Top 5 Spaaaced-out Albums w/ Saturndust

September 8, 2017

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This week on the Friday Guest List we spoke to Felipe from Brazilian space-doom trio Saturndust to discuss their new album and find out which are his favourite albums to space-out to.

How’s things going for Saturndust? You recently released the follow up to your awesome debut album, titled RLC, what does this refer to?

We just came from Psycho Las Vegas and we had the time of our lives there. Also I’m already writing new material for Saturndust and Isaacclarke (my ambient/experimental project). About RLC: It refers to a lot of things at the same time, two of the examples are RedLightChamber-RightLeftCenter, the whole feeling of infinity, the unknown. I prefer to keep the interpretation for each person. It’s awesome when the fans discover by themselves and explain their experiences to us.

While space itself provides a near infinite amount of subject material for artistic inspiration, your band tends towards Saturnian references, what is it about Saturn that compels you in particular? You’ve had tracks named after a few of its 60+ moons so far, do you have a favourite Saturnian satellite?

Saturn’s moons are the most intriguing, and Enceladus is my favorite. Just looking at the Cassini images I feel that we’re closer to discover something that would change everything. An ice moon with subsurface water ocean, hydrothermal vents, I feel like home when I look. Iapetus is my recent gf. About the planet: It’s my favorite since I was a kid, the rings are by theory made of dust, ice and rocks of the satellites/etc that in the past collided with it’s dense atmosphere. It’s like our lives: the experiences that collide and orbit us, until our death, or the death of the composition that made us. Saturn rings are the biggest and beautiful rings of the solar system, the whole composition and it’s moons may have lots of answers to our questions about origins, etc. The Earth is a “baby planet” compared to the giant planets. But, Saturn isn’t my only font of inspiration when I write. I want to create new scenarios, the whole space-time and dimensional questions, things we can’t explain as mere humans.

Enceladus is my favourite Saturnian moon as well. Growing up I was always interested in Jupiter’s Europa for many of the same reasons you mentioned, but the discovery of those hydrothermal tiger stripe vents spewing gas into space from the southern pole were a very exciting revelation to say the least.

Dude! I love Europa as much as the Saturn moons. Europa Report is a good movie tho, but not a masterpiece like 2001: A Space Odyssey.

I remember hearing about that film but never seeing anything beyond that. I’ll have to check it out. South America is generally considered to be a hot-bed for thrash/death metal, do you think you’re part of something unique in terms of playing doom metal in your location? Who are some of your greatest musical influences?

It’s hard to explain, because at the same time we’re very closer to different bands of many styles (psych, experimental, crust), we’re very apart from them. I’m a very closed up person, so it reflects on the band. My greatest musical influences… it goes from early-Soundgarden to Tangerine Dream. From Gary Numan/Tubeway Army-years to Warhorse (sludge/doom-outfit from 90/00’s). I’m listening right now to an Aphex Twin EP, called ‘Orphans’. Aren’t we all? Our parents just made us, but they don’t know where they came from.

Any tour plans or other news about the band you’d like to tell us about?

By now we’re about to finally release ‘RLC’ LP/CD/CASSETTE. The tapes should arrive first. About lps and cds: we still have an important annoucement to do!

Awesome! I’ll include links so we can keep up to date with news as it comes regarding those. Now we’ll get into your list for today, you’re going to go through your Top 5 Space Albums, let’s see what you’ve brought in…

#5: Wolves In The Throne Room – Celestite [2014]

Their main black-metal side is very good too, but this is one of that albums that bands use to do when they think outside the box, exploring new grounds and they made it very well. It’s hard to find music like this nowadays, dark ambient with minimalistic and classical influences, but with their own trademark.

#4: Daft Punk – Discovery [2001]

They created an universe. I was born in 1993, I was a kid when I saw their videos on MTV (One More Time, Aerodymanic, Digital Love, Harder Better Faster Stronger). I was fascinated by the storyline, years after I discovered Interstella 5555 and “wow, there’s an awesome sci-fi animation which the soundtrack is the album”. They developed synthesizers, samplers and textures that fits perfect the scenario they created. I would love to do an animation of a future Saturndust album.

#3: Tangerine Dream – Phaedra [1974]

I remember when I first heard Phaedra and I felt afraid. The audacity of making an album of synthesizers and installations by 1974 and making it spaced out, minimalistic, a new level back in the day, a concept, away from all seventies clichés. It was my first contact with avant-garde and I love ‘Rubycon’ as much as I love this one, so it was a hard choice. Also, this album inspired me to buy my first synthesizer.

#2: Monster Magnet – Dopes To Infinity [1995]

If there’s a rock album that I love more than anything, it’s Dopes To Infinity. This album is the definition of stargazing. Dave Wyndorf’s deep delayed vocals are the streams you need to connect with the cosmos. So many hymns like ‘Look To Your Orb For The Warning’, ‘All Friends And Kingdom Come’ and ‘Dopes To Infinity’, my 3 favorites. The video for ‘Negasonic Teenage Warhead’ is a classic. When I’m listening to DTI, I need to look at the skies/stars. It’s magical, from the first song to the last song.

#1: 35007 – Liquid [2002]

If there’s a band that represent space expeditions, the name is 35007. All synthesizers and textures on point, the guitars sound like synthesizers, they weren’t afraid to show a softer side even when their softer side doesn’t looks like it. All 4 tracks are perfect, but Tsunami and Voyage Automatique are special for me. I used to listen to it in good days or bad days. They really reached perfection. The music sounds like liquid, sounds like what we’re made of. ‘Phase V’ continues the saga. Never a new psychedelic band will get closer to it. Psychedelic is an offense to 35007, they are fuckin’ pioneers, R.I.P. Mark Sponsolee.

Honorable Mentions

Hawkwind – Warrior On The Edge Of Time [1975]

Space lords and pioneers, Space Ritual is a classic but this one was a mark. Lemmy’s last work with them, a lot of speeches, drugs, etc. I would love to do a version of ‘Magnu’ or ‘Golden Void’.

Aphex Twin – Selected Ambient Works II [1994]

An ambient/minimalistic album inspired by lucid dreams and nameless songs. Richard D James is a real outsider.

Saturndust – RLC [2017]

Pricks.

That’s it for today, make sure you head on over to Saturndust’s Bandcamp page to pick up their latest album and give them a thumbs up on their Facebook page to keep up to date with news regarding those tapes/LP’s and tour dates.