The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.

Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.

Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.

The Obelisk Questionnaire: Jonas Munk of Causa Sui, El Paraiso Records, Etc.

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How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?

Not sure how to define it. I guess the shortest answer is that I’m a musician. I play guitar, I play keyboards, I record sounds – my own sounds, as well as other people’s sounds – I mix sounds, I master sounds and eventually sell them. So basically I’m involved in the entire process of making albums, from setting up microphones in the studio, to putting vinyl in cardboard boxes and driving them to the post office. Some Obelisk readers might be familiar with the band that I’m in, Causa Sui, but I’ve been involved in lots of other stuff as well. I run a label with Causa Sui drummer Jakob Skøtt, called El Paraiso Records, which specializes in all things instrumental and psychedelic. I’ve also worked with a number of bands and artists over the years as producer and collaborator, – Papir, Mythic Sunship, Kanaan, Brian Ellis to name a few.

Describe your first musical memory.

I remember jumping on the couch while listening to The Police on my parents’ stereo when I was 3-4 years old. The first real concert I remember was Santana in 1989, when I was eight years old.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

We (Causa Sui) saw Colour Haze for the first time in Copenhagen back in the early summer of 2004. They played a regular set as part of a small festival, but the following day they played an extended set at a local underground venue (Dragens Hule) run by some of the guys from Øresund Space Collective – a wonderful venue that sadly isn’t in existence anymore. A totally illicit establishment with cheap beer and strong cocktails! Colour Haze played a mindblowing two-and-a-half hour set – on the floor, all backline, with maybe 60-70 people in the audience. That shit was truly inspiring – Colour Haze showed us there were new exciting possibilities with stoner rock. Later that year we started Causa Sui.

When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?

The last six years have been strange, on a personal level as well as on a broader political level. There’s been a few tough ones to swallow.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

It leads to humility. 15-20 years ago, when I first started producing music somewhat seriously, I was overly confident, I was kinda under the illusion that I was almost some kind of genius with a special insight and brilliant capabilities. After a while there was a gradual realization that this actually wasn’t the case, at all. And thus began the long, slow trek to actually become decent at what I do – to really put in the hours, and learn how to put songs together that doesn’t sound super awkward, how to play guitar in a way that doesn’t just fill up empty space just for the sake of filling it up, how to record a drum kit so it actually sounds pretty good… and so on.

So, after two decades of doing it I’m now at a point where I think I’m decent at what I do – I’m fairly competent at certain things, still lacking at others – but I’m still nowhere near as brilliant as I thought I was 17 years ago! It’s a much more humble position. The funny thing is I hear of people working in other areas share a similar pattern of development. If there’s anything positive to say about that youthful overestimation, it’s that it gave me a tremendous amount of energy to channel into music.

Being under that illusion somehow persuaded me that this was something I should do. Had my mind been fully adjusted to reality, and had I been aware how far there was to go, I’d probably have found something else to spend my time and energy on. These days I try to be somewhat realistic, and keep raising the bar accordingly, but you shouldn’t lose faith in what you do either, so perhaps I still rely a little bit on illusions to fuel things. Axl and the boys were right: use your illusion!

How do you define success?

That word, success, tastes a little bit weird in my mouth. For some reason I feel like it’s the kind of word that applies better to business and sports – two things I don’t care much about.

What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?

Certain images and stories from the war in Ukraine has haunted me for weeks. Even after 40 years on this planet I still find it genuinely puzzling how humans from one country can torture innocent civilians in a neighbouring country because their boss told them to do so. But I can’t say I wish I hadn’t seen that stuff, cause it conveys truth, and truth should be known so we can act on it. Truth leads to change.

Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.

I’ve come close a few times but I still haven’t made the perfect hummus.

What do you believe is the most essential function of art?

I think the question presupposes the idea that art is supposed to have a function in a similar sense to the function of a piece of technology, or so – as something to bring about a goal of some sort, something that’s good for something else. I don’t believe that to be true. I believe aesthetic experience has value and importance in itself, even if it might also have other kinds of value. The philosopher Theodor Adorno once described this with a paradox: that the function of art is its functionlessness. If we can learn something from aesthetic experience, he believed – it’s first and foremost that not everything that has value in this world has value because it’s good for something else. Great art invites us to see things from a different perspective. Personally I always feel like art loses some of that which makes it valuable if it’s overly political, or functional, or if it’s trying to tell me something in a very direct and clear way.

Brian Eno once stated that humans not only has the need to control our surroundings – that is: nature, people, things – to our own ends (which is broadly the role of science as technology), but that we also have the need to surrender to the world – to let go of that control and release ourselves into the stream of life and flow with it. In other words, it’s fundamental for humans not only to perceive the world as something to be constantly dominated towards our own ends, but also to let go and simply resonate with it once in a while.

Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?

