own.

The song s t y l es cover a lot of ground on this album—in some ways, it can feel like a throwback to the Los Sounds De Krauts album, which seemed like a comprehensive survey of psychedelia. In this album, the net has been cast wide—jazz, soul, pop, and even new age are pulled into the mix.

The vocals have also developed a lot since the previous album—a falsetto and some interesting choral techniques have offered the most consistently satisfying vocals on any CH album to date.

The album sounds “earthier” than the s/t— and more spontaneous. However, although it may not have been intentional, there DOES seem to be a common theme running through the lyrics. Stefan described it when he discussed his approach to writing lyrics for this album:

“ This time as already said they [the lyrics] are not that important. I was focused on
creating real nice vocal lines - so while scatting the vocal lines words
with the right sound had to be found and fit in - that was in first place.
Anyway I guess it shaped to an overall meaning content of the record again -
this time more down to earth, down to oneself, being in the life and for
that struggling and making mistakes but searching, also the lust and fun of
that…”

My interpretation is there seems to be a conflict throughout the album between the very spiritual, “out of body” vibe that dominated the last album with a more earthier, sensual side in this one. Cool images such as the endless sky and ocean seem to collide with the burning images of fire, and the depth of the earth. The music, as we’ll see, also reflects these two sides of human nature—saintly, and worldly—and sometimes both at once!

Aquamaria : (8:46)
This is primarily an instrumental that was largely improvised during the recording sessions. It is a classic Colour Haze Hypnogroove, that starts low key and continues to build in intensity, featuring an intricate three-voice dialog. There is an oddly emphasized note in the bass that sounds almost mechanical as the tension builds. The buildup leads to a more traditional stoner chorus, where the lyrics appear:

Soothing my feathers in the sand
Riding high on fire a wave to the end
Gotta set my spirits home
In a rising fire dome

I feel life and love in the air
Soul so wide on my own heaven she is there
Gotta set my spirits home
In a rising fire dome


This leads to a far more open instrumental jam with some thunderous drumming, very supple bass work, and some very tasty guitar soloing that conjures some of the rapturous ecstasy of the tune C02, along with some nice scatting (oooh-ooohs).. Then, at what at first seems too soon, the song sinks into a blessed out reverie that appears to be the end around the 5 minute mark with some very free delicate playing. But then, a more assertive rhythmic line between the guitar and drums that—quite frankly, I haven’t fully cracked the tempo for- it is a shifting, triplet heavy line that, echoed by the bass, inexorably drives this tune into the stratosphere. After a minute or two, this leads to a triumphant reappearance of the chorus and then a re-emergance of the initial them. When this song finally lets go, nearly nine minutes have passed.

This song along will convince you that Colour Haze is back!

In trying to describe the lyrics, Stefan offered a very interesting peek into a creative mind at work:
“- some really high feelings - I had the vision of a quiet hot
summer afternoon in Munich, lying on a meadow, the special glowing August
light, the wind going through the high dark green trees - also the moment
when you travel to the sea for a holiday and arrive at it in the hot noon
sun seeing the transparent turquoise water from above of the shore road -
like I had it often travelling to Italy or Croatia - a real summer tune...
lyricly this though kind of densed to a real transcendent whole experience,
the extasy of totally being in and with all... But those summer pictures
were what I thought of when recording - I always try to evoke some pictures
or feelings in myself before laying down a track while recording as a
meditation to capture the right information in the song if you know what I
mean - this needs very much concentration though and adds to the hard
work...”

Fire
This is a spooky, haunting, sparse and yet ass-kicking song that is a huge departure from their previous work. It can also easily get under your skin and haunt you for days.

It starts with halting serious of very soft guitar shadings, a melancholy restrained pulse that is soon accompanied by a hypnotic base figure. The vocal appears on a very otherworldly falsetto:

Anything, anything I do
All I try, all I hold falls apart
In a jar, in a jar got to
File a liers broken glass
Find a fire, fill the heart
Only heroes within love
Loose the fear of loosing all

Everything, everything in you
All you hear, all you breathe, all you are
In a jar, in a jar hold on
All this fire in your heart
Only heroes within love
Loose the fear of loosing all

After two minutes you hear the first signs of the drums in this strange, unearthly chant which continues again, until a guitar break around the 3:45 mark offers a slice of Hendrix in one of his blusier moods, when then melts seamlessly into a straight ahead stonergroove with the repeated chorus:

I'm on a fire…

With some back ground “oooh-oohs” tossed in for good measure.

