Artist: Colorbox

[mars]

Artist: Kenneth A. from Color Box

Date: 12-2004

By: Basilisk

 

Q: What was it that began your association with Goa trance that led to your debut release in 1997?

A: Well.. I started making music around '86 when I still lived at home with my parents and my younger brother René. I was always into electronic music. This began with a guy on my cousins’ street who was a musician and had an old electronic organ. I just couldn't believe that a single piece of equipment could make all this sound :-) I started listening to Depeche Mode in '87 or '88 and found a source of influence here that opened a new world of music to me. Later on I discovered Goa 'by accident' and fell in love with it right away. The Train To Chroma City album wasn't exactly my debut release. But I’ll get back to this later on.

 

Q: Your album Train to Chroma City was one of a few Goa albums to have been based around a conceptual premise. Could you tell us more about this idea?

A: This was just a crazy idea we got. We hadn’t seen it done before and found the idea somewhat original. It wasn't intended to be like this from the beginning at all but here's what happened. We started working on some tracks when we both lived at home with our parents for a short while. We made four or five tracks as far as I remember in the attic and kind of forgot about the whole thing. We then moved out of our parents’ house again and sold some of the equipment to buy some new equipment. When we had finished building our new setup it was way different than the old one. So we were in no way able to create that exact same sound. Then I got the idea of dividing the album into sections (cities in the end) that would all have a different sound of feel to them. The first two tracks on the album are actually two of the four or five tracks that were made 'at home' at our parents and are, in my opinion, the two tracks that sound most different from the other ones. The rest of the album was made on more or less the same equipment.

 

Q: How was it to be working with your brother on Colorbox material - did you compose equally or divide up the creative process somehow?

A: Yes and no. I've always been into mastering and creating sounds for our equipment so this was kind of my 'job'. My brother was a master of drum programming and bass programming while I worked on some of the riffs and other stuff. But we both contributed to all the stages of arranging, mastering and producing so it's not as black and white as a regular rock band where one guy plays the drums and another the guitar and so on.

 

Q: How did you become to be associated with Hypnotic and their small stable of Goa artists? What was it like to work with a big label which only had a small division for Goa trance?

A: This is a LOOOOOOOONG story but I'll give it to you anyway. In the summer of '93 I got a deal with a small underground label by the name of LOUD Records in Odense, Denmark. An artist known as Max M told me to send my tracks to them and I did. A few weeks later I got a call from them and shortly after signed a deal with them. I released two tracks for a number of compilations. The tracks were called 'Sample Your Mind' and 'Gyro'. Those tracks were released under the name 'Baas Complex'. This was in the very beginning of electronic music in Denmark. The tracks are not exactly Goa but more like electronic-techno-depeche-goa-goofing-around-like music :-) Note: 'Sample Your Mind' was actually released on a 12" vinyl maxi too in three different remixes. Only 25 were made and I still got mine. Maybe it'll be worth something at some point in time. Who knows :-) Well .. LOUD Records was owned and run by Jan Kjølhede who merged with Cleopatra and created the Hypnotic label. My brother started creating music too and became a member of Bypass Unit at some point in time. I don’t recall exactly when. We kept in contact with the Hypnotic label where Jan Kjølhede always told us that he would release an entire album if we ever were to make one together. So we did. Funny enough the Colorbox tracks were the first tracks my brother and I ever made together.

 

Q: Hypnotic was home to several Goa artists including Psygone and Bypass Unit. Are there any stories to tell about your friendship with the members of those groups? Do you know where they are now?

A: If you've read the paragraph above you will know that my brother was a member of Bypass Unit too. They are not making music and more. I don't think my brother is making any music at the moment either. I occasionally run into Michael Rasmussen on my way home from work. He has a regular job these days (so do I by the way). He's not making any music at all to my knowledge. Jesper Sieburg (the third member of Bypass Unit) is leading a regular life too. I haven't seen him in quite some time but I guess, and hope, that he's all right. I haven't seen Michael (another Michael) from Psygone in a long time. Last time I heard from him he was making dance music and remixes. He released a dance version of Mr. Postman by the way :-) At one point we were all kind of friends and met up at concerts and venues but since then a lot of stuff has happened. I don't hang out with any of the old guys anymore.

 

Q: It has been seven years since your debut album was released. Much of the scene has gone on to entirely different places. It must seem quite different to you now... what was it that prompted you to make a return?

A: I swore to NEVER touch a keyboard again when I 'quit' two or three years ago but I just can't help myself. I am not sure if I would call it a 'comeback' or a 'return'. I'll just play around and see what happens. See if the old spark is still there. The equipment I use these days are WAAAAY different from what we used back in the days but all my old CD-ROMs with the old sounds are still with me. I even have most of the Cubase arrangements on CD-ROMs. So I could recreate most of the Train To Chroma City album should I want too. But I really don't. If I am to make a new album (or try to at least) it will be a mix of old and new stuff I guess. I really love the themes and hook lines of the old school Goa style and love some of the elements of never psycadelic. But right now I have no idea what will happen.

 

Q: Do you have any nice memories of playing live at parties to relate? You are also booked to play an upcoming party in Denmark... what's it like to be getting back into this after years away from it?

A: I have a lot of good memories playing live. I've always loved playing live even though live might me an overstatement. Usually we used a CD and played some sounds off a synthesizer to it. But it is hard to name one event that's better than another. They've all been fun. Even the ones where we didn't get paid or got cheated in other ways are now good memories. But it is nice to get back in business though it may only be for a short while. I can’t wait to play live again.

 

Q:You've mentioned that you're at least thinking of composing some new material in the future... many old school artists who remained in the scene all these years grew with the changing sounds, often to the dismay of old fans. Given that you skipped the major trends of the past few years, do you think you would seek to satisfy the lingering demand for quality old school sounds?

A: I skipped the major trends for sure!! Believe me. I haven't listened to any techno in the last two or three years AT ALL. So right now I have NO idea what's going on. I believe that I will be able to bring back the magic (that's what I like to call it) of the whole Goa period. Some may like it and others may hate it. I don't really make music to please other people. I make it because I can't help making it. If someone likes it, that's fine by me. If they don't, that's fine by me too. But as I've already stated earlier I have no idea what will happen in the near future but I will for sure keep you guys posted.