Right now I’m looking forward to going to Berlin with my wife and kids next week. Something of a summer tradition. Besides that I don’t have much planned and that’s kinda how I like it. We’ll see what comes up…

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The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.

Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.

Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.

The Obelisk Questionnaire: Jakob Skøtt of Causa Sui & El Paraiso Records

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How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?

Ever since I was a child, I would always wonder how things worked. “Hmm, what makes the sound come out of the speaker?” That sort of juvenile wonder. And that’s still what drives me: “How do you play the drums to get that sound?,” “How do you design an OBI-strip for a record cover?” Whatever I’m doing, I’m driven by that sense of empirical wonderment — trying to get to the bottom of it, sort of emptying the pool one spoonful at a time, haha.

Describe your first musical memory.

The “Dueling Banjos” theme from the movie Deliverance. My brother and I used to dance around while that played, going faster and faster. When I saw the movie years later, I realized just how twisted it was. “Squeal like a pig.” But I remember the inbred banjo boy was on the cover as well, so that’s probably why it really stuck with me from an early age.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

Motorpsycho live in 1997 — I had bought their CD Trust Us on the recommendation of the guy in the record shop the same day. There were like eight or 10 people in the audience, and the friend from high school I came there with left when he met a girl at the bar before the show. But I stayed and they just slayed it. I love the way they used to mix the vibes of indie bands like Pavement with stoner rock and psychedelic stuff — something very few bands do today (not even Motorpsycho). So yeah, if you know a band that mixes Pavement and Sonic Youth with heavy riffs (may as well throw in some Popol Vuh?), send me a note!

When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?

Many of my beliefs are constantly tested, so I try to spend more effort remodeling my beliefs, than hanging onto them. But I still feel like working with music and being able to make it and put it out is a gift, so my main assumption is that I’m not a musician and not gonna release any more music ever — since, you know, family, full-time job, bills, etc. I often go for months and months and not play a single note. So every time I’m able to work on music it’s in spite of that, so my own challenging my beliefs, come from hard work of actually making or putting out music.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

Hmm, I think that’s a dual-edged sword. On one hand, it’s great to have a driving force and sense of wonderment. But on the other hand, the quest for constant rejuvenation could keep you from refining a few good ideas to become even better. I think a lot of bands end up on this course: They start out really hungry and humble, and want to pour every ounce of their creative energy into making the best thing they can in the best way possible. Perfect. But then they’ve done a few albums, have a fan base, and they want to take it to the next level.

Well that’s another quest all together. Spending weeks in the studio, more layers, mixing with more expensive producers, pondering over artwork, shopping for labels — whatever way you can come up with to add unnecessary layers of complexities to your work – you’re pushing for something that isn’t happening organically. So it becomes an artistic struggle, rather than a natural progression. And I think this fixation on “progression” is what leads us there — most people are probably afraid to stagnate. But what I’ve found is that even trying to do what I did yesterday, I’ll do it differently today — it feels the same, but the results are different. And that’s when artistic progression feels meaningful — going along with the natural current in whatever stream you’re in. It’s not something you should have to actively pursue.

How do you define success?

I find that personal happiness has more and more to do with it, rather than any sort of commercial success. Some of the releases I’m most proud of hasn’t sold more than 300 or 500 copies. But it’s a success that it came into the world. So having that personal freedom to control what I do feels like success to me. Again, it’s a privilege to be able to make music. I’m grateful whenever it’s a part of my life.

What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?

When you get kids and they get sick or hurt, that sucks. Also I wish I hadn’t seen the face of depression in people I know.

Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.

I’d really like to be involved with making a book. Preferably writing it at some point, but if that doesn’t pan out, then just doing the typography and cover. Or maybe doing a graphic book — perhaps when we hit 100 releases on El Paraiso?! We had the 10 year anniversary in January, but we didn’t do anything. So yeah, in just 35 releases we’ll at epr100. Shit! I should start putting it together now! JJ, you can write the prologue [I’d be honored. — ed.]!

What do you believe is the most essential function of art?

I think art in the broadest sense – consuming, creating or curating – makes your mind more elastic! It makes your brain work in different ways.

Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?

Looking forward to seeing Dune. Also finishing Liu Cixin’s Three-body Problem an epic sci-fi trilogy starting in the 1960s ending at the end of time (!!!) – sort of a Chinese modern day version of Asimov’s Foundation. I’m also looking forward to going skateboarding with my son again, since I fell and stubbed my toe and it’s all blue. And I have some Umberto Lenzi eurocrime Blu Rays in the mail that should arrive any day now – love those movies! Gonna watch them with a tasty hazy double IPA. Cheers everyone!

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[Click play above to stream Causa Sui’s Szabodelico in full. Album is out Nov. 13 on El Paraiso Records and can be ordered here.]