The song ends by returned to the spare creepiness that marked the beginning, and ends rather abruptly. It reminds me of the line by T. S. Elliot:

This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.

This song is just plain spooky—and it has a habit of following your around long after you have listened to it.


Mind
This song suddenly drops into one of the hookiest, pop friendly songs CH has ever written—a very tight three minute rocker that is loaded with hooks, and a very catchy chorus. The vocals has Stefan in a lower vocal range for the lyrics, and multi-tracked falsettos for the chorus.

Hey girl low down, don't sit there and cry
I wanna see you smiling, I wanna lead you high
Oh my dear lady, don't be sad and blue
See all this loving, this love that is for you

I keep you back in mind…

Oh my decision might be right or wrong
I have to go on under rain and sun
Here all my failures, all I have done
I know I'll be loosing all that I have won

I keep you back in mind…

I keep you back in mind…

Two things stand out on this song—the first instrumental break features a really sharp organ solo that is tastefully, psychedelic, and utterly groovy. Next is a tight guitar break that does not waste a single note. The closest thing I can find in the Colour Haze Catalog is the song 2+7, but this one manages to squeeze in more instrumental fire.


Tempel
The title track for the album is a pure instrumental—and, at least for now, is my very favorite tune on the album. It starts out with a very spacy introduction consisting of an unhurried series of chime-like guitar tones. (At one point in the album’s history, this was going to be a separately titled track called Telewatt).

Then, one of the coolest melodic hooks in Colour Haze history announces itself on guitar, quietly at first, and then more assertive as it repeats itself, accented by the first drum beats, which expand to a full backing as an incredibly rich melodic bass line underscores the lead melody. For me, this is a straight shot into the pleasure centers of my brain—and Colour Haze on the top of their game.

I’d like to say a few more words about the bass playing at this point. Philipp is a completely egoless player—whether he is playing a simple hypnotic pattern, or a fully articulated melodic line that can stand independently of the guitar line, I always get the feeling that he is completely drawn into the music—and you can’t help but be pulled along. Anyway, his contributions really make this song stand out.

As the three-way dialog continues, Stefan’s lead lines become more elaborate, and are then overdubbed to created the type of harmonized twin leads that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Wishbone Ash or Allman Brothers album. Then the heavier riffing kicks in with brightly colored flashes of psychedelic leads that gradually cohere into a swirling ecstatic dance. After a minute or two, the leads turn into scattered stabs of purple light, and then the trio sinks back into the gentle three way dialog that starts the tune.

This has to be one of the greatest instrumentals they have ever written. It has the richness of arrangements that were shown on the previous album, but the impression is more fluid and natural. In some ways, the structure is similar to Plazmakeks on the Los Sounds de Krauts album, but I would say that this sound sounds much more spontaneous.

Stefan describes his approach to writing the song:

“Tempel - here I had a name before a song, came from the idea of making a
dynamic build up like the roof of a Greek temple - slowly building up, peak,
then the same way down - well we didn't draw the picture too exactly in the
tune, maybe somewhat seen 3-D from the side ; )”

Gold and Silver



The opening of this tune has a strong soul feel to it—a rhythmic hook that sounds a little like that of the Beatle’s “Come Together”—and soulful early 70s vibe. Stefan’s vocals are much deeper this time--


Your god is made out of your head man
I don't believe what I'm told
I don't say that this is all wrong now
But who are you to judge my world
Look out, outside it's silver
Inside it's all the way gold
One thousand bucks you claim for your kiss babe
And for one dime you sell your soul

An instrumental passage returns to the deceptively simple rhythmic hook. If you listen to Mani’s drumwork, however, you will notice some really sweet handling of the cymbals that creates a richly articulated weave that does not detract one bit from the groove. One of the things that keeps bringing me back to Colour Haze is the quality of Mani’s drumming—he can play all over his kit, provide consistently suprising fills, and avoids all of the rock cliché’s while still keeping the groove going. Stefan returns for the next verse:

Father, son and all this invention
A mirror under dust and mould
Oh my this ride is a phony
See where we all go
Look out, outside your window
Outside it's all the way cold
One thousand bucks they pay for your kisses
And for own dime they buy your soul

For the chorus, the vocals switch to a falsetto:

Gold and silver
And I sit alone before I take a sidewalk
Of a life that is too short
Help me flying…
See me flying…

It is at this point that the song morphs into something quite different. Some heavy riffing gives the a very melodic jam based on the more uplifting melody that was introduced in the chorus. For the next two minutes this turns into what at first seems to be a typical Colour Haze musical passage, with carefully sculpted melodic guitar lines punctuated with low fuzzy riffing. But as the chorus is introduced again, the organ appears in the background, raising the song to the level of an anthem.

