Name: David Schmidt aka Sula Bassana
Nationality: German
Occupation: Producer, composer, multi-instrumentalist
Current release: Sula Bassana is one of the artists included in Future Sounds Of Kraut Vol. 3 - Compiled by Fred und Luna, out December 6th 2024 via Compost.
Recommendations: Early Can and Kraftwerk. They really changed a lot.
Recommendations for his current hometown: No idea ... I live in the countryside. Which is nice for me. :) The woods are beautiful here.

If you enjoyed this Sula Bassana interview and would like to know more about his music, visit his official homepage. He is also on Instagram, Facebook, and bandcamp.



Several of the original Kraut pioneers recently passed away or withdrawn from making new music. If some of your personal favourite artists were affected as well – can you share a little what did their music meant and means to you?

Oh, not enough time to write down long details. But I'm sooo happy I have a lot of memories connected to the kraut sound. It always brings me good feelings when I hear special tracks or albums.

I'm happy I heard bands like Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, Amon Düül 2 and Can quite early. I was born in Berlin in 1968 and I started listening to Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze etc. as a 10 years old. I started diving deep into krautrock a bit later, in my very early 20s. I spent a lot of time in record shops, listening to all the old albums and re-issues and bought a lot.

My favourite Kraut records include Can's Monster Movie and Kraftwerk's first album.

Krautrock always seemed like a phenomenon connected to a very specific era in German history. What about this music and its time do you connect with?

I was born into the time music began to change and became interesting. But I didn't realize that as a baby, hahaha.

Many of the original Kraut musicians loved blues, rock, and psychedelia; they were intrigued by electronics and improvisation; they rebelled against virtuosity, classical education and the superficiality of Schlager on German radio. How much of that do you recognise in your own creative preferences and interests?

Yes, all of that. :D

Both in the music and the way it was made, Krautrock was about imagining different worlds. What is the experience of listening to this music like for you and what kinds of worlds is it taking you to? What is your preferred way of listening to it?

I love to listen to Krautrock like I do in general with music: In the right setting.

And for soft stuff like the early electronic or spacey psychedelic stuff I prefer near-darkness (except some optical lamps) and a nice spliff.

Wilder music sounds best when I'm driving my car or dancing somewhere. But it must be loud then.

A lot of the Kraut spirit came to life through musicians living in communities, playing and recording together every single day. Have you ever tried working and creating in such a constellation? Is it possible to emulate this process from a home studio?

I never tried a commune. I work best in my home studio or on stage.

I did several albums with friends in a few days in a row in my studio at home, or at project studios/rehearsal rooms.

What, to you, are the main elements that make something “Kraut?” What are the practises of the musicians from the 70s that inspire your own practise today?

The main aspect is that there are no real rules. It's about trying to explore new territory.

Tell me about one or two of your own early Kraut pieces that you're still proud of (or satisfied with) – and why you're content with them.

I must say that there are just a few tracks of my past I can't really enjoy today. But most I still like to listen to.

What instruments or equipment are you using to create your music?

A lot! I use vintage and current synthesizers, organs, keyboards in general, drum computers, pedals, basses, guitars, drums, tape delays etc …  

Are there any vintage instruments that you find essential to get your sound right?

For sure the vintage stuff sounds, feels and smells different and is very inspirational. I love the old stuff!

Could you describe your creative process on the basis of your most recent Kraut-leaning release?

As in most cases, a mix of songwriting and improvisation. I record everything at home. Mostly completely alone (except with band projects).

Every track grows differently, of course. There are endless possibilities ...

Tell me a bit about the role that improvisation and inventive arrangement techniques (like cut-up) play for your work?

Improvisation is a main part in my music.

Sometimes I cut a song like piece from a long improvisation - thanks to modern (slightly modern, hahaha) equipment, like a computer with a good recording software and my long-time experience with it.

I got into Kraut via Tangerine Dream and early Ash Ra and to me, the motoric beat was never quite as important. Today, it seems as though it's the defining element. Are you interested in it? Are you making use if it? What makes it special to you?

To be honest, the motorik beat was something you'd only very rarely hear, even in the music of Neu!. And Klaus Dinger played it in Kraftwerk just before Neu!. Jaki Liebezeit for my taste was super precise - but again, just a few songs of Can had that static motorik beat. He is one of my all time favourite drummers anyway. :)

I've used it when it fit the music, and I guess that was the intention back then, too. It seems like people think that Krautrock must have a motorik beat, but that is wrong in my opinion. There was so much more new and fresh stuff in Krautrock back then!

For example the flute of Florian Schneider with its distortion, tape delay and even wah-wah pedal or other filters! Or take Manuel Göttsching's Inventions for Electric Guitars. This echo-guitar was something new! (Achim Reichel might have done this before him, not sure)

[Read our Manuel Göttsching interview]

Did you ever visit one of the birthplaces of the genre – Berlin, Düsseldorf, Munich – or any spaces related to the history of Kraut? Do you own any paraphernalia from the era?

I'm born in Berlin and I'm a musician, so I played there everywhere. I was once at Christopher Franke's big recording studio in Berlin/Spandau, in the late 80s, where Tangerine Dream recorded their film scores and produced a lot of their records. Wow, that was amazing for me as a young guy.

And we recorded an album with my old band Liquid Visions in the Beat-Tonstudio, where Ash Ra Temple, Agitation Free and many others started their early recording experiences.

I only kept some posters and of course the music.

Are there approaches, artists, festivals, labels, spaces or anyone/-thing else out there who you feel deserve a shout out for exploring interesting directions for Krautrock?

If you need to explore the old stuff: Rolf-Ulrich Kaisers Ohr label and these artists are a great start.

There are some new labels and some kraut festivals too. But mostly, it is mixed with other styles (psychedelic, spacerock, trance, shoegaze ...).