Recorded over a period of months between 2019 and early 2020, Szabodelico — named for its own centerpiece track in homage to Hungarian jazz guitarist Gábor Szabó, see also second cut “Gabor’s Path” — revels a bit in its sense of disconnection, in the flourish each of its total 13 pieces brings on its own. And yet, with the long-established chemistry of Danish instrumentalists Causa Sui behind it, and a stated focus on capturing early takes, minimal overdubs, recording themselves, etc., there is an overarching flow and immersion taking place over the 2LP’s 63 minutes that is unmistakable. Causa Sui are nothing less than a treasure of the European psychedelic underground. Their ongoing progression and exploratory impulses have in the past 15 years made them essential and influential listening, and as they’ve moved over the last half-decade toward bringing together tonal-presence-minded heavy psych and various manifestations of jazz, the “voice” they’ve found — such as it is with no vocals — has become their own in a way that is vibrant and encompassing.

Last heard from with 2017’s Vibraciones Doradas (review here) and the Live in Copenhagen (review here) live album issued earlier that year, they bring a sense of grace and spontaneity to Szabodelico that transcends the stylistic shifts between ethereal free-jazz warmup in the opener “Echoes of Light,” spaghetti westernism on “Under the Spell” and organ/guitar call-and-response dueling on “Sole Elettrico.” There are a couple heavier-ish moments of distorted guitar and so on brought forth by guitarist Jonas Munk, drummer Jakob Skøtt, keyboardist Rasmus Rasmussen and bassist Jess Kahr, to be sure, but Szabodelico is more about mellow freedom. About finding out where you’re going when you get there. About playfulness and engaging with the creative process as it’s happening. It has become a pandemic-era cliché to note the additional poignancy of such things, so I’ll say instead that Causa Sui are simply unmatched when it comes to the melding of progressive spirit and instrumental conversation, and the patience of craft they display in these works is no less theirs than anything jammed out across the multi-part Summer Sessions series (review here; discussed here), their live outings, or their other studio work.

As one might expect, the album is structured to highlight the vinyl presentation. Each of the two component platters begins with a kind of introductory short work in the aforementioned “Echoes of Light” (2:33) and its dreamy, key-inflected side C counterpart “Honeydew” (2:58), which gives way with an especially smooth transition into “Lucien’s Beat,” suitably more percussive but still otherworldly. On the other end of these, rounding out sides B and D, are “Szabodelico” itself at 7:14 and the 9:52 album finale “Merging Waters.” The former builds up to become about as full-on rock as Causa Sui get throughout, so it’s only fitting that its companion should be as deeply entrenched in a liquid psychedelia as possible; the quiet lake as opposed to a flowing river, if we’re talking about water.

With the range Causa Sui demonstrate in cuts like the winding “Vibratone,” with its folk-boogie emergence marked out by waves of synth, or the quick cinematic krautrock excursion that is “Premonitions,” Szabodelico can be seen as unpredictable, and it is. On some level, it’s a collection of jams and quick installments gathered from multiple sessions and compiled together as a release. It’s inherent to the form that there would be disparity in purpose and delivery. The genius — and yes, I mean that — of the album is that it doesn’t hide from that so much as make it the point of the thing in the first place, so that each turn Causa Sui make becomes not a hardship for the listener, but a joy to relish along with the band. And on the most basic level of listening, when one puts on Szabodelico, it is anything but a challenge to make the leap from one song to the next. Each side and each movement occurs with such a sure and gentle guiding hand that to not follow where one is being lead is to fail as an audience. The answer is to go with it. Go with it and know it’s all going to work out because, yes, it absolutely does.

The trust is well earned on the part of Causa Sui, and will only be more so going forward because of the work they do on Szabodelico. It is a standout among their catalog of now-six full-lengths, various sessions-type offerings and sundry live albums, and is intended to be precisely that, right unto the ultra-chill percussion drips on “Rosso Di Sera Bel Tempo Si Spera” and the penultimate sunshine rocker “La Jolla” echoes and expands on some of the meditations in “Under the Spell,” bringing singular warmth ahead of the cool dive in “Merging Waters.” Wherever Causa Sui go in a given track, they go with purpose, even if that purpose is simply the going itself, and while some who’ve basked in their desert-style fuzz progressions might be surprised by what Szabodelico is doing, the basic fact of the matter is it’s not a high hurdle to jump.

That is to say, Causa Sui make it easy for the listener to expand their palette (and consciousness), to keep an open mind, because the material itself has such a correspondingly open approach. Maybe this is the band proving they can go anywhere. Maybe this is the shape of psych-jazz to come. Maybe it’s a one-off. You never really know with Causa Sui what direction their output might next take, and when the result of that is material like they bring to Szabodelico, which retains its vitality even at its most subdued and is lush without sacrificing the organic nature of its performance to craft a wash of effects, it is their righteousness reaffirmed. This record feels like a gift built by masters of the form, and it is precisely that. Whatever it may lead to, if anything, is for future hindsight to dictate. As of now, it is a welcoming for anyone ready to be welcomed.

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