We will find what the heavens own
If we trust our love alone
We will see what the angels saw
If we free our mind and heart…

Stefan has this to say about the song:

“Gold & Silver is pretty clear I'd say, capturing some thoughts about religious freedom and autarchy in one self hindered by limited money-oriented thinking and societies imprints - of course already a complex theme for a song as always. The last sentence of the first two verses is basicly a quote by Marilyn Monroe”



Earth
This is a straight ahead rocker that would have done Grand Funk proud. The aim of this song, in Stefan’s words. is to portray “the love to life and this beautiful planet, let's take better care of it.” Mani’s drumming departs from the polished elegance of the previous song—here he engages in a ferocious duel with Stefan, and there is a lot of “call and response” interchanges that mark this song, leaving you breathless comes to a halt four minutes later.


Goddess you gotta save
The beauty all of this place
All the life for a vivid future
In a dark and empty space

Oh man let's realise
We got to seize the skies
Sex and love in all that turning
From deep to endless high

Oh come on don't tell me brother black is black and white is white
I want you to see all colours, I don't wanna draw a line
Oh come on and trust me sister, make this world a paradise
I don't wanna play your papa, I just wanna free your mind

Goddess you gotta save
The beauty all of this place
Sex and love in all that turning
From deep to endless high

Woman I feel allright
And I see it's all divine
All we are for a billion years now:
Seed of love in endless void

Right, right we gotta save
Come on you people get it on
Live, love and seize a day
Make love for all time on….


Ozean
The band chose the German spelling for “Ocean” since, in their words-- “the English sounds to much like a shower gel or something.” The song itself grew out of a solo composition for guitar by Stefan. This song marks a bold, (and successful) step into a more ambient, free floating s t y l e. The bass and drumwork here are telepathic—there is not a superfluous gesture here. There is a certain rhythmic throb here that keeps the tension level high enough, and to keep a hold on you when a lot of the landmarks you would normally look for are gone. Prepare to drift out of your body for 4 minutes and 31 seconds.

Stratofarm

Stratofarm is a really unique hybrid of world music, jazz, choral writing, and a bit of Hendrixy fuzz. I don’t really know how to label this one, but it makes a hell of an album closer. Instrumentally, it grew out of the band’s interest in African music, and it starts with a slowly unfolding wall of sound from Mani, and Philipp’s bass lines in the introduction are really intriguing. He does a lot of rhythmic droning, and it definitely has a primitive, yet sophisticated feel. Stefan bounces some melodic guitar fragments into the mix.

The choral part the follows next is a total surprise. Two different sets of lyrics, and two vocal lines at the same time—one low, and the other in falsetto.

Low voice:

As I turn the stone
To see on the ground
Where we all come from
To where we're all bound
And the heir keeps ohohoh such a heavy load…

As I pull the plough
Turn the soil around
Get if off the ground
All that grows around
And the heir keeps ohohoh such a heavy load…
Roll it up the hill, roll it up the hill

Falsetto voice
Uh heaven, gotta set this thing right
High in heaven, gotta light my life
Gotta cry you a song
Give you all my love
Gotta get this thing on, get it all my life

Uh heaven, gotta set this thing right
High in heaven, gotta light my life
Gotta cry you a song
Give you all my love
Gotta get this thing on, get it all my life
High goddess, give you all my love

With overdubbing of vocals, this turns into a rich, multi-hued chorus. The is easily the most stunning vocal performance the Colour Haze has recorded yet. The song alternates between the rhythmic mix earlier, and an even more profound version of the chorus. Some heavier riffing then leads to a sweet, psychedelic guitar solo that may be the single biggest moment of sheer joy I’ve ever heard from Colour Haze—ranking with CO2 and Sundazed.

