Listen & discover our mutual drone with the prolific guitar player N from Dortmund, Germany. It's up on https://strommorts.bandcamp.com/​

Olivier Hähnel: analog synthesizers, azzax
Mathieu Jallut: guitar
N: amps + guitar
Didier Séverin: modular synthesizer

recorded at power drone central studio by strom|morts, september 2020, Conthey, Switzerland

N's guitar recorded at N's home, october 2020, Dortmund, Germany

mixed & mastered at power drone central studio by Olivier Hähnel, November 2020, Conthey, Switzerland

Check out N's projects: https://n1511.bandcamp.com/

N's interview:
-How hard were you hit by the Covid-19 crisis as a musician?

It was a sudden and bad surprise to get blocked from any sort of live-gig all of a sudden. Already planned gigs cancelled and not knowing how long this situation will go on. As a result you are not only cut off from the possibility of the direct communication with an audience but also your record sales collapse since most sales work in coincidence with playing live...

Also rehearsing with people or doing studio work as a collaboration with others is getting difficult because of the limitations of meeting which I prefer in comparison to an online collaboration.

-How did you cope with this situation? What strategies did you find to rebound?

One reaction was and still is to sit back a bit and check all started projects or musical ideas that were lost doing the busy times before. Just to put them in order and maybe finish some and prepare others for a start after lockdown.
Luckily some venues here in Germany tried to find possibilities in between the big lockdowns: Thus I was able to play four live gigs during that time, one of them as a ghost-gig without audience but streaming instead. Even if this is not really comparable to a "real" gig it is nice to do it that way at last.

-How is the situation now in Germany?

At the moment there is still a complete shutdown until mid of February, no pubs, no clubs, no venues, no restaurants open. It feels very boring without the possibility to join a live gig just as a listener... But there will be a further "ghost-gig" in the middle of the month! Away from that anyone just seems to wait for the vaccination, hoping that will chance everything...

-What advice in general would you give to musicians on how to deal with this Pandemic?

Well I do not think I can give an advice in this situation. Maybe best is to focus on the music and try to evolve that. If you have the possibility to do so. I should call me happy in these days I also have a job that earns money; I would not have an idea for income otherwise...

-How was it for you working on our drone piece for our mutual collaboration?

It was easy and difficult at the same time: On the one hand I really like minimalist drone and have quick access to pieces like that. On the other hand I find it always a bit difficult to join guitarsound and deep synthsound successfully. So it was maybe no big surprise I needed two starts, but now I am very happy with our result. And I really hope to do a tour together, like it was planned before the pandemic hit...
In the meantime I am open to do a second and longer collaboration ;-)

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Colab-20/21 was made possible thanks to the generous support of Pro Helvetia, the State of Valais/Wallis, Loterie Romande - Entraide Valais & Nicati-De Luze Foundation.