Video Interview: Stefan Koglek of Colour Haze on Playing Desertfest New York, Touring North & South America, Sacred & More
Last month, amid the merciful waning of humid summer on the northeastern seaboard, German heavy psychedelic rock institution Colour Haze traveled to play their first American shows in 17 years at Desertfest New York. They would perform two sets in Brooklyn as part of the festival, an initially-booked headlining slot at the pre-show at Saint Vitus Bar (review here) leading to the addition of a second set for the first night of the fest-proper at the Knockdown Center (review here).
Perhaps for the band’s fans in Europe it might be difficult to appreciate how much of an event this was. Sure, last weekend in their hometown of Munich they played an annual set at the Keep it Low Festival put on by Sound of Liberation, and they’ve got more tour dates lined up for next month that you can see below. Meanwhile, the last time they were in the US was 2006’s Emissions From the Monolith Festival in Youngstown, Ohio, and while I don’t mind telling you that evening changed my life for the better, The Nyabinghi where it happened, was more of an outpost than a scene for a grand entrance for a generational band on new geographic ground. They were brilliant, either way.
Is an American underground ready for Colour Haze? Desertfest sure was. I spoke to several heads in the crowd on both nights who’d been waiting a decade or longer for the chance to see them, and I get it. While their sound is as immersive onstage as it is on record, seeing them actually making that happen is a bit believing it. In the video interview that follows here, Koglek makes some comparison to a jazz band, and there is definitely that element of the crowd watching Colour Haze — Koglek, bassist Mario Oberpucher, keyboardist Jan Faszbender and drummer Mani Merwald — to try to understand how it’s done. To learn. You hear about that a lot with the bop era of jazz acts and players. When you’re on the presence of masters, it’s worth paying attention.
The conversation covers a pretty broad range of topics, from NY, to remixing old albums before the tapes decay to the potential of their return to the US for more touring — yes, touring — in 2024, and so on. It was not at all the first time we’ve spoken over the years, but a new format for it to happen. It’s not a short chat, and I treat posting unedited interviews as a moral position, so if you’re gonna dig in, take your time. You also get to see the Colour Haze Studio where at least part of their recording process (as well as the mix/mastering, generally) happens, so that’s a bonus as well. Yes, the tape machine is apparently as heavy as it looks.
I could go on here about the importance of the band, their influence, the possibility of their touring in North America in addition to their already-confirmed South American dates and whatever, but you’ve got enough on your plate. If you dig in, please enjoy, and either way, thanks for reading:
Colour Haze Interview with Stefan Koglek, Oct. 10, 2023
Colour Haze‘s Sacred is out now through Elektrohasch Schallplatten. Following their performance at Keep it Low, the remaining dates for their Fall tour are as follows:
21.10. – (DE) Ludwigsburg – Scala Ludwigsburg
04.11. – (DE) Weiden – Burn the Streets Festival Vol. 1
10.11. – (DE) Dortmund – JunkYard • Dortmund
11.11. – (NL) Maastricht – Muziekgieterij
12.11.- (NL) Deventer – Burgerweeshuis
14.11. – (DE) Bielefeld – Forum Bielefeld
15.11. – (BE) Brussels – Le Botanique
16.11. – (FR) Paris – Backstage By The Mill Garmonbozia Inc.
17.11. – (FR) Vallet – WESTILL VIIème édition
18.11. – (DE) Neunkirchen – Gloomaar Festival 2023
Colour Haze, Sacred (2023)
Elektrohasch Schallplatten website
Elektrohasch Schallplatten on Facebook
Tags: Colour Haze, Colour Haze Sacred, Elektrohasch Schallplatten, Germany, Munich, Sacred