Stefan described the two vocal lines as follows:
“the above melody about the longing for redemption and the low melody with the kind of ancient vision of the hard work on earth, inherited from generation to generation.”

This seems to be what the whole album is about—having your head in the sky and stars while being earthbound, and those forces that pull you in either direction.


Summing it up:

This is the album where Colour Haze has broken free of all labels. I hesitate to call them stoner, or psychedelic, or 70s retro. Or jazz, blues, or third world music. Yes, they’ve drawn from all of these sources, (and more) but what has come out of this is something that is undeniably their own. On this album there is a rare balance between the ethereal and the earthy, between the raw and the sublime. This album shows a confidence, even a fearlessness in trying to pull in all sorts of disparate threads, and weave them into a seamless tapestry. I look at all of the words I have spilled here, and I still don’t think that I have done this album justice. But there is one thing I’m sure about—this has DEFINITELY been worth the wait!





Colour Haze (Interview)
by Scott Heller

From Aural Innovations #35 (January 2007)

Scott Heller (SH): How did Colour Haze get started?

Stefan: Colour Haze was founded in August 1994 with bass player Christian Wiesner, with whom I played in Organised Noise back then, and my old friend Tim Höfer on drums who was with me in Surface Tension before where we started making music in a band.

SH: What were the bands that Philip, yourself and Mani played in before Colour Haze, all the way back? Any cover bands??

Philipp: I played a few school hall gigs with a band called Rolling Bones. 60's stuff... Stones/Cream/Hendrix. Was fun. I listened to a lot of Cream and Hendrix at the time. Then I played in some local bands. I didn't have a band when I met Stefan, just played sessions.

Stefan: Munich local bands from Artrock to Grunge to Wave - my first band, Surface Tension, was a strange mix between Krautrock and Wave which developed to Jazzcore later on. Pretty ambitious and quite bad ;-) Organised Noise was the first bigger band I was in. Otherwise I played in so many bands, often only shortly as session musician, that I can't remember them all now.

SH: Back in 1990, who would you say your favourite bands were?

Philipp: Favourite bands? There's been many many I liked, but over the years I always got back to listening to Hendrix and The Beatles on a Sunday afternoon. 1990? Soundgarden

Stefan: Monster Magnet, Mudhoney, Victims Family, NoMeansNo, Jethro Tull, Jimi Hendrix

SH: 2006, which are your favourite bands? New and old.

Philipp: New bands: I like Causa Sui from Copenhagen. Hypnos 69 are the best band I know. Lovely records and such a great live band. The best concerts I've seen (one level with one very impressive Motorspycho concert I've seen in the 90's). I love double gigging with them, they kick so much.

Stefan: Too many to count. Current or new bands from the scene: Hypnos 69, Rotor, Causa Sui, On Trial, Josiah, Hainloose, Los Natas, Ugh!, Truckfighters - latest big discovery was the music of Moondog though.

SH: You have a special attraction to recording in Hannover with Willi. Do you see this as the place where Colour Haze will continue to record in the future?

Philipp: Willi is moving to a new place, building a new studio. He's got some ideas for his new recording room. The old studio was built old school. Very dry, which was good for our recordings. The new studio might have a little more sound of its own. I'm curious what it'll be like. Anyway I guess we'll record the next one at Willi's again. It's not only the studio, it's his ears and perfect skills as a recording engineer.

SH: How does Colour Haze go about making a new record? You have just have released a new record, but in 6 months you will think about the next one. How does it work for you? Do new songs come up from jams? Do you work on precise arrangements?

Philipp: Stefan does the most actual working on new songs, in a classical sense of song writing. At rehearsals we basically just play. We occasionally discuss the things we play, but in the first place it's just playing. Sometimes songs or parts of songs just happen while we're jamming but then again it might be a lot of trial and error until we know how to play a song. Like "Peace, Brothers and Sisters!". I think we jammed and rearranged it for more than a year. It's like the songs were there all the time and we have to find out how to play them.

SH: How often does a band like Colour Haze actually rehearse, if ever?? What is a rehearsal like? Show up, put new strings on, have a beer or joint, tune... do you have a specific plan for each session??

Philipp: We rehearse two times every week, except when we're on the road. There's no specific plan most of the time. We meet, maybe talk about some every day stuff and then we play. When we play we don't stop a song unless maybe Stefan breaks a string. If we play bad we try again. We don't drink or smoke much recently. We're quite sober at rehearsals.

SH: Colour Haze has never had a set list. Most bands have a set list on the stage but not Colour Haze. How did this develop? Most bands that do this don't have a set list because they more or less play the same set every night and all the members know the set, so why bother writing anything down.

Philipp: Well actually we sometimes have kind of a set list if we play short gigs at festivals. We calculate how much we can play, two three four songs :-) Usually we don't have a set list. We agree about with which song we start. There's some kind of a basic set we play, the songs we like to play most of the time. What we actually play depends on how long we can play and on the place and audience.

SH: What are your thoughts on improvisation in the live setting? When you go see bands, do you like to see them improvise or just play the songs like you heard them on their record but with a bit more volume? Do you think Colour Haze improvise more now than in the past or vice versa?

Philipp: I like to see bands improvising on stage. It should just make some sense, not just another solo. We don't improvise more or less than five years ago. There's always some possibility of improvisation, especially in the long songs and of course there's improvisation in guitar solos. But there's songs we basically play the way we recorded them, because that's the way they should be played. We don't play louder on stage than in studio. We play the volume our amps need to work right.

Stefan: Improvisation on stage is a difficult thing. So many things need to be in the right shape if it should turn out good - monitor, sound, mood, audience, and as you are often occupied with so many things that don't work on stage and the way we tour you also hardly have the chance to work under perfect circumstances. We rather have improvisations in fixed parts than doing on stage what we actually can do in the rehearsal where we're taking off in creating free music. Live we want to give a good show to the people and not want to bore them with some risky attempts that maybe fail. I think we will take more risks about that in the future though and will show more of what we can do when we are inspired and play free. About other bands: I love it to see bands like Motorpsycho lifting off in improvised music but I´m completely bored by spacerock bands which lay endless solos on a simple and constant rhythm pattern. I guess I´m too much into music to enjoy a thoughtless show-off of finger-moving-abilities ;-)

SH: Colour Haze used to be a band that was very influenced by Kyuss. If one were to listen to Tempel, the newest CD, I don't think many would think of Kyuss. The sound has evolved a bit but more with the complexity of the songs and the musical vibe. Comments?

Philipp: We always try to do something new when we make a new record. We try not to make another copy of the last record. For the last record we had some more soul vibes influencing us. We tried to get every song grooving in studio this time. Kyuss: I've got a friend who recently got into heavy psychedelic music. The other week I thought I should make a compilation of music that's somehow related to Colour Haze. But I found out I had no good inspiration for the compilation that day so I figured I'd just copy her and the circus leaves town for a start… I listened to Kyuss a lot for some time. But if I'm living in the past it's more the 60's and early 70's.

Stefan: I listened to Kyuss every day from 1995 to 1998 or so, admitted - I guess I'm through that now :-)

SH: Tempel is the most laid back CD/LP you have ever made. Did you have it in mind to make a more laid back groovy vibe so you can more easily expand your use of the voice? I can see how this vibe the LP has is more suited to the way you sing now.

Stefan: It all came together and in one. I was discovering more possibilities in singing and with that developed different music but actually I don't sit down and say let's make a more relaxed record this time - it just comes as it comes.

SH: I was surprised when I heard the song Fire on the new LP. This live was a very uptempo rocker with a killer guitar hook and that was gone. Did it go to another song? Describe the riffs journey.

Stefan: Well, it's two different songs. The song we initially called "Fire", which you heard live, is called "Silent" now as that title fits better to the lyrics. This is the song we recorded that didn't make it on the album as we think the song is pretty good but we didn't feel too well with the version we recorded. So it maybe it will be rerecorded for the next album. The song now called "Fire" on the album is an entirely different thing.

SH: No long tracks over 10 minutes on this record. Every record for the past many has had what I would call an epic. No time to develop such a track??? Just curious.

Stefan: Maybe it's because I listened a lot to some classic greats of the past, such like Beatles, Byrds, Motown soul and stuff like that, and I wanted to create something that is more dense in the arrangement, more to the point. I think we never worked as hard on new songs as for this album. Also, therefore, they became somewhat compressed in the structure. Another thing is that we felt we couldn't top "Peace, Brothers & Sisters" in an epic track at the moment - but this doesn't mean we wouldn't develop a new 20 minute piece in the future.

SH: Were any other tracks recorded at the Tempel sessions that did not appear on the CD or vinyl that we might hear at some point?

Stefan: "Silent" (the original "Fire" s.a.) will appear on an Italian compilation this year in the version we recorded it this time.

SH: How much of the Tempel record was recorded live in the studio?

Stefan: The basic tracks - drums, guitar & bass - are always recorded live all together in one room, as we rely much on a floating tempo and dynamics it wouldn't be possible in another way. We kind off play like a jazz group. Overdubs were some additional guitars, vocals and the Hammond.

SH: Do you have any favourite tracks? If so, why? My favourite track is Gold and Silver.

Philipp: Playing: Aquamaria, Tempel. Listening: Not decided. Depends on my daily mood. I've had each of the new songs looping in my mind for at least three days.

Stefan: I guess I agree with Philipp, though I'd add Earth to "playing".

SH: The German music scene really seems to have died the last few years and touring seems to be harder and harder for bands, as the fees are too low now to support touring. You are really in the middle running the amazing Elektrohasch label, as well as booking bands in your area and making contacts and working hard for the bands on your label. What is happening? Are the prices the clubs charging too high so the people don't come out or are the young people simply out of money and can't afford to go to a 5€ show anyway? What do you think the solution is, if there is one? Germany must create more jobs for the young people or what??

Stefan: I think Germany has been totally overbooked the last years, as most US bands e.g. don't have a chance to make a living by playing at home. So everybody wanted to earn his bread here. And Scandinavian bands also don't seem to have chances to play a lot at home. We still have a vivid scene with a lot of idealists who want to feature the music they love and this way organise concerts, run fanzines or are active otherwise, it's not all that bad. This is the same for the BeNeLux countries and a culture that's elsewhere not so vivid - e.g. in the USA from what I hear - but otherwise developing now again for example in the UK and Italy. I don't see today's situation bad in all aspects as we have the hardest completion in music at the moment in Europe - which is reflecting in the outstanding quality of European bands compared to what I've seen from US bands live lately.

That people have less money than 10 years ago is a fact we see reflected in the record sales, though we sell much more than before now due to our higher popularity. This also comes with a change in the culture around music with the Internet, Mp3s and stuff. Music also isn't the central point of youth culture anymore as it has been the decades ago. Of course the big shows are too expensive here, which has several reasons from bands claiming too high fees, governmental requirements about safety and raised production costs in general I guess - that's why less people come to the big shows. For the underground shows the money issue isn't that important, there's maybe just too much offered, which on the other hand is a good sign for a still vivid scene. Most of that underground scene is happening in certain regions though as the community that developed in the East of Germany isn't existing in the West e.g. You also shouldn't forget that there is no support from the state for Rock music in Germany as you have it in many countries in Scandinavia. So the organisers have to calculate the real costs and therefore the fees are lower. At least bands are still paid here, get food and sleep - that's completely different in the USA e.g. (I don't think that's right of course).

SH: What is Colour Haze's opinion on live audio and video recording and trading? Good or bad for the scene?

Philipp: It's good.

SH: What does Colour Haze think about the whole MP3 culture that has evolved? It seems the young people don't buy music anymore but download it for free or buy it online at places like iTUNes? Are LPs and CDs strictly for the collector these days?

Stefan: I´m pretty relaxed about it as I'm sure all those people only downloading music now will pay a high price to get their music back in 10 years as the digital memory is pretty short. For instance, when I was 16 popular computers have been the Atari Amiga, Commodore 128 and then came the first 256-PCs - I don't know anybody who still has one of those things, despite one running - if I had my music all on hard disc or whatever back then I guess that most would have been lost after the second system change already. I'm glad I still have my records from that time! Otherwise this is also just a change in culture and I don't think it's all bad. The kids are pretty awake and are doing right in checking out a lot of stuff through the net and developing their taste and knowledge in using all that wealth of information the internet offers. About Mp3 downloads, I didn't want people to pay for them for a long time as I don't see a real product-worth in them you should charge something for. The limited lifetime (CDRs for sure won't last as long as a CD and even not to speak of Hard Disc) and bad sound quality (yes: Mp3s are much worse than CDs and CDs don't have the audio possibilities of analogue recordings, it's a fact but you need trained ears to hear and enjoy that) - the whole quality is missing there for me - only think about the cover. Some people buy a complete album for the price of a real album as download, burn it on CDR, print the cover with an ink-printer, cut and paste and have additionally all the work? Actually I don't want to offer that. It makes me feel like I´m cheating people. Go to your local dealer and you'll find used records for real cheap prices often enough. Otherwise I see that people like the convenience of downloading stuff and also want to pay for it. So I also feel the need to make that offer and give them what they want. I'm still a little undecided but in the end I think I should offer what they want to have and not judge their taste or way of life by refusing to offer this possibility.

SH: Has Elektrohasch worked out any deals with iTUNEs to make the Colour Haze tracks available this way?

Stefan: Though I have mixed feelings about it as explained above, selling MP3s also for me is on the agenda now.

SH: The life of the musician in the underground seems like it is going through a very tough transition now. You have been in it for a long time now. What do you think the future holds for making a living off music?

Stefan: I'm living this life now basically since I went off from school. I would lie if I'd say I´m not sometimes bored or affected by the poorness and unclearness of the future that comes along with it, but otherwise this is what I am and I'm doing what I always felt the urge to do so I'm grateful, and as I'm used to the risky sides of that way of life I'm not too worried about my future. Of course sometimes I'm in sorrow. But in the end through all the centuries artists had a hard life and I guess for musicians it's always been the hardest. Think of all the great blues and jazz musicians - what a fantastic heritage for the mankind! Their work means much more worth to me than all the Picassos and Dalis of that time, and anyway those men mostly had to live and work under the worst circumstances, really down and out. I don't think you create your best art when you are unhappy. I'd rather say those artists did it despite that. Compared to them I'm already really wealthy and well off and I wouldn't say my art reaches their relevance. So already here is some injustice again. Nevertheless I try to add something good to the world. I can't say what the future holds for living as a musician and I don't worry too much about where my way will lead me to, as I'm already a lucky man to go my own way. A possibility most people in the world don't have at all.

SH: Back to Colour Haze. How much of the back catalog of Colour Haze is out of print? Seems CO2 is quite hard to find.

Stefan: CO2 has been reprinted on CD recently. The vinyls of CO2 and Ewige Blumenkraft are already quite expensive collectors items now but the CDs are all available again at the moment, apart from "Seven" and "Chopping machine", which I actually don't want to give to a greater public as what we've been doing after that is much better.

SH: The lightshow has been a great addition to your live show? How did you meet??? who does the cool lights?

Philipp: www.freshlight.org. Very trippy indeed. They used to make lights for Liquid Visions. I think we first saw them with Liquid Visions.

SH: Who came up with the brilliant idea of the pop up in the Colour Haze record and the wonderful tribute to all your friends on the back? Fantastic and very original!

Philipp: I think the pop up was Stefan's idea. And the tribute on the back was my idea I think. The idea was: one side shows what the audience see, the other what we see. Friends on either side.

Stefan: I can't remember. But yes, we wanted tribute to all the people that stand behind us and keep us going and if only in that symbolic way - we wanted to show that we keep you back in mind!

SH: When Colour Haze hits the road in 2006 to support the new record, are there any plans to have a completely new setlist of songs? You have a great catalog of songs now. You could play 2-3 nights without repeating a song, like Gov't Mule for instance.

Philipp: The set list isn't completely new. We've added some of the new songs. We've always played Aquamaria, Tempel and Earth recently.

Stefan: There are always some songs that are standards in the live set for a period of time and some we will only play occasionally. As the audience still often is new to us we want to show our best at each show to introduce us properly at new places. There are also a lot of songs which are out of rehearsal now and therefore shouldn't be played live at the moment. About Gov´t Mule - I always thought they only have this one blues rock number so it doesn't matter which version of it they play live - we already play different songs every night! No, just kidding ;-) We definitely want to offer a different show to the people every time they see us but as touring is fucking hard we maybe too often tend to stay on the safe side yet. We will consider your hidden proposal.

SH: What does the future hold for Colour Haze? In five years from now, what do you hope Colour Haze will have achieved?

Philipp: We've achieved so much by now. We recorded wonderful records and played wonderful concerts and made friends in many countries. For us as a band things could hardly be better. I hope five years from now we'll still be playing and recording. And I hope we'll still be completely independent like we are today.

SH: Any last words for the fans? And thanks for the long interview!

Stefan: Dankeschön!







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http://www.colourhaze